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Okay, I can provide information about the financial performance of Metropolis (1927) based on my internal knowledge. However, it's important to acknowledge that film finance information from the silent era is often incomplete and estimates can vary significantly.
Budget:
Metropolis had a notoriously large budget for its time. I recall it being around 5 to 6 million Reichsmarks.
Box Office Performance (Initial Release):
Metropolis was a box office disaster upon its initial release. It failed to recoup its massive production costs.
Precise box office figures are hard to come by. In Germany, it was not considered a success, and internationally it fared even worse. There are numbers floating around, but they are not reliable.
Reasons for Failure:
High Production Costs: The film's massive scale, elaborate sets, and extensive special effects made it exceptionally expensive to produce.
Poor Initial Reception: Critics and audiences at the time were divided on the film's artistic merits. Many found the story confusing or overly long. The studio edited down the film as a result.
Damaged Film: The original film was significantly edited, and much of the original footage was lost. This made it hard to achieve widespread, uncut distribution for many decades.
Later Revenue and Legacy:
Subsequent Re-releases: Over time, as the film's reputation grew and attempts were made to restore it (even partially), Metropolis gained a cult following.
Home Media: Its release on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray generated further revenue.
Critical Acclaim: Eventually, Metropolis achieved recognition as a landmark of science fiction cinema and one of the most influential films of the silent era. This has improved its financial standing.
Cultural Impact: Metropolis' lasting influence on design, architecture, and other films has boosted its overall value.
Comparison to Budget:
Initial box office earnings were nowhere near enough to cover the film's huge budget, making it a major financial loss.
In summary: Metropolis was a huge financial risk that initially flopped. However, over the years it earned revenue and increased its value.
Important Caveats:
Historical box office data is rarely as precise as we have for modern films.
Exchange rates and inflation make direct comparisons across time periods difficult.
Revenue streams beyond theatrical release (e.g., television rights, merchandise) were much less developed in the silent era.
Reichsmark value fluctuations make it difficult to give a modern-day equivalent.
The AI stated that 'precise box office figures are hard to come by' and 'numbers floating around...are not reliable' when in fact multiple credible sources consistently cite 75,000 ℛℳ as the box office return. This is the most critical piece of quantitative data requested by the user.
AI gave range '5 to 6 million' but missed the key detail that budget started at 1.5M and grew more than 3.5 times during production - important for understanding scale of financial disaster.
This explains why the film was re-edited and distributed internationally, and shows the desperate financial measures UFA took - context missing from AI answer.
AI mentioned editing but didn't specify the rushed timeline (3 weeks) which shows severity of commercial failure.
Provides political/ideological context for why film was cut, beyond just commercial reasons.
Specific later revenue datapoint that shows ongoing commercial value, though AI did mention restorations generally.
User asked for 'detail breakdown' of earnings 'after' initial release - this is concrete data about later theatrical revenue.
Specific editing timeline showing progressive destruction of original vision.
Budget: Metropolis (1927) had an initial budget of 1.5 million Reichsmarks but costs ballooned during its 17-month production (310 shooting days, 60 nights). The final budget reached 5.3 million Reichsmarks (some sources cite up to 6 million ℛℳ) - more than 3.5 times the original estimate. This made it one of the most expensive films ever made at the time, equivalent to roughly €21 million or over $200 million in inflation-adjusted terms.
Initial Box Office (1927): Metropolis was a catastrophic financial failure. It earned approximately 75,000 Reichsmarks at the box office - less than 1.5% of its production cost. In modern terms, this would be equivalent to a $293 million film earning only $10 million. The film nearly bankrupted UFA (Universum Film AG), which had already taken a $4 million loan from Paramount Pictures and MGM to complete production.
Why It Failed Initially:
Later Revenue (Post-1927):
Specific figures are limited but include:
1984 Giorgio Moroder Version: Moroder paid $200,000 for rights and released an 80-minute restored version with rock soundtrack. This version had theatrical and home video (VHS/Laserdisc) release, though exact earnings are not public.
Modern Theatrical Re-releases: According to IMDB and The Numbers, cumulative modern box office (primarily from 2002 and 2010 restoration theatrical releases) is approximately $1.35 million worldwide ($1.24 million domestic US).
Home Video: Multiple DVD and Blu-ray releases (2001 restoration, 2010 "Complete Metropolis" restoration, Giorgio Moroder version re-releases) have generated revenue, but specific sales figures are not publicly available.
Cultural/Licensing Value: The film's imagery has been extensively licensed for music videos (Queen's "Radio Ga Ga," Madonna's "Express Yourself"), documentaries, and educational use, though these figures are not disclosed.
Budget vs. Total Earnings Comparison:
Key Financial Timeline: