OVERLAY REPORT

Based on historical film records, there is no major commercial feature film titled ***Illuminations*** released in 1963 that fits the profile of a "box office blockbuster" with detailed financial breakdowns. The name is most prominently associated with a **French short film**, a later **Australian feature**, or a famous **collection of essays**. It is possible your question refers to one of the following, or perhaps is a misidentification of a different major 1963 production (such as *Cleopatra* or *8½*). ### 1. *Illuminations* (1963) – François Reichenbach This is the most direct match for the title and year. Directed by the acclaimed French documentarian **François Reichenbach** (in collaboration with Jonathan Bates) and produced by **Pierre Braunberger**, it is an 8-minute short film. * **Production & Budget:** It was a high-art documentary short based on the prose poems of **Arthur Rimbaud**, featuring music by **Michel Legrand**. * **Box Office Performance:** As a short film, it did not have a "box office" in the traditional sense. In the 1960s, shorts were typically screened as part of a program preceding a feature film or in specialized film festivals (it was shown at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival). * **Financial Breakdown:** There are no public records of its specific budget or revenue. Short films of this nature were rarely profitable through ticket sales and were usually funded through state grants or as prestige projects for independent producers. ### 2. *Illuminations* (1976) – Paul Cox You may be conflating the year 1963 with the debut feature of Australian director **Paul Cox**. Although Cox arrived in Australia in 1963, his film ***Illuminations*** was released in 1976. * **Budget:** It was made for a very small budget (estimated around **$5,000–$15,000** in contemporary value), often using equipment borrowed from the art school where he taught. * **Revenue:** It received a limited theatrical release and found its life later through film festivals and arthouse circuits. It did not have a mainstream box office "breakdown," as it was an experimental, low-budget production. ### 3. Possible Misidentification: *Cleopatra* (1963) If you are asking about a 1963 film famous for its **budget vs. box office** controversy, you are likely referring to **Cleopatra**, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Its financial story is one of the most documented in history: * **Budget:** Approximately **$31.1 million** (often cited as **$44 million** including marketing and distribution)—the most expensive film ever made at that time. * **Theatrical Box Office:** It grossed **$57.8 million** worldwide. * **Breakdown & "After":** Despite being the highest-grossing film of 1963, it was initially a financial disaster because it had to gross nearly double its budget to break even after the theater owners' cut. * **After (TV Rights):** The film only reached profitability years later, aided significantly by a then-record **$5 million** television licensing deal with ABC in 1966. ### 4. Other 1963 Contexts * ***The Punch and Judy Man* (1963):** A British comedy starring Tony Hancock. The film's climax centers on the **"illuminations"** (electric light festival) of a seaside town. It was a notable box office disappointment, failing to capitalize on Hancock's TV fame. * ***Illumination* (Iluminacja, 1973):** A world-famous philosophical film by Polish director **Krzysztof Zanussi**. It is frequently studied in film schools for its "breakdown" of a man's life, but it was released a decade after 1963. **Summary:** If you have more details about the plot or the director (e.g., if it was a Hollywood epic or a Soviet art film), please provide them, as "Illuminations" (1963) exists primarily as a niche 8-minute French short with no commercial box office data.