Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs

[brideck]

Please, please, any other author. This particular author has been shown to misconstrue data over and over again. She is not a journalist, she’s a glorified blogger.

At risk of giving someone more unneeded homework, do we have a way to compare her previous articles citing budget totals with what was ultimately reported for those same movies in the end-of-year tale of the tape? Not sure if that's data you already have relatively near your fingertips or not. (Maybe it's even a post you already made 500 pages ago. I don't remember one, but what do I know?) I certainly don't.

 

[MagicMouseFan]

At risk of giving someone more unneeded homework, do we have a way to compare her previous articles citing budget totals with what was ultimately reported for those same movies in the end-of-year tale of the tape? Not sure if that's data you already have relatively near your fingertips or not. (Maybe it's even a post you already made 500 pages ago. I don't remember one, but what do I know?) I certainly don't.

This is what I found using the Wonka computer:

- The Little Mermaid (2023): Reid’s article from May 2023, “The Little Mermaid’s Box Office Hopes Are Swimming Against The Current” Forbes: The Little Mermaid’s Box Office Hopes Are Swimming Against The Current, reported a production budget of $250 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: The Little Mermaid (2023) is $250,000,000, matching exactly.



- Lightyear (2022): Reid’s article from June 2022, “‘Lightyear’ Is Off To A Disappointing Start At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Lightyear’ Is Off To A Disappointing Start At The Box Office, reported $200 million production budget, plus $100 million marketing. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Lightyear (2022) is $200,000,000, matching production.



- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022): Reid’s article from July 2022, “‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is Set To Have A Mighty Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is Set To Have A Mighty Opening Weekend, reported approximately $250 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) is $250,000,000, matching.



- Black Widow (2021): Reid’s article from July 2021, “‘Black Widow’ Is Set To Have A Solid Opening Weekend At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Black Widow’ Is Set To Have A Solid Opening Weekend At The Box Office, reported approximately $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Black Widow (2021) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): Reid’s article from December 2022, “‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Is Set To Have A Massive Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Is Set To Have A Massive Opening Weekend, reported $350 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) is $350,000,000, matching.



- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): Reid’s article from July 2023, “‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend, reported $290 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) is $290,000,000, matching.



- The Flash (2023): Reid’s article from June 2023, “‘The Flash’ Is Set To Have A Disappointing Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘The Flash’ Is Set To Have A Disappointing Opening Weekend, reported $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: The Flash (2023) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020): Reid’s article from December 2020, “‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend On HBO Max And In Theaters” Forbes: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend On HBO Max And In Theaters, reported $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Tenet (2020): Reid’s article from August 2020, “‘Tenet’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Tenet’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend At The Box Office, reported $205 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Tenet (2020) is $205,000,000, matching.

 

[BrianLo]

At risk of giving someone more unneeded homework, do we have a way to compare her previous articles citing budget totals with what was ultimately reported for those same movies in the end-of-year tale of the tape? Not sure if that's data you already have relatively near your fingertips or not. (Maybe it's even a post you already made 500 pages ago. I don't remember one, but what do I know?) I certainly don't.

The author doesn’t understand the fractioning of the marketing spend being run through the production (the portions not eligible for the UK tax exemption). She doesn’t present that in these tables she’s made.

My complaints on this author are unending and I didn’t even realize they were the ones producing these budgetary articles until a month ago. I actually started out complaining that she was using AI written articles on Tokyo Disney a year or so ago.

You can compared to deadline tables how the final totals she often presents are actually the summed total of the production budget and marketing spend.

Forbes has the resources and access to Disney’s filings; we’re just fans speculating. Let’s see what Forbes says if you take it up with them.

Forbes does, the unchecked blogger doesn’t. There’s often nothing actually cited in the articles if you actually poke at them. It’s empty public conference call quotes and copies of their filings. Often ones she re-quotes across ten different articles. She has a mandate to produce an article a day so a lot of them are vapid and repetitive.

But you are correct, I probably should complain to their editorial board. I’ve been slowly accumulating complaints. I think the plagerization one is the sticking point.

That said, this did appear in Forbes. While it's not 1995 any more, and journalism and news magazines are not the force they once were, it's Forbes.

It’s more the blog platform. Not the news site. There isn’t editorial oversight on these articles, but yes I suppose someone internally will care.

