Films: Production Budget vs. Global Box Office

This dataset analyzes the financial performance of 15 notable A24 films. By comparing production budgets against domestic and international box office returns, film students and independent producers can determine if higher upfront spending translates to broader global appeal, or if micro-budget releases offer a superior return on investment.

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A24 Films: Financial Performance Overview
Title Release Year Production Budget Domestic Box Office International Box Office
Backrooms 2026 $10,000,000 $197,500,000 $199,000,000
Marty Supreme 2025 $70,000,000 $96,000,000 $95,300,000
Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022 $25,000,000 $77,200,000 $70,700,000
Civil War 2024 $50,000,000 $68,700,000 $58,600,000
The Drama 2026 $28,000,000 $48,000,000 $82,800,000
Materialists 2025 $20,000,000 $36,500,000 $69,100,000
Talk to Me 2023 $4,500,000 $48,300,000 $43,700,000
Hereditary 2018 $10,000,000 $44,100,000 $46,300,000
Uncut Gems 2019 $19,000,000 $50,000,000 $0 (Netflix Intl)
Lady Bird 2017 $10,000,000 $49,000,000 $29,500,000
Moonlight 2016 $1,500,000 $27,800,000 $37,500,000
Midsommar 2019 $9,000,000 $27,700,000 $20,300,000
Ex Machina 2015 $15,000,000 $25,400,000 $12,900,000
The Whale 2022 $3,000,000 $17,400,000 $37,200,000
The Iron Claw 2023 $15,000,000 $35,600,000 $9,600,000

Box Office & Financial Glossary

Production Budget
The total out-of-pocket expenses incurred to create the film, including cast salaries, set construction, special effects, and post-production editing. This typically does not include marketing costs.
Domestic Box Office
The total theatrical revenue generated from ticket sales specifically within the United States and Canada.
International Box Office
The total theatrical revenue generated from ticket sales in all global territories outside of the United States and Canada.
Return on Investment (ROI)
A financial metric used to evaluate the profitability of a film. In this context, it is calculated by comparing the total worldwide box office revenue against the initial production budget.
Independent Film (Indie)
A feature film produced primarily outside of the major film studio system. These films generally operate on lower production budgets and rely heavily on word-of-mouth or festival acclaim for box office traction.

Micro-Budgets vs. Blockbuster Spending

A closer look at the dataset reveals that a massive production budget does not guarantee an exponentially higher return in international markets. For instance, Marty Supreme required a $70M budget to achieve $95.3M internationally.

In contrast, films like Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All at Once demonstrate the power of the indie model. Moonlight leveraged a micro-budget of just $1.5M into $37.5M overseas, yielding a vastly superior Return on Investment (ROI). This suggests that A24's highest profitability lies in its low-risk, high-reward projects rather than traditional blockbuster spending.

Film Budget Intl Box Office
Marty Supreme $70,000,000 $95,300,000
EEAAO $25,000,000 $70,700,000
Moonlight $1,500,000 $37,500,000