I Just Learned THE BRUTALIST Had a Budget of Only $6 Million and My MInd Is Blown!
I just learned that The Brutalist was made for only $6 million, and I’m seriously blown away by that. It’s not every day that you see a film this ambitious, this grand in scope, pulled off on such a tight budget.
What Brady Corbet accomplished here is actually kinda miraculous. If there’s one thing Hollywood and producers should be paying close attention to, it’s this.
Corbet initially told THR that the film was made for “under $10 million,” but the actual number, per Deadline, is just $6 million. That is staggeringly low for a film that spans four decades, was shot in Budapest and Tuscany, and carries the kind of cinematic weight usually reserved for much larger productions.
This is crazy imressive! Indie films typically adjust their vision to fit the financial constraints, but The Brutalist refused to scale back. Instead, it delivers a film with a monumental feel, an emotional depth, and a beautiful level of craftsmanship.
The film defies the conventional wisdom that bigger stories require bigger budgets. Of course, making this happen came with a price, and not just not a monetary one.
Corbet revealed that this level of budget-tight filmmaking meant years of unpaid labor just to get the project made. He explained:
“We cut every corner we could to make sure that every single cent was on-screen. It was a Herculean effort, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, because it was just years and years of essentially working for free.”
Given all that, it makes sense why Corbet has repeatedly described The Brutalist as “a lot of things that everyone tells you you’re not allowed to do” in filmmaking.
This movie rewrites the rulebook on what low-budget cinema can achieve, and the industry should take note.
The film is now racking up awards, winning the Silver Lion at Venice, and positioning itself as a major Oscar contender as it’s been nominated for Best Picture.
A24 just picked it up for $10 million, and it’s currently in theaters. You’ve got to watch it if you haven’t already! It’s an incredible cinematic experience.