The production cut out on a lot of corners. The 2004 cult hit was made for only $400,000 and went on to make more than $45 million worldwide. Dance scene: Napoleons epic dance routine towards the end of the movie is perhaps the films most iconic scene. For the television series based on the film, see. We had taken a few classes and done a few projects together and he said, 'Hey wanna do this film?' Schwarzbaum, Lisa (June 18, 2004), "NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Film)". The 2004 indie comedy Napoleon Dynamite was a cringey, yet adorable success story that gave viewers an intimate and hilarious look at life in small-town Idaho. From 'The Blair Witch Project' to 'Napoleon Dynamite,' here are some low-budget movies that made big box office bucks. "[35] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Jons time spent in films like School for Scoundrels and The Benchwarmers were pretty on par for his comedic performances, and while some people still associated him with Napoleon Dynamite, it did show that he was trying to break away from the film. The dance ended up being to Jamiroquais song Canned Heat, and securing the rights to use the song became an important part of getting the scene exactly right. Heder remembers it like this: The whole production was one of the last things we shot, so I thought, Well, maybe Ill plan something. I kept putting it off. The movie was produced on such a shoestring budget that lead actor Jon Heder was only paid $1,000 for the role, according to Screenrant. Jon Heder was cast for the lead role of this film. Along the way,. In addition, a bronze statue of Napoleon Dynamite, complete with tetherball, was placed at the 20th Century Fox studio lot.[30][31]. They were the real deal. The movie has no real plot because it isn't about an interesting story, it's about the real life that exists BETWEEN the interesting stories. The trial began on June 19, 2012. With no safe haven at home or at school, Napoleon befriends the new kid, Pedro, a morose Hispanic boy who speaks little English. I'm also waiting for the screener for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, but I saw every episode on TV and the DVD or Blu-ray is clearly a contender for Pick of the Week. 2 How much money did Jon Heder make from Napoleon Dynamite? Director Jared Hess Writers Jared Hess Jerusha Hess Stars Jon Heder Efren Ramirez Jon Gries See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max The film was Hess's first full-length movie and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca (2002). The film was featured at the Sundance Movie Festival and as an independent film was made with the low budget of $400,000. I danced three times and they took the best pieces from each of those. Making a movie on that tight of a budget means making some sacrifices, especially for the individuals who are closest to the project. What Was the Budget for the Film: Napoleon Dynamite? Once he was paired up with Will Ferrellin the film Blades of Glory, however, things were able to turn around a little bit for the actor. It also spawned a slew of merchandise, from refrigerator magnets to T-shirts and Halloween costumes. At the time, director Jared Hess was still in his early twenties. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The lawsuit said that a 2008 audit revealed that Fox was only paying net royalties on home videos at a 9.66% rate, and there were underreported royalties and improper deductions. I listen to hip-hop, dude. It is no secret that Napoleon Dynamite was shot for just about as little money as possible $400,000, according to Box Office Mojo. His very next movie, Just Like Heaven, had a budget of $58 million, and even though Heder had only a small role in that film, he definitely was compensated well for his involvement. Seeing that he is learning to dance, LaFawnduh gives Napoleon a mixtape. See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records. ' Majorina was thrilled and headed to a store to buy as many Jamiroquai albums as possible.. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. It is also a lot larger than normal with a record number of Spotlight reviews (23 in all, or 30 if you count individual movies). More None of the new films could live up to expectations, but the holdovers held up better than expected, especially as you went farther down the list. [32], Despite a very limited initial release, Napoleon Dynamite was a commercial success. [8], Peluca was shown at the 2003 Slamdance Film Festival[9] and was well received. And then flashforward to, you know, showing up at Jareds (director) place a week before shooting and Im in the orthodontists chair getting real braces attached to my teeth. And then we got the rights to Jamiroquai. This has to be the moment where he lands a victory. The "10th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray was released on June 2, 2014. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com. There were two scenes where I had difficulty staying in character which was the Rex Kwon Do scene, Heder said in an interview. More To call Million Dollar Baby's debut on the home market a knockout is very apt. Rico tells embarrassing stories about Napoleon to evoke sympathy from Trisha's mother, who buys his wares and forces Trisha to reluctantly accept Napoleon's invitation. [28] On November 28, 2012, a 74-page decision sided with Fox on 9 of the 11 issues. When you make a good reception at the film festival, distribution companies get interested and thats when you start making real money. 