“Brady Corbet’s Brutalist Journey: Zero Dollars, Big Risks, and a Healthy Payoff?”
So, here’s the deal: Brady Corbet, the mastermind behind “The Brutalist,” might want to revise his statement about making “zero dollars” off his Oscar-nominated film. It kicked off serious head-scratching, especially considering his earlier work, “Vox Lux,” which bombed at the box office, bringing in a meager $727K domestically. As he shared on Marc Maron’s popular podcast, this indie gem, co-starring Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce, came with some hefty sacrifices. Sure, Corbet isn’t cashing in like Ridley Scott with a $12M paycheck, but our sources hint he probably made around $250K—just not in immediate cash. Instead, he deferred his fees while pushing the boundaries on a meaningful narrative about a Hungarian WWII refugee architect navigating the American dream.
As a non-DGA (Directors Guild of America) project shot under COVID restrictions in Hungary, his financial structure is atypical. Most indie films have some salary line in their production budgets, which raises eyebrows over his “zero dollar” claim. Essentially, Corbet’s in the gutsy indie filmmaker club, where deferring salaries is a rite of passage. Think of it as buying a lottery ticket hoping for a big reward later—he’s banking on bonus payments tied to film festival accolades.
A24 snagged domestic rights for “The Brutalist” after its Venice premiere, which many industry insiders peg at around $10M to $15M—a nice haul, especially with its current box office gross of $14.5M domestically and $31.3M worldwide. One finance whiz called it “a nicely profitable piece of business.” As the film hits the PVOD scene, it’s already ranking number two on iTunes, which could bode even better for its overall profitability. When films double their budget at the box office, they usually start seeing some actual profit, and sources suggest “The Brutalist” has the potential to clear between $10M and $20M in gains. Balancing the scales, there’s quite a cast of 27 executive producers involved, which complicates things even further, as does the fact that Corbet’s partner Mona Fastvold didn’t make it onto the Oscar producer list. Sounds like a whole lot of drama, but isn’t that the hallmark of indie filmmaking?
Sources: Celebrity Storm Wire and Deadline, Variety, IndieWire, The Hollywood Reporter
