Scared People Tossing Popcorn

We hear a lot about which films are highest grossing, but how much do film studios have to shell out to make an Academy Award-winning film? Despite the overwhelming number of big-budget blockbusters in Hollywood these days, you might be surprised to find that most of the Oscar-nominated movies this year had relatively low production costs.

In fact, four of the eight “Best Picture” contenders came in under $15 million (an extremely modest sum in the film industry). One of those—Richard Linklater’s Boyhood—operated on a tiny budget of $200,000 a year over the course of 14 years, but it’s still in the running for no less than six shiny gold statues. While bigger-budget flicks lead the pack in “Best Production Design” and “Best Visual Effects” for obvious reasons, categories like “Best Director” and “Best Actor” don’t discriminate based on price tag. To prove it, here’s a list of this year’s top Oscar nominees—including their respective overall budgets.

BOYHOOD

Studio: IFC Films
Academy Award Nominations: 6

Best Picture
Best Director (Richard Linklater)
Best Supporting Actor (Ethan Hawke)
Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Editing

Budget: $2.4 million

WHIPLASH 

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Academy Award Nominations: 5

Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Budget: $3.3 million

THE IMITATION GAME

Studio: StudioCanal (UK)/ The Weinstein Company (US)
Academy Award Nominations: 8

Best Picture
Best Director (Morten Tyldum)
Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch)
Best Supporting Actress (Keira Knightley)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Original Score
Best Production Design

Budget: $14 million

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Studio: Focus Features/ Universal Pictures
Academy Award Nominations: 5-

Best Picture
Best Actor (Eddie Redmayne)
Best Actress (Felicity Jones)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Score

Budget: $15 million

WILD

Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Academy Award Nominations: 2

Best Actress (