ACAD 274 · mini site
Two class datasets, one question: what a single headline total leaves out.
Films: budget versus theatrical returnThis page keeps the earlier A24 table and adds the column that page only described. Worldwide gross is domestic plus international. The multiple is worldwide gross divided by production budget. It is a theatrical multiple, not profit: prints, advertising, and the exhibitor’s share of the ticket are not in the budget.
The Witch is marked “added.” The earlier page used this poster and did not include the film in the table. Its figures are the 2016 theatrical release, rounded to the nearest $100,000. Uncut Gems lists international theatrical gross as $0 because that release went through Netflix outside the United States; its multiple uses domestic gross only. Titles dated 2025 and 2026 are carried forward from the class table and should be read as that dataset, not as a final studio statement.
| Title | Year | Production budget | Domestic box office | International box office | Worldwide | Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $10,000,000 | $197,500,000 | $199,000,000 | $396,500,000 | 39.7× | |
| 2025 | $70,000,000 | $96,000,000 | $95,300,000 | $191,300,000 | 2.7× | |
| 2022 | $25,000,000 | $77,200,000 | $70,700,000 | $147,900,000 | 5.9× | |
| 2024 | $50,000,000 | $68,700,000 | $58,600,000 | $127,300,000 | 2.5× | |
| 2026 | $28,000,000 | $48,000,000 | $82,800,000 | $130,800,000 | 4.7× | |
| 2025 | $20,000,000 | $36,500,000 | $69,100,000 | $105,600,000 | 5.3× | |
| 2023 | $4,500,000 | $48,300,000 | $43,700,000 | $92,000,000 | 20.4× | |
| 2018 | $10,000,000 | $44,100,000 | $46,300,000 | $90,400,000 | 9.0× | |
| Added | 2016 | $4,000,000 | $25,100,000 | $15,300,000 | $40,400,000 | 10.1× |
| 2019 | $19,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $0 (Netflix Intl) | $50,000,000* | 2.6×* | |
| 2017 | $10,000,000 | $49,000,000 | $29,500,000 | $78,500,000 | 7.9× | |
| 2016 | $1,500,000 | $27,800,000 | $37,500,000 | $65,300,000 | 43.5× | |
| 2019 | $9,000,000 | $27,700,000 | $20,300,000 | $48,000,000 | 5.3× | |
| 2015 | $15,000,000 | $25,400,000 | $12,900,000 | $38,300,000 | 2.6× | |
| 2022 | $3,000,000 | $17,400,000 | $37,200,000 | $54,600,000 | 18.2× | |
| 2023 | $15,000,000 | $35,600,000 | $9,600,000 | $45,200,000 | 3.0× |
* Uncut Gems worldwide and multiple use domestic gross only.
The earlier page said a large budget does not guarantee a better international return, and it illustrated that with three titles. The multiples make the gap specific. Moonlight’s $1.5 million budget produced a 43.5× theatrical multiple. Everything Everywhere All at Once, at $25 million, produced 5.9×. Marty Supreme, at $70 million, produced 2.7×. Marty Supreme still grossed more dollars worldwide ($191.3 million versus $65.3 million). The multiple answers a different question: how many times the production budget came back in tickets.
The same split shows up in recent horror and action. Talk to Me ($4.5 million, 20.4×) and The Witch ($4 million, 10.1×) sit far above Civil War ($50 million, 2.5×). Civil War grossed more money. It returned less of its budget. A24’s strongest multiples in this set are the low-budget titles, which is the claim the earlier page made without a column to check it.
| Film | Budget | Multiple |
|---|---|---|
| Moonlight | $1,500,000 | 43.5× |
| Talk to Me | $4,500,000 | 20.4× |
| The Witch | $4,000,000 | 10.1× |
| Everything Everywhere All at Once | $25,000,000 | 5.9× |
| Civil War | $50,000,000 | 2.5× |
| Marty Supreme | $70,000,000 | 2.7× |
A second cut of the same table asks whether the gross is domestic or international. International share is international box office divided by worldwide gross. The Whale (68.1%), Materialists (65.4%), and The Drama (63.3%) earned more abroad than at home. The Iron Claw (21.2% international), Ex Machina (33.7%), and Lady Bird (37.6%) are domestic-weighted. Budget does not predict that split. The Whale cost $3 million and traveled. The Iron Claw cost $15 million and stayed home.
| Film | Domestic | International | Intl share | Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Whale | $17,400,000 | $37,200,000 | 68.1% | 18.2× |
| Materialists | $36,500,000 | $69,100,000 | 65.4% | 5.3× |
| The Drama | $48,000,000 | $82,800,000 | 63.3% | 4.7× |
| Lady Bird | $49,000,000 | $29,500,000 | 37.6% | 7.9× |
| Ex Machina | $25,400,000 | $12,900,000 | 33.7% | 2.6× |
| The Iron Claw | $35,600,000 | $9,600,000 | 21.2% | 3.0× |
Click a paragraph to highlight the rows and write the comparison into the briefing box.
Moonlight cost $1.5 million and returned 43.5× at the theatrical box office. Marty Supreme cost $70 million and returned 2.7×. Marty Supreme grossed more dollars. Moonlight returned more of what it cost to make. That is the difference the earlier write-up was pointing at.
Click the paragraph to compare Moonlight and Marty Supreme.
The Whale earned 68.1% of its theatrical gross outside the United States and Canada, on a $3 million budget. The Iron Claw earned 21.2% of its gross internationally, on a $15 million budget. International appeal in this set is not a reward for spending more.
Click the paragraph to compare The Whale and The Iron Claw.