Abstract :
Although filmmaking requires substantial capital investment,
it is not known whether cinematic creativity is positively correlated
with the size of the film’s budget. Therefore, budgetary
impact was investigated in a sample of feature films released
between 1997 and 2001. Although production costs were positively
related to box office success (as measured by both first
weekend and gross), such expenditures had no correlation with
best picture awards and were negatively correlated with critical
acclaim (as gauged by both film reviews and movie guide
ratings). These divergent consequences could be partly interpreted
in terms of how the budget and success criteria differentially
correlated with what have been identified as the four
creative clusters of filmmaking, namely, the dramatic, visual,
technical, and musical.
