Prisoners (2013) cost $46 million to produce and earned $122,126,687 worldwide, split as $61,002,302 in North America and $61,124,385 internationally. Its theatrical gross covered production costs about 2.6 times over, with domestic and foreign earnings almost equal.
Prisoners is the 2013 thriller distributed in North America by Warner Bros. The domestic run started in September and continued into December. The balance between home and overseas gross shaped its commercial result.
Table of Contents
- Budget versus worldwide gross
- How did the domestic run unfold?
- Why did international earnings matter?
- What can't gross-minus-budget tell you?
Budget versus worldwide gross
The Numbers reports a $46 million production budget for the film, with theatrical gross covering that cost about 2.6 times over production budget data. That multiple compares gross tickets to production cost alone.
It is a scale check, not a profit statement. The worldwide total was $122,126,687, reported as $61,002,302 domestic plus $61,124,385 international, according to Wikipedia citing Box Office Mojo worldwide gross breakdown. For readers comparing films, the useful figures are:.
- Production budget: $46 million
- North America: $61,002,302
- Outside North America: $61,124,385
- Worldwide: $122,126,687
How did the domestic run unfold?
Prisoners opened Sept. 20, 2013 in 3,260 North American theaters with $20,817,053, ranking No. 1 for Sept. 20-22, 2013, according to Box Office Mojo opening weekend results. A No.
1 opening means it earned more than any other film that weekend. Wide release means it played in thousands of theaters at once. The $20.8 million opening represented about 34.1% of its final $61 million domestic total. The film played in North American theaters through Dec. 5, 2013. That longer run added the remaining two-thirds after opening weekend.
Why did international earnings matter?
The film earned about $61.1 million internationally outside North America, nearly equal to its domestic total. The final split was almost 50/50 between North America and other markets. For this title, foreign gross was not a bonus.
It was close to half the worldwide result. That balance meant distributors and financiers depended materially on foreign markets for commercial success. A reader judging performance on North America alone would miss about half the theatrical revenue.
What can't gross-minus-budget tell you?
The $46 million figure is production budget only. It excludes marketing, distribution, and exhibitor splits. Theaters keep part of ticket sales, and releasing a film costs money beyond making it.
So gross-minus-budget is not net profit. A $122.1 million gross against a $46 million budget shows theatrical scale. It does not show what the studio kept after other costs and revenue shares.