25 Tracks 313223 Views Dumb and Dumber Soundboard. Pedro decides to run for class president, pitting him against Summer. Rico's ongoing sales scheme causes friction with Napoleon as he continues to spread embarrassing rumors about Napoleon to prospective customers. Budget $400,000 Release Date (Wide) Jun 11, 2004 ( Aug 27, 2004 ) - Feb 6, 2005 MPAA PG Running Time 1 hr 36 min Genres Comedy In Release 569 days/81 weeks Widest Release 1,027 theaters IMDbPro. Napoleon Dynamite did not have a large budget, and Heder was certainly not a big name, so he was paid just $1,000 dollars for his role in the film. Everything gets accounted for; food, rentals, cameras, certification, actors, extras, and more. How much money did Napoleon Dynamite gross at the box office? Compare this performance with other movies. So we danced to three different songs. [54] The series debuted on Sunday, January 15, 2012. Weve all heard about low-budget films but there are some movies that started with a low budget and went on to be a box office hit. Simply the Worlds Most Interesting Travel Site. Napoleon Dynamite Budget: $400,000. With a production budget of $400,000, Napoleon Dynamite made more than $46 million in the worldwide box office grosses. However, given the subject matter of that film, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Its safe to say that no one was prepared for the movie to gross $40,000,000 in the United States, but thats exactly what happened. On their opening week, they were able to make $116,000 in US and Canada alone. Napoleon Dynamite is a weird, loner teen who lives with his grandmother and 30-something brother. For many people, Napoleon Dynamite will always be considered the quirky little film that wound up becoming a cult classic and taking pop culture by storm. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. More Every week films get a second chance at success from the home market; or, in some cases, a first chance at success. It was a bit of a coin toss, but in the end I went with Cosmos. The time and date displayed is 5:40 p.m., Thursday 7/17. He only earned $1,000 for acting as Napoleon Dynamite. We shot it in 23 days, so we were moving very, very fast; I just didn't have a lot of film to be able to do a lot of takes. Jon Heder, Who Played Napoleon, Received Only $1,000 For His Role May 10, 2022 by Danielle Koch "Napoleon Dynamite" is one of those insightful movies where viewers can get a different perspective on certain things. Just those three. Rico tries to sell Deb a breast-enhancement product, claiming it was Napoleon's suggestion, which causes her to break off their friendship. During the summer of 2004, Napoleon Dynamite would end up generating over $46 million in box office revenue worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Ramirez improvised a script for a sequel in which Pedro is married to Summer Wheatley, has five kids and owns a bakery. Napoleon Dynamite was released on VHS and DVD on December 21, 2004, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in North America and by Paramount Home Entertainment in all other territories. Niomi Arleen Daley It was an independent film with a tiny budget of an estimated $400,000, according to IMDb. Napoleon's been this loser. Despite a very limited initial release, Napoleon Dynamite was a commercial success. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Worldwide Gross: $ . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. MTV pushed the film hard and it worked, as the film earned more than $40 million starting in limited release. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. And what is this context I'm referring to? Napoleon Dynamite. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Budget: $400,000 "Napoleon Dynamite" is about an incredibly awkward teenage boy who lives with his grandma in Idaho. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - $400,000 Budget / $46.1 Million Box Office Starring Jon Heder and Jon Gries, Napoleon Dynamite is about an awkward teen who, along with his friend, launches a campaign for class presidency. They do well and win medals, but this does little for their popularity. It's impossible not to admire the commitment involved in making Napoleon Dynamite. Incidentally, Napoleon visits a thrift store and buys an instructional dance videotape called D-Qwon's Dance Grooves. I danced three times and they took the best pieces from each of those. "[19], Upon the film's release, it was noted that the name "Napoleon Dynamite" had originally been used by musician Elvis Costello, most visibly on his 1986 album Blood & Chocolate,[21] although he had used the pseudonym on a single B-side as early as 1982. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. So is True Detective: Season One on DVD or Blu-ray. So we reshot, but they're now intermixed, so if you look there are like three different dudes' hands (our producers are in there too). However, after the movie began its successful run in theaters across the nation, he was able to renegotiate for a percentage of the film's profits, and "They went a little bit higher.". "We thought Jamiroquai might be expensive. "[19], The dance was spontaneously improvised by Heder, with some choreography help from Tina Majorino, and additional moves taken from Saturday Night Fever, Michael Jackson, and Soul Train. Aaron Ruell (Kip) didn't continue as a professional actor for too much longer after his hit performance as Napoleon's brother. In fact, even 16 years later . Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Most of the smaller towns in the Rocky-mountian west are predominantly Mormon. "And I was like, 'Well, I like to dabble.' Rolling Stone placed it at number 22 of the 25 Top DVDs of 2004.[47]. My method for keeping party expenses down is to invest in a few specific themed items and then use more generic (but fitting) items as well. 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