Covenant made only for 111 millions.

[Protozoid]

Did the movie cost $111 million to make before or after rebates? I imagine part of the reason this movie is cheaper than Prometheus overall is because it got better rebates. They might have cost a similar amount to actually make.

[BishopShouldGo]

Yeah, a lot of armchair quarterbacking going on here. Every situation is different, Hollywood is not some big monolith. Different deals are made with each discrete product. But generally, these days, making make 3x the production budget(not including marketing) is the break-even point.

Covenant's budget is $111 million, so it would have to make back $333 million worldwide. Maybe it's a bit higher or lower, but if the current standard is applied then that's where the goalpost is.

[Robopadna]

Yeah, a lot of armchair quarterbacking going on here. Every situation is different, Hollywood is not some big monolith. Different deals are made with each discrete product. But generally, these days, making make 3x the production budget(not including marketing) is the break-even point.

Covenant's budget is $111 million, so it would have to make back $333 million worldwide. Maybe it's a bit higher or lower, but if the current standard is applied then that's where the goalpost is.

The studio has named the budget so it is the best guess as to what they spent. It's true they are incredibly deceptive with thei bookkeeping but it's all anyone has to go on.

I have usually see 2 - 2.5 times the declared budget for advertising and distribution which I will just ballpark around 250 million.

The studios only get 50% of the domestic box office and 40% of the foreign market outside of china where they get about 30%.

I think that's a steep financial need for a very violent hard sci fi movie.

[salomonj]

Considering Anderson managed to make AvP for $60M, and it had way more practical creature work and effects, $111M is a lot.

i most certainly hope you weren't serious with this comment.

111 million huh. this movie is going to grab 1/3 of the budget on official opening night worldwide alone. I get the feeling this will do 650 million + at about the 'end' of it's worldwide cinema run. THEN, when the special extended cut BluRay DVD comes out, with behind-the scenes footage and stuff, it'll do a couple of hundred millions extra.

this movie definately is blowing new life into the alien. a crowd of applause and hats being taken off to ridley.

Will there be a special extended BluRay cut?

[Protozoid]

Considering Anderson managed to make AvP for $60M, and it had way more practical creature work and effects, $111M is a lot.

i most certainly hope you weren't serious with this comment.

111 million huh. this movie is going to grab 1/3 of the budget on official opening night worldwide alone. I get the feeling this will do 650 million + at about the 'end' of it's worldwide cinema run. THEN, when the special extended cut BluRay DVD comes out, with behind-the scenes footage and stuff, it'll do a couple of hundred millions extra.

this movie definately is blowing new life into the alien. a crowd of applause and hats being taken off to ridley.

Will there be a special extended BluRay cut?

I haven't heard anything about that, but I sincerely hope Fox drops extended versions of Prometheus and Covenant in the near future.

[Robopadna]

yet avp is reminded as shit and avp:r as shit that you just stepped on,

and covenant will vastly be remembered as ridley's breakthrough return to the original movie and highly memorable, being right up there with the original and the sequel.

I always felt sorry for strauss brothers. I mean they worked hard on that film despite studio restrictions, and to have someone screw up the lighting must have been terrible for them. I always wondered if they could have corrected that would it have been somewhat better??

lol, as if the problem with the movie was due to lighting. come on, for real.

"Hey people are dying. We need guns!"

Also don't forget about marketing costs. They spent a decent chunk to advertise it, so I imagine the total cost was $200 Million. And with sharing the revenue with theaters, I'd estimate the break even point is $400 Million.

Depending on which market the money is coming from its probably closer to 500 to break even. At least from the box office.

Half a billion just to break even? That doesn't sound right at all.

Easily. That isn't crazy at all and may be a bit low. You know how little studios get from the box office?

[salomonj]

Considering Anderson managed to make AvP for $60M, and it had way more practical creature work and effects, $111M is a lot.

i most certainly hope you weren't serious with this comment.

111 million huh. this movie is going to grab 1/3 of the budget on official opening night worldwide alone. I get the feeling this will do 650 million + at about the 'end' of it's worldwide cinema run. THEN, when the special extended cut BluRay DVD comes out, with behind-the scenes footage and stuff, it'll do a couple of hundred millions extra.

this movie definately is blowing new life into the alien. a crowd of applause and hats being taken off to ridley.

Will there be a special extended BluRay cut?

I haven't heard anything about that, but I sincerely hope Fox drops extended versions of Prometheus and Covenant in the near future.

I really hope so. 2 Hours is sucha short runtime. Hopefully for Scott's next movie he learns his lesson,

[echobbase79]

I think he's pretty happy with the released version of Prometheus. That being said, I wish he'd add the Elder Engineers at the beginning and more of the conversation between the Space Jockey and Weyland. In the released version that scene goes right for the jugular rather than building that moment up.

