Did ‘Moonlight’ Break Oscar Record for Lowest-Budgeted Best Picture Winner?
Barry Jenkins’ semiautobiographical coming-of-age story was produced for just $1.5 million
Matt Pressberg | February 27, 2017 @ 1:20 PM
Last Updated: February 27, 2017 @ 1:49 PM
Getty Images
Newly crowned Best Picture winner “Moonlight” turned a relative pittance into Oscar gold, as the film became the smallest budget production — accounting for inflation — to ever receive that honor to cap a wild 89th Academy Awards.
After an envelope error resulted in presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly naming Lionsgate’s musical “La La Land” as Best Picture winner, “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz was the one who actually handed over the trophy to the “Moonlight” team. That made it a three-Oscar night for the coming-of-age drama out of A24, which also won for Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney).
Perhaps even more impressive, “Moonlight” claimed the highest honor in film despite being produced for a paltry $1.5 million.
United Artists’ 1955 romantic drama “Marty,” starring Ernest Borgnine as an Italian-American butcher from the Bronx, won four Academy Awards including Best Picture on a budget estimated at $350,000, the lowest-ever in nominal terms. However, that’s a healthy $3.2 million in current dollars — or more than two “Moonlights.”
“Moonlight,” however, is not the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner: “The Hurt Locker” picked up just $17 million at the domestic box office in 2009, compared with “Moonlight’s” $22 million — which is likely to jump as casual movie fans who first heard about the film at the Oscars decide to see what it’s all about.
While big-budget blockbusters (which lately, seem to involve Disney properties and superheroes) dominate the box office, a handful of other films have taken a beer budget all the way to a Best Picture champagne toast. “The King’s Speech,” which won in 2010, was produced for a modest $15 million, and went on to earn $139 million domestically and $414 million worldwide.
21 Best and Worst Oscars Moments of 2017, From Viola Davis to Warren Beatty (Photos)
This year's Academy Awards featured an insanely cute kid, some uncomfortable name-shaming -- and one of the biggest flubs in the nearly 100-year history of the ceremony
Getty Images
WORST: People Magazine editor and red carpet host Jess Cagle revived this year's Golden Globes faux pas, mentioning "Hidden Fences" as one of 2016's extraordinary films.
ABC
BEST: Jimmy Kimmel honors Meryl Streep with a standing ovation and a tongue-in-cheek homage to an actress who "has stood the test of time for her many uninspiring and overrated performances"
Getty Images
BEST: "Moonlight" star Mahershala Ali gives a touching speech honoring his grandmother and four-day-old child after winning the Oscar for Best Actor
Getty Images
WORST: Critically panned superhero flick "Suicide Squad" wins an Oscar for makeup, giving the film as many Academy Awards as "Citizen Kane"
Warner Bros.
BEST: The cast of "Hidden Figures" brings out one of the film's true-life inspirations, NASA scientist Katharine Johnson (played by Taraji P. Henson in the movie)
Getty Images
BEST: The rich get richer: Jimmy Kimmel floated bags of sweets to the crowd with a massive balloon drop
ABC
WORST/BEST: "Moana" star Auli'i Cravalho got hit in the head with a flag while performing the song "How Far I'll Go" from the Disney film, but the 16-year-old wasn't flustered and brought down the house with her singing
Getty Images
BEST: "Fences'" Viola Davis gives an emotional speech honoring her family and August Wilson after accepting her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
Getty Images
BEST: After Iran's "The Salesman" won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, director Asghar Farhadi (who boycotted the ceremony) explained his reasons in a heartfelt and pointed statement read by an Iranian-American engineer and astronaut
Getty Images
BEST: Jimmy Kimmel brings a bus full of Hollywood tourists to the front row of the Academy Awards -- and Denzel Washington unofficially marries an engaged couple
Getty Images
WORST: Jimmy Kimmel makes fun of one of the tourists' name, while saying "now that's a name" to her husband, named Patrick
Getty Images
WORST: Seth Rogen (poorly) sings "Hamilton" songs while presenting the Academy Award for Best Film Editing alongside Michael J. Fox
Getty Images
BEST/WORST: Kimmel conducts a brief interview with "Lion" star Sunny Pawar, but an homage to Disney's "Lion King" comes off a little awkward
Getty Images
BEST: Kimmel tries to engage the President on his preferred medium: Twitter
Twitter
BEST: The host unveils an Oscar-themed version of one of his late-night show's signature bits, Mean Tweets
ABC
BEST: Kimmel introduces presenters Ben Affleck and erstwhile rival Matt Damon as "Ben Affleck and guest," and has Damon played off by the orchestra during his announcement of the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
Getty Images
WORST: Halle Berry incorrectly pronounces "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle's name as "Shazeel" when announcing his win for Best Director
Getty Images
BEST: "Manchester by the Sea" director Kenneth Lonergan wins his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and says his film is "about people trying to take care of each other in terrible diversity" in a heartfelt speech
Getty Images
WORST: Emma Stone wins the Oscar for Best Actress for musical "La La Land," despite her lack of top-end singing skills -- and a field including Isabelle Huppert, Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman
Beatty’s Best Picture flub was one of the biggest Oscar bloopers of all time
This year's Academy Awards featured an insanely cute kid, some uncomfortable name-shaming -- and one of the biggest flubs in the nearly 100-year history of the ceremony