Women Talking Budget

What is the budget of Women Talking?

"Women Talking," a drama released in 2022, was directed by Sarah Polley and stars Rooney Mara, Claire Foy. The production budget was $20,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for drama productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a drama production like this include:

• Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
• Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
• Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.
• Production: In December 2020, it was reported that Frances McDormand would star in the film, which would be written and directed by Sarah Polley.

What were the major cost factors in Women Talking?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Women Talking."

• Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
• Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
• Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.

How Does Women Talking's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $20,000,000, Women Talking 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 drama films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Women Talking Box Office Performance

"Women Talking" earned $5,456,531 domestically and $7,589,419 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $20,000,000, the film faced challenges in theatrical release. Home video, streaming, and ancillary revenue may have contributed to its overall performance.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Women Talking," that break-even threshold was roughly $40,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $7,589,419, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $20,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $7,589,419
• Net Return: −$12,410,581
• ROI: approximately -62.1%

At -62.1%, "Women Talking" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Women Talking Production History

Hildur Guðnadóttir composed the film's score, with Skúli Sverrisson providing guitar solos. The soundtrack was among the inaugural titles released through Universal Music Group's label Mercury Classics Soundtrack & Score, which released this film's soundtrack digitally on December 23, 2022, the same day as the start of the film's limited theatrical release. It was released on physical CD later that month.

Awards and Recognition

Won 1 Oscar. 65 wins & 164 nominations total

• Academy Award for Best Writing: Adapted Screenplay (95th Academy Awards)

Critical Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90%, based on 296 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "While Women Talking sometimes forsakes entertaining drama in favor of simply getting its points across, its message is valuable, and effectively delivered." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".