This year’s Oscars race has turned the spotlight on THE BRUTALIST, a 3 ½ hour epic created on an incredibly modest budget of under $10 million. During an interview on the WTF Podcast with Marc Maron, the film’s director Brady Corbet stated that he made “zero dollars” to make the film, saying that he gave up his paycheck to create this epic story of an immigrant experience in 1940’s America. However, an investigation by Deadline casts some doubt on Corbet’s altruistic framing.
According to Deadline, while Corbet did give up his initial salary to make the film in the classic VistaVision format, he omitted speaking about the backend deal that he negotiated. Distribution rights for the film were taken by A24 in the domestic market and Focus Features internationally. Each of these deals included bonuses for Corbet if the film performed well in theatres and received nominations for major industry awards.
The movie has done well on both accounts, grossing over $31 million at the worldwide box office and receiving nominations for Best Director and Best Picture from virtually all major award bodies. Corbet has been front and center in the film’s awards campaign, with A24 and Focus covering his expenses for hotel, food, and travel. According to a source from Deadline, it all amounts to a “nicely profitable piece of business” for Corbet and the film’s distributors.
The Deadline report also raises questions on the economic fairness of compensation for independent productions such as THE BRUTALIST. While Corbet received generous compensation on the backend, it is unclear whether other crew members also benefitted.
While it’s encouraging some art house films like THE BRUTALIST to enjoy a level of box office success, how the wealth is shared by the crew remains to be seen, given how small margins are on even the most successful art-house releases.