 

[BrianLo]

This is what I found using the Wonka computer:
View attachment 845978

- The Little Mermaid (2023): Reid’s article from May 2023, “The Little Mermaid’s Box Office Hopes Are Swimming Against The Current” Forbes: The Little Mermaid’s Box Office Hopes Are Swimming Against The Current, reported a production budget of $250 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: The Little Mermaid (2023) is $250,000,000, matching exactly.



- Lightyear (2022): Reid’s article from June 2022, “‘Lightyear’ Is Off To A Disappointing Start At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Lightyear’ Is Off To A Disappointing Start At The Box Office, reported $200 million production budget, plus $100 million marketing. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Lightyear (2022) is $200,000,000, matching production.



- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022): Reid’s article from July 2022, “‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is Set To Have A Mighty Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is Set To Have A Mighty Opening Weekend, reported approximately $250 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) is $250,000,000, matching.



- Black Widow (2021): Reid’s article from July 2021, “‘Black Widow’ Is Set To Have A Solid Opening Weekend At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Black Widow’ Is Set To Have A Solid Opening Weekend At The Box Office, reported approximately $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Black Widow (2021) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): Reid’s article from December 2022, “‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Is Set To Have A Massive Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Is Set To Have A Massive Opening Weekend, reported $350 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) is $350,000,000, matching.



- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): Reid’s article from July 2023, “‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend, reported $290 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) is $290,000,000, matching.



- The Flash (2023): Reid’s article from June 2023, “‘The Flash’ Is Set To Have A Disappointing Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘The Flash’ Is Set To Have A Disappointing Opening Weekend, reported $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: The Flash (2023) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020): Reid’s article from December 2020, “‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend On HBO Max And In Theaters” Forbes: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend On HBO Max And In Theaters, reported $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Tenet (2020): Reid’s article from August 2020, “‘Tenet’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Tenet’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend At The Box Office, reported $205 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Tenet (2020) is $205,000,000, matching.

These are not the ones that are questioned. These she’s sourcing from the trades. It’s the ones she’s sourcing from UK tax filings she doesn’t understand I’m complaining about.

Edit - also lol at the title of these articles with the one exception of little mermaid. I think that establishes my point pretty nicely.

 

[Chi84]

This is what I found using the Wonka computer:
View attachment 845978

- The Little Mermaid (2023): Reid’s article from May 2023, “The Little Mermaid’s Box Office Hopes Are Swimming Against The Current” Forbes: The Little Mermaid’s Box Office Hopes Are Swimming Against The Current, reported a production budget of $250 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: The Little Mermaid (2023) is $250,000,000, matching exactly.



- Lightyear (2022): Reid’s article from June 2022, “‘Lightyear’ Is Off To A Disappointing Start At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Lightyear’ Is Off To A Disappointing Start At The Box Office, reported $200 million production budget, plus $100 million marketing. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Lightyear (2022) is $200,000,000, matching production.



- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022): Reid’s article from July 2022, “‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is Set To Have A Mighty Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is Set To Have A Mighty Opening Weekend, reported approximately $250 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) is $250,000,000, matching.



- Black Widow (2021): Reid’s article from July 2021, “‘Black Widow’ Is Set To Have A Solid Opening Weekend At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Black Widow’ Is Set To Have A Solid Opening Weekend At The Box Office, reported approximately $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Black Widow (2021) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): Reid’s article from December 2022, “‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Is Set To Have A Massive Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Is Set To Have A Massive Opening Weekend, reported $350 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) is $350,000,000, matching.



- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): Reid’s article from July 2023, “‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend, reported $290 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) is $290,000,000, matching.



- The Flash (2023): Reid’s article from June 2023, “‘The Flash’ Is Set To Have A Disappointing Opening Weekend” Forbes: ‘The Flash’ Is Set To Have A Disappointing Opening Weekend, reported $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: The Flash (2023) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020): Reid’s article from December 2020, “‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend On HBO Max And In Theaters” Forbes: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend On HBO Max And In Theaters, reported $200 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) is $200,000,000, matching.



- Tenet (2020): Reid’s article from August 2020, “‘Tenet’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend At The Box Office” Forbes: ‘Tenet’ Is Set To Have A Strong Opening Weekend At The Box Office, reported $205 million. Final budget from Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo: Tenet (2020) is $205,000,000, matching.

For those of us who don't know, how does Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo get accurate final budget information?

