tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post5283263637392355622..comments2024-03-26T22:42:06.412-07:00Comments on TAG Blog: Big Grosses, Smaller Production CostsSteve Huletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-28012125488893176842008-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:002008-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00Steve,I know this is an old post , but I have a qu...Steve,<BR/><BR/>I know this is an old post , but I have a question that you can probably answer:<BR/><BR/>You mention that the budget on The Rescuers was $7.5 million. Do you remember what the budget was on The Fox and the Hound ? I've seen some websites list the budget of Fox and the Hound as $12 million . Does that sound right to you ? <BR/><BR/>There's a project going to document the history of Animation budgets :<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://captaincapitalism.com/blog/2008/11/animation-budget-history.html" REL="nofollow">Animation Budget History</A> . The project is ongoing . (and frankly some of the information on the chart at that link is inaccurate and needs to be updated) .<BR/><BR/>The <B>$7.5 million</B> figure for The Rescuers sounds right , as does the <B>$12 million</B> figure for The Fox and the Hound , but I thought you would probably be able to confirm that figure .<BR/><BR/>Also, I've read that The Black Cauldron was made for the then unheard of sum of <B>$25 million</B> , but after Cauldron flopped the budget on The Great Mouse Detective came down to a more reasonable <B>$14 million</B>. Do those numbers also sound accurate to you ?David https://www.blogger.com/profile/09728364431363413760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-91737334593629027542008-12-02T19:53:00.000-08:002008-12-02T19:53:00.000-08:00But here's the thing. Snow White, Pinocchio, and F...But here's the thing. Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia were probably more expensive on a cost-per-minute basis.<BR/><BR/>More check-points: Ben Hur (1959 edition) cost $11.5 million. It was shot in Italy. Spartacus (1960) cost $12 million. It was mostly shot in California. <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.batterygoshop.co.uk/dell/e1705-battery.htm" REL="nofollow">dell e1705 battery</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.batterygoshop.co.uk/dell/1501-battery.htm" REL="nofollow">dell 1501 battery</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-10125603892110803192008-01-05T12:54:00.000-08:002008-01-05T12:54:00.000-08:00By way of reference, Gone With The Wind cost $4,08...By way of reference, <I>Gone With The Wind</I> cost $4,085,790 in 1939 (per Ron Haver in <B>David O. Selznick's Hollywwod</B>.) At the time, it was probably the most costly film made.<BR/><BR/>But here's the thing. <I>Snow White, Pinocchio</I>, and <I>Fantasia</I> were probably more expensive on a cost-per-minute basis.<BR/><BR/>More check-points: <I>Ben Hur</I> (1959 edition) cost $11.5 million. It was shot in Italy. <I>Spartacus</I> (1960) cost $12 million. It was mostly shot in California. <BR/><BR/><I>101 Dalmations</I> (1961) cost $2.5 million, I think.Steve Huletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-91083819706337731712008-01-05T09:34:00.000-08:002008-01-05T09:34:00.000-08:00I recall an article in the 70's where industry typ...I recall an article in the 70's where industry types complained it "just wasn't possible" to make a movie for less than $1 million anymore. So $7.5 million was probably a scary number.<BR/><BR/>Does anyone know what a typical movie budget was back then?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-67931060621598830242008-01-04T17:10:00.000-08:002008-01-04T17:10:00.000-08:00"To be fair, $7.5[million] in '77 is worth about $...<I>"To be fair, $7.5</I>[million]<I> in '77 is worth about $26</I> [million] <I>today."</I><BR/><BR/>-------<BR/><BR/>The initial domestic box-office gross for The Rescuer's in 1977 was $29 million (according to <A HREF="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&id=rescuers.htm" REL="nofollow"> Box Office Mojo</A> )<BR/><BR/>Adjusted for inflation $29 million in 1977 dollars is equal to approx. $100.6 million in 2007 dollars.<BR/><BR/>So , adjusted for inflation the "$26 million" production budget for "The Rescuer's" returned what would be equal to "$100.6 million" in today's dollars at the domestic box-office. Pretty good numbers. But of course, that leaves out the overseas box-office where The Rescuer's actually did better in 1977 than the domestic box-office . <BR/><BR/>Subsequent theatrical re-releases have "The Rescuer's" total domestic box-office gross at $71,215,869 (but the $71,215.869 cumulative number from <A HREF="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&id=rescuers.htm" REL="nofollow"> Box Office Mojo</A> is not necessarily adjusted for inflation , since that number is cumulative from the 1977 , 1983 , and 1989 releases ) . Someone can double-check my numbers , but I think the math more or less works out to an inflation-adjusted domestic box-office gross of between $166 - to - $190 million for "The Rescuer's" over it's theatrical release lifetime . ( starting from an adjusted-for-inflation production budget of $26 million in 1977) . <BR/><BR/>If someone could make an animated feature in 2007 for $26 million and make back an initial $100.6 million at the domestic box-office (those tricky adjusted-for-inflation Rescuer's numbers) they'd be doing pretty well , I'd say. Whether or not the old way of re-releasing the pictures theatrically will ever factor in to the game again is questionable . It's all about subsequent DVD sales and rentals now. I'm sure that "The Rescuer's" VHS and DVD sales/rentals have been solid over the long run.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-70319189945132485162008-01-04T15:37:00.000-08:002008-01-04T15:37:00.000-08:00To be fair, $7.5 in '77 is worth about $26 today.S...To be fair, $7.5 in '77 is worth about $26 today.<BR/><BR/>Still, the economies involved in film production are incredible.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04298216571770777218noreply@blogger.com