Dallas Buyers Club Budget

What is the budget of Dallas Buyers Club?

"Dallas Buyers Club," a drama released in 2013, was directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and stars Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner. The production budget was $5,000,000, placing it in the low-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.
• Development: The film is based on the real life of Ron Woodroof, a patient of HIV and AIDS, who was the subject of a lengthy 1992 article in The Dallas Morning News written by journalist and author Bill Minutaglio.

What were the major cost factors in Dallas Buyers Club?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Dallas Buyers Club."

• 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 Dallas Buyers Club's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $5,000,000, Dallas Buyers Club sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Come and See (1985): Budget $5,000,000, Worldwide Gross $20,929,648
• Cinema Paradiso (1988): Budget $5,000,000, Worldwide Gross $35,962,062
• Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985): Budget $5,000,000 , Gross $502,758
• Once Upon a Time in the West (1968): Budget $5,000,000, Worldwide Gross $5,380,118
• A Separation (2011): Budget $5,000,000, Worldwide Gross $24,426,169

The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Dallas Buyers Club Box Office Performance

"Dallas Buyers Club" earned $55,736,588 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $5,000,000, 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 "Dallas Buyers Club," that break-even threshold was roughly $10,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $55,736,588, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $5,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $55,736,588
• Net Return: $50,736,588
• ROI: approximately 1014.7%

At 1014.7%, "Dallas Buyers Club" earned roughly $11.15 for every $1 invested in production.

Dallas Buyers Club Production History

The film is based on the real life of Ron Woodroof, a patient of HIV and AIDS, who was the subject of a lengthy 1992 article in The Dallas Morning News written by journalist and author Bill Minutaglio. A month before Woodroof died in September 1992, screenwriter Craig Borten was told about the story by his friend, so he went and interviewed him to create the screenplay; Borten recorded many hours of interviews with Woodroof and had access to his personal journals. Columbia Pictures was set to buy the script but the film was unable to secure financial backing.

150px|thumbnail|left|alt=Frontal picture of a young man with green eyes and beard, behind microphones.|Jared Leto portrays Rayon, a transgender woman in the film In 1996, Woody Harrelson was attached to the film to play Ron Woodroof, but left the film because of financing issues. On May 11, 2011, Hilary Swank was reportedly in talks to join the film with McConaughey's role confirmed. On October 3, 2012, it was announced that Swank had dropped out of the film and that Gael García Bernal was in talks to play an HIV patient who meets Woodroof in the hospital and helps him in the club.

Principal photography began on November 11, 2012, in New Orleans. Filming also took place in Baton Rouge. Jennifer Garner has stated that the film was shot very quickly over just 25 days and has remarked that McConaughey "gave an even wilder performance in takes that didn't appear onscreen".

Awards and Recognition

• Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Adruitha Lee (86th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Robin Mathews (86th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (86th Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (86th Academy Awards)

Critical Reception

Upon its premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, Dallas Buyers Club received universal acclaim by critics and audiences, who praised the film for its acting (particularly for McConaughey and Leto), screenplay and direction.