 

[MagicMouseFan]

The author doesn’t understand the fractioning of the marketing spend being run through the production (the portions not eligible for the UK tax exemption). She doesn’t present that in these tables she’s made.

My complaints on this author are unending and I didn’t even realize they were the ones producing these budgetary articles until a month ago. I actually started out complaining that she was using AI written articles on Tokyo Disney a year or so ago.

You can compared to deadline tables how the final totals she often presents are actually the summed total of the production budget and marketing spend.



Forbes does, the unchecked blogger doesn’t. There’s often nothing actually cited in the articles if you actually poke at them. It’s empty public conference call quotes and copies of their filings. Often ones she re-quotes across ten different articles. She has a mandate to produce an article a day so a lot of them are vapid and repetitive.

But you are correct, I probably should complain to their editorial board. I’ve been slowly accumulating complaints. I think the plagerization one is the sticking point.



It’s more the blog platform. Not the news site. There isn’t editorial oversight on these articles, but yes I suppose someone internally will care.

Again, you can reach out to them via their official contact page at Forbes Contact Us, or email their editorial team at feedback@forbes.com—that’s where you can submit complaints or evidence to challenge her work.

If you have proof, show the facts and put her in her place and report her to Forbes.

Until then her work should stand.

 

[BrianLo]

For those of us who don't know, how does Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo get accurate final budget information?

It doesn’t. It’s the same information reported by the trades.

Just for the record here everyone, I’m calling into question when Forbes (one blogger with no definitive source) posts DIFFERING information from every other site. Deadline, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. They can’t both be right, someone has to be wrong. So either Caroline is right or everyone else is.

If you have proof, show the facts and put her in her place and report her to Forbes.

Until then her work should stand.

Perfect, so then how would you like me to deal with every other source? Deadline and variety are on the outs?

 

[MagicMouseFan]

For those of us who don't know, how does Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo get accurate final budget information?

Sounds like a Wonka computer question..

Beep beep…
Research suggests Box Office Mojo gets movie budget information from trade publications, studio press releases, and their own research, cross-verifying for accuracy. It seems likely their budgets are reliable estimates, widely accepted, though not always exact, with some controversy due to studio secrecy. The evidence leans toward their figures being accurate for major releases, based on industry reports, making them a trusted source for final budget information.

 

[MagicMouseFan]

It doesn’t. It’s the same information reported by the trades.

Just for the record here everyone, I’m calling into question when Forbes (one blogger with no definitive source) posts DIFFERING information from every other site. Deadline, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. They can’t both be right, someone has to be wrong. So either Caroline is right or everyone else is.




Perfect, so then how would you like me to deal with every other source? Deadline and variety are on the outs?

I didn’t say that, I said I trust Forbes and her reporting and if you don’t you should speak your mind to that company.

I’m looking forward to what they have to say.

 

[Chi84]

Sounds like a Wonka computer question..
View attachment 845984

Beep beep…
Research suggests Box Office Mojo gets movie budget information from trade publications, studio press releases, and their own research, cross-verifying for accuracy. It seems likely their budgets are reliable estimates, widely accepted, though not always exact, with some controversy due to studio secrecy. The evidence leans toward their figures being accurate for major releases, based on industry reports, making them a trusted source for final budget information.

Who said that though? Is it Google AI?

 

[BrianLo]

I didn’t say that, I said I trust Forbes and her reporting and if you don’t you should speak your mind to that company.

I’m looking forward to what they have to say.

Well, I’ve been spurned into action.

So as you’d like to say - I’m going to stick to convention, stick with the trades and say it’s 240M, like Variety said.

Ps - Caroline is not a journalist, per Forbes. She is a contributor, not a reporter.

 

[Prince-1]

I personally could care less what a movie costs. If I hate a movie I don't complain about the budget nor do I care about it if I love the movie. But here is a pretty good chart that, if accurate, shows a good breakdown of SW's budget.

 

[Phroobar]

I personally could care less what a movie costs. If I hate a movie I don't complain about the budget nor do I care about it if I love the movie. But here is a pretty good chart that, if accurate, shows a good breakdown of SW's budget.

View attachment 845989

So what does that mean? It already made a profit before it's been released?

 

[MagicMouseFan]

Who said that though? Is it Google AI?

the wonka computer is grok 3. Testing its deep search information.

 

[Prince-1]

So what does that mean? It already made a profit before it's been released?

