What Men Want Budget
ComedyRomance1h 57mUpdated
Synopsis
Ali Davis is a successful sports agent who’s constantly boxed out by her male colleagues. When Ali is passed up for a well-deserved promotion, she questions what else she needs to do to succeed in a man’s world… until she gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts! With her newfound power, Ali looks to outsmart her colleagues as she races to sign the next basketball superstar, but the lengths she has to go to will put her relationship with her best friends and a potential new love interest to the test.
What is the budget of What Men Want?
"What Men Want," a comedy released in 2019, was directed by Adam Shankman and stars Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge. The production budget was $20,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for comedy productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a comedy production like this include:
- Talent Salaries & Producing Deals: Established comedic talent can command $15 to 20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals.
- Production & Location Filming: While comedies generally avoid the VFX costs of action films, location shooting in recognizable cities or exotic locales adds meaningful production expense.
- Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising): Comedies rely heavily on marketing to build opening-weekend momentum.
- Production: In 2017, Paramount announced that it was fast-tracking a remake of the 2000 Nancy Meyers film What Women Want.
What were the major cost factors in What Men Want?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "What Men Want."
- Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
- Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
- Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
How Does What Men Want's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $20,000,000, What Men Want sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 12 Years a Slave (2013): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $187,000,000
- 21 Grams (2003): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $60,427,839
- 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $11,798,854
- A Guy Thing (2003): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,400,000
- A Most Violent Year (2014): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $12,007,070
The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
What Men Want Box Office Performance
"What Men Want" earned $54,611,903 domestically and $69,766,483 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $20,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "What Men Want," that break-even threshold was roughly $40,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $69,766,483, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $20,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $69,766,483
- Net Return: $49,766,483
- ROI: approximately 248.8%
At 248.8%, "What Men Want" earned roughly $3.49 for every $1 invested in production.
Awards and Recognition
1 win total
Critical Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews, and an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "Admittedly uneven but easy to like, What Men Want proves a gender-swapped remake can work , and the odds are substantially improved with Taraji P. Henson in the lead." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make What Men Want (2019)?
The production budget was $20,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $10,000,000 - $16,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $30,000,000 - $36,000,000.
How much did What Men Want (2019) earn at the box office?
What Men Want grossed $54,611,903 domestic, $15,154,580 international, totaling $69,766,483 worldwide.
Was What Men Want (2019) profitable?
Yes. Against a production budget of $20,000,000 and estimated total costs of ~$50,000,000, the film earned $69,766,483 theatrically - a 249% ROI on production costs alone.
What were the biggest costs in producing What Men Want?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge, Josh Brener); star comedian salaries, location filming, and aggressive marketing campaigns.
How does What Men Want's budget compare to similar comedy films?
At $20,000,000, What Men Want is classified as a low-budget production. The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: 12 Years a Slave (2013, $20,000,000); 21 Grams (2003, $20,000,000); 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994, $20,000,000).
Did What Men Want (2019) go over budget?
There are no widely reported accounts of significant budget overruns for this production. However, studios rarely disclose precise budget overrun figures publicly. The reported production budget reflects the final estimated cost.
What was the return on investment (ROI) for What Men Want?
The theatrical ROI was 248.8%, calculated as ($69,766,483 − $20,000,000) ÷ $20,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did What Men Want (2019) win?
1 win total.
Who directed What Men Want and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Adam Shankman, written by Tina Gordon, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Jas Waters, shot by Jim Denault, with music by Brian Tyler, edited by Emma E. Hickox.
Where was What Men Want filmed?
What Men Want was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
What Men Want
Official Trailer
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