[PierreVW]

Sir Ridley Scott works very fast so He saves TIME and MONEY.

[Ingwar]

I think he's pretty happy with the released version of Prometheus. That being said, I wish he'd add the Elder Engineers at the beginning and more of the conversation between the Space Jockey and Weyland. In the released version that scene goes right for the jugular rather than building that moment up.

100% agree.

Sir Ridley Scott works very fast so He saves TIME and MONEY.

Time? Well, he's 80. Time flies.

[PierreVW]

I think he's pretty happy with the released version of Prometheus. That being said, I wish he'd add the Elder Engineers at the beginning and more of the conversation between the Space Jockey and Weyland. In the released version that scene goes right for the jugular rather than building that moment up.

100% agree.

Sir Ridley Scott works very fast so He saves TIME and MONEY.

Time? Well, he's 80. Time flies.

I known. Still Sir Ridley works very fast. He is going to RELEASE 2 movies this 2017: ALIEN: COVENANT and ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD(Late December).

[Protozoid]

Considering Anderson managed to make AvP for $60M, and it had way more practical creature work and effects, $111M is a lot.

i most certainly hope you weren't serious with this comment.

111 million huh. this movie is going to grab 1/3 of the budget on official opening night worldwide alone. I get the feeling this will do 650 million + at about the 'end' of it's worldwide cinema run. THEN, when the special extended cut BluRay DVD comes out, with behind-the scenes footage and stuff, it'll do a couple of hundred millions extra.

this movie definately is blowing new life into the alien. a crowd of applause and hats being taken off to ridley.

Will there be a special extended BluRay cut?

I haven't heard anything about that, but I sincerely hope Fox drops extended versions of Prometheus and Covenant in the near future.

I really hope so. 2 Hours is sucha short runtime. Hopefully for Scott's next movie he learns his lesson,

Unclear if it's Fox, Ridley, the editor Pietro Scalia, or a perfect storm combination of all three. Scott has made five movies in a row for Fox, and it seems almost random which ones get extended versions and which ones do not. Exodus desperately needs one, but Fox isn't interested. The Counselor arguably needed it, and the extended cut helped people come around to the movie. The Martian probably didn't need it, but the longer cut is the new default for many. Prometheus and Covenant would probably be costly to extend, but I think it would be worth it if it led to a Blade Runner/Alien3/Counselor situation where the new cut greatly improves the movie's reputation. People often give extended cuts a fair chance to change their mind. If you watch the deleted scenes on any movie Scalia edited, you will find stuff that doesn't belong on the cutting room floor.

I think he's pretty happy with the released version of Prometheus. That being said, I wish he'd add the Elder Engineers at the beginning and more of the conversation between the Space Jockey and Weyland. In the released version that scene goes right for the jugular rather than building that moment up.

I'm a little confused why Scott is so confidant that Prometheus doesn't need an extended cut, after admitting that he liked the longer cut but Scalia convinced him it needed to be under two hours and structured differently. I think the reshoots made the movie considerably more on-the-nose, which I don't like. There is definitely room for a better cut, but I think it would mean adding back in a scene between Vickers and Janek and cutting the scene between Janek and Shaw. That, right there, changes the movie in a pretty drastic way, from having rushed exposition in the third act that is on-the-nose and far too quick. The conversation with Vickers and Janek gets us inside Janek's head in a way that the scene with Shaw really fails to do. She just tells him what to do, instead of us, as the audience, discovering it for ourselves and being able to read into Janek's later decisions. If they want to improve the pacing, cut the Isle of Skye sequence, which is redundant and presented in a rushed way that is, again, on the nose. Then, restore the structure of the third act to give Shaw more of a chance to shine and allow the story to unfold at a more measured pace. They might as well add the Engineer stuff back in, too, but I think the character stuff is more important. They really stepped wrong by cutting that back. Vickers and particularly Janek really, really needed that scene, and I can do without most of the reshoots. I wish they would release the assembly version, like they did with Alien3. Just try to make the movie close to the shooting script using the footage minus the reshoots. That version would be a revelation to many.

[Anthony]

I think he's pretty happy with the released version of Prometheus. That being said, I wish he'd add the Elder Engineers at the beginning and more of the conversation between the Space Jockey and Weyland. In the released version that scene goes right for the jugular rather than building that moment up.

100% agree.

Sir Ridley Scott works very fast so He saves TIME and MONEY.

Time? Well, he's 80. Time flies.

I known. Still Sir Ridley works very fast. He is going to RELEASE 2 movies this 2017: ALIEN: COVENANT and ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD(Late December).

Off topic, but where have you heard about Scott releasing All The Money in December?

[Ingwar]

I don't think he will release All The Money In The World this year. He hasn't even started shooting it. I predict Spring 2018.

[Anthony]

I was thinking Fall 2018, in time for that year's Oscar season.