Hey I am just throwing it out there. No one else on here has a clue what the budget is so I figured it was time for a nice chart!

 

[BrianLo]

I personally could care less what a movie costs. If I hate a movie I don't complain about the budget nor do I care about it if I love the movie. But here is a pretty good chart that, if accurate, shows a good breakdown of SW's budget.

View attachment 845989

So a few things, this is not the primary sourcing, it’s a table they’ve made. A studio is eligible for 80% of the UK spend resulting in a 20.5% tax credit. The film still has spent money since filling. Likely where Variety is pulling a 240 number from (a slightly larger figure than 217 with a tax credit baked in). They of course don’t know this fully yet, because they aren’t really in the buisness. So they are sitting on the tax filings for updates.

This is where we start to run into issues (note this is one I’ve pulled from the Marvels), when they report on the production largely after the fact. Disney has run a lot of non classical production spend through the production holding company. It’s why they are only claiming 17.8% as tax credit a large portion is now extraneous and no what is largely treated as the industry normalizes ‘production spend’. If you remove the non eligible, non production spend, you’ll find that’s what makes up for the discrepancy in deadline 270 figure (270+66.5 tax credit).

Even still, Deadline has all In spend of 455M, just the break down is better.

I formerly said it was marketing, but looking at the math I was incorrect. It’s interest and overhead that they (Caroline Reid) aren’t pulling out correctly. It’s adding in amounts that normally we never add in upfront on other movies. Even though those amounts are ‘there’, they normally are never presented to us as such. Presenting them for a few select films is semi dishonest.

I know this is going to just cause some people to dig in, but I really think you’d benefit from seeing things like this from this author. To know what the slant is. Hilariously, the latter half of her article is still self plagerized. Forbes started reporting drastically differing figures from the trades a couple of years ago. There’s an agenda here.

Disney receives £30m in tax relief ffor making live-action Snow White

The son of the director of the 1937 Disney original has also branded it 'woke' over the replacement of the famous seven dwarves with a group of multi-ethnic 'magical companions'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MagicMouseFan]

Well, I’ve been spurned into action.

So as you’d like to say - I’m going to stick to convention, stick with the trades and say it’s 240M, like Variety said.

Ps - Caroline is not a journalist, per Forbes. She is a contributor, not a reporter.

This is a Mix of Wonka computer so I could get information on each writer and research backgrounds.

Your contributor distinction is semantic, it does not diminishing her credibility.
Her background, as shown on Forbes and other journalist directories, confirms that she is a professional journalist.

Both articles come from reputable industry sources with well‐established editorial standards:

Variety’s Article:
• Reporter: Tatiana Siegel
• Credibility: Variety is a long‑standing and highly respected source for entertainment news, and Tatiana Siegel is a seasoned reporter in the field.

Forbes’ Article:
• Reporter: Caroline Reid (as credited on Forbes)
• Credibility: Forbes is a widely trusted business publication known for its detailed financial reporting on the film industry.

• Tatiana Siegel (Variety):
Variety is known for its broader narrative and industry commentary. Siegel’s reporting tends to capture the overall story and context behind film projects, which is valuable for readers looking for industry insights.

• Caroline Reid (Forbes):
Forbes places a stronger emphasis on financial and business aspects. Reid’s detailed breakdown of budgets and related financial elements provides a complementary perspective focused on the economic side of the film industry.

I’m sticking with Forbes for financial information but both are solid sources.

If you want to stick with 240 million reported by Variety or use Forbes 269.2 budget with a 55.5 rebate to bring total down to 213.9 that’s fine.

I’m good with both.

I’m sticking with the Forbe’s number at 213.9

Brian is sticking with 240 million

How Disney Saved $55.5 Million On ‘Snow White’ Remake

For a film based on one of the most famous stories of all time, the production of Disney's upcoming live action remake of Snow White has been anything but a fairytale.

www.forbes.com

 

[Prince-1]

So a few things, this is not the primary sourcing, it’s a table they’ve made. A studio is eligible for 80% of the UK spend resulting in a 20.5% tax credit. The film still has spent money since filling. Likely where Variety is pulling a 240 number from (a slightly larger figure than 217 with a tax credit baked in). They of course don’t know this fully yet, because they aren’t really in the buisness. So they are sitting on the tax filings for updates.

