Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Budget

What is the budget of Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood?

"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," a comedy released in 2019, was directed by Quentin Tarantino and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt. The production budget was $95,000,000, placing it in the high-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.
• Casting: On July 11, 2017, it was reported that Tarantino's next film would be about the Manson murders.

What were the major cost factors in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood."

• 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 Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $95,000,000, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Cats (2019): Budget $95,000,000, Worldwide Gross $77,276,321
• Ferrari (2023): Budget $95,000,000, Worldwide Gross $39,220,516
• Hollow Man (2000): Budget $95,000,000, Worldwide Gross $190,213,455
• Seventh Son (2014): Budget $95,000,000, Worldwide Gross $114,178,613
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003): Budget $95,000,000 , Gross $160,099,222

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

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood Box Office Performance

"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" earned $142,502,728 domestically and $392,105,159 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $95,000,000, 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 "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," that break-even threshold was roughly $190,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $392,105,159, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $95,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $392,105,159
• Net Return: $297,105,159
• ROI: approximately 312.7%

At 312.7%, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" earned roughly $4.13 for every $1 invested in production.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood Production History

On July 11, 2017, it was reported that Tarantino's next film would be about the Manson murders. Harvey and Bob Weinstein would be involved, but it was not known whether The Weinstein Company (TWC) would distribute the film, as Tarantino sought to cast before sending a package to studios. Tarantino approached Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence for roles and Margot Robbie was being considered for the role of Sharon Tate.

Tarantino aimed to portray 1960s Hollywood as seen through the eyes of a child, stating: Principal photography began on June 18, 2018, in Los Angeles, California, and wrapped on November 1, 2018. Tarantino's directive was to turn Los Angeles of 2018 into Los Angeles of 1969 without computer-generated imagery. Despite Tarantino's intent, the production wound up using more than 75 digital visual effects shots by Luma Pictures and Lola VFX, mainly to cover up modern billboards and erasing non-1960s buildings from driving shots.

The soundtrack from the film is a compilation album of classic rock, which includes several tracks from Paul Revere & the Raiders, as well as 1960s radio ads and DJ patter. The film also contains numerous songs and scores not included on the soundtrack, including from artists the Mamas & the Papas and Elmer Bernstein.

Awards and Recognition

Won 2 Oscars. 147 wins & 377 nominations total

• Academy Award for Best Production Design: Nancy Haigh (92nd Academy Awards)
• Academy Award for Best Production Design: Barbara Ling (92nd Academy Awards)
• National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt (92nd Academy Awards)

Critical Reception

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average of 4 out of 5 stars and a 58% "definite recommend". ReelViews' James Berardinelli awarded the film 3.5 stars out of 4, saying it was "made by a movie-lover for movie-lovers.