Where's all the money going ?: One second of Tenet costs $ 25,000

Hollywood blockbusters devour insane sums of money. Just one minute of Christopher Nolan's new film "Tenet" costs as much as a whole German "Tatort". A film expert explains where the money goes and who collects how much.

There's a lot to be done in the entertainment industry at $ 220 million. In the football circus, for example, well-heeled oil sheiks invest the sum in a footballer. If the wealthy is more into fast cars, they could put a nice collection of Ferraris and Bugattis in the garage for the amount. Or you give it to a star director like Christopher Nolan. This is exactly what the Warner producers did, the British filmmaker's new film "Tenet" has been showing in German cinemas since August 12th.

Star director Christopher Nolan shot his new film with very expensive Imax cameras.

(Photo: imago images / Cinema Publishers Collection)

$ 1.5 million for a minute, about $ 25,000 for a second – the sums of money devoured by blockbusters of the caliber Tenet are incredible. The fact that so much money is invested is not new, however. Hollywood bosses invested large sums in film productions decades ago. The business is particularly profitable in the US. But what is all the money actually being spent on? And what is the difference between a "blockbuster" and other films? Ntv.de spoke to an expert about this.

"A-films like Tenet are designed for the big screen. They are suitable for cinema evenings as event films and have a well-known cast. If these films are successful, we speak of a blockbuster," explains Eckhard Wendling. He is a professor at the Stuttgart Media University and has written a book about film production. In his research he deals, among other things, with film budgets. These budgets cover all costs that films cause. What does that mean specifically for a film like Tenet?

When a real Boeing 747 crashes into a warehouse

According to Wendling, the most important cost factors in film production are location, plot and time. Tenet, for example, was filmed in seven different locations on five continents: including Great Britain, India and Estonia. The travel and accommodation costs for the several hundred-man crew alone are in the seven-figure range for this film. In addition, the film was shot on 70 mm with IMAX cameras. This creates pictures of a unique quality. The process is very complex: The camera, which costs more than 500,000 euros, is very bulky and requires a production crew made up of highly paid specialists.

Fans love Nolan's films for it, appreciate the impressive pictures. "He is known for the excessive use of absolute edgy technologies. Everything that is feasible he uses and that has its price," says Wendling.

Since "Mad Max: Fury Road" it has also established itself in Hollywood to increasingly shoot action scenes again. In addition to Tom Cruise, Nolan is also known for using as few spurious effects as possible. In his new film, he lets a real Boeing 747 crash into a warehouse. Even experienced stars like Robert Pattionson were left speechless: "I just thought: Will something like this happen again in a film?" The scene didn't just spring from Nolan's love for handmade effects, however. In this case, the use of the passenger aircraft was purely a calculation: Allegedly it was cheaper to buy a used aircraft than to stage the scene on the computer.

Although the costs for the technology and action stunts are comparatively high, they only represent a fraction of the total budget in Hollywood films. It is known that superstars receive exorbitant fees for their involvement. What few people know: A film like Tenet costs millions of dollars before cameras are even turned on, let alone actors are cast.

The script alone costs up to $ 10 million

"Up to 10% of the budget can be used up for the rights to a film alone," explains Wendling. A screenwriter gets around 5% of the cake. If the film is based on a literary original, the author is also rewarded with up to 5%. The screenplay by Tenet must therefore have cost ten million euros alone. In the United States, productions also spend up to five percent on media lawyers who draw up contracts for the exploitation of rights.

Eckhard Wendling teaches at the Stuttgart Media University.

To better explain the US film industry, Wendling uses the terms "above the line" and "below the line". "The below the line cost includes everything to do with the artisanal production of the film." This means, for example, stage technicians, make-up artists or costume designers. As a rule, the most expensive of them is the cameraman.

Then there are the employees "above the line", whom Wendling calls "talents". "These are people who are paid not only for their actual work, but above all for their well-known names," explains Wendling. Talents are not only the actors in the lead roles, but also the director and the composer. Composers such as Hans Zimmer or Ludwig Göransson collect seven-figure sums for the film music. The director of the film draws around five percent of the budget, superstars such as Christoper Nolan usually receive an additional share in the profit of the film.

Marvel movies would be worth it with free entry

Production companies benefit not only from the quality and awareness of the "talents" who draw audiences to the cinemas. The crowd pullers are important right from the planning phase. Why? "You have to understand how the American film industry works," says Wendling.

Christopher Nolan (right) also wrote the script for "Tenet".

(Photo: imago images / Cinema Publishers Collection)

In contrast to Germany, US films are often financed with loans. If a film production with a big name such as Tom Cruise goes to a financial institution, the request is classified as creditworthy: Superstars minimize the repayment risk for the banks. The "Big Five", the five major American studios, usually pay for the films from their own resources. If the film has particularly great marketing potential, the companies dig deep into their pockets. "Marvel films would be worthwhile if admission to the film were free. The proceeds from the merchandise often finance these films completely," says Wendling.

Tenet, on the other hand, can hardly be marketed. The plot of the film is very complex, the characters of the main actors can hardly be printed on bed linen or sold in toy stores. That is what is special about Tenet, explains Wendling.

Will "Tenet" be Nolan's first real flop?

Christopher Nolan is adored by many cinema fans, but his films are still not a safe bet at the box office: apart from the "The Dark Knight" trilogy and "Inception", his works were mostly successful, but not absolute mega hits either. According to calculations by the industry portal variety.com, in order for his latest film to pay off, he has to bring in around 400 million euros so that Warner does not lose any money in the end.

The film currently has sales of around 210 million euros. Whether he ends up being a top or a flop depends on several factors. One is the further development of the pandemic, as this will decide whether people even go to the cinemas. Another is the competitive situation. The next big blockbuster won't be released until November. It's the new James Bond movie "No Time to Die".