This is where we start to run into issues, when they report on the production largely after the fact. Disney has run a lot of non classically production spend through the production holding company. It’s why they are only claiming 17.8% as tax credit a large portion is now extraneous and no what is largely treated as the industry normalizes ‘production spend’.

Even still, Deadline has all In spend of 455M, just the break down is better.

View attachment 845997



I know this is going to just cause some people to dig in, but I really think you’d benefit from seeing things like this from this author. To know what the slant is. Hilariously, the latter half of her article is still self plagerized. Forbes started reporting drastically differing figures from the trades a couple of years ago. There’s an agenda here.

Disney receives £30m in tax relief ffor making live-action Snow White

The son of the director of the 1937 Disney original has also branded it 'woke' over the replacement of the famous seven dwarves with a group of multi-ethnic 'magical companions'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

As I said already, I could care less what the budget is, but it seems like you want to believe what you believe and anyone presenting anything else is wrong. Truthfully, you and I have no idea what the budget is going to wind up being but I think your dislike of Reid has slanted your thinking. Again, I could care less as I have no plans on seeing this any time soon.

 

[BrianLo]

As I said already, I could care less what the budget is, but it seems like you want to believe what you believe and anyone presenting anything else is wrong. Truthfully, you and I have no idea what the budget is going to wind up being but I think your dislike of Reid has slanted your thinking. Again, I could care less as I have no plans on seeing this any time soon.

Honestly, you’ve given me pause. I would like to check my personal bias. I admit, my faith in this author absolutely predates any conversation related to box office. Or knowing she was writing these articles. So you are right, I am trying to figure out what is wrong now, because the information presented differs on a few key movies from other standard sources and I inherently started from a place of not trusting the author. She’s misrepresented other non box office information, so that immediately put me against her information.


I don’t believe the information is a lie, I believe it’s presented incongruently with standard. And you know what, the standards are incomplete.

The figures she’s presented are what we would classically term production spend + interest and expenses + the tax credits not backed out.

Deadline, variety, etc etc when they typically talk about a movie upfront are calling “production spend” with tax credits, interest and expenses backed out. One could and can argue that’s reducing the totals, it absolutely is.

My point is that 99% of the figures you’ll see on box office mojo are for better or worse based on how it’s classically presented to us. So know that when we compare three movies in particular (The Marvels, Doctor Strange, Quantumania) and now Snow, they are tabulated differently. Heck one could say better. With the rare exception that Deadline eventually produces production sheets that are even more complete.

You are right that I am searching for a source of bias that they are doing this when really shes farted out many copy pasted articles, most of them congruent. So it’s my bias sticking on the UK article thinking there’s mal-intent. There probably isn’t.

But I think I’ve presented a fair explanation for why the figures are different and we should keep things standardized. UK produced films shouldn’t have a differing measuring stick.

 

[brideck]

This is where we start to run into issues (note this is one I’ve pulled from the Marvels), when they report on the production largely after the fact. Disney has run a lot of non classical production spend through the production holding company. It’s why they are only claiming 17.8% as tax credit a large portion is now extraneous and no what is largely treated as the industry normalizes ‘production spend’. If you remove the non eligible, non production spend, you’ll find that’s what makes up for the discrepancy in deadline 270 figure (270+66.5 tax credit).

Thanks for this. Now I need to see if I'm understanding correctly. The production budget number that trades like Variety and Deadline will report ahead of time are what? Basically just the "production costs" line from the data?

For The Marvels that would have been $340m (with the tax credit accounted for -- $275m). For Snow White, that seems to match what Variety has reported ($240m [if one were to account for the tax credit it becomes $185m]). Obviously, Deadline in their wrap-up accounts for the credit, so they have The Marvels production listed at $270m.

A little interesting that at the time of release Variety was reporting The Marvels as only a $250m movie [Source: https://variety.com/2023/film/featu...problem-the-marvels-reshoots-kang-1235774940/]. That doesn't really match either formulation of its production budget ultimately. So they were low, while Caroline was high by adding everything under Costs together. I wonder if they were intending to report the budget + credit for that, but still undershot? Hard to say, but that does give some potential credence to the thought that the Cap 4 reported budget might be a little low (by maybe $25m-$50m, probably not some higher order of magnitude).

Note: Folks should know that there are tax credits in a lot of places (see: Georgia), not just the UK. It's just that the UK ones generate public paperwork. We never really know if the reported budgets for any of these projects are pre- or post- inclusion of the credit in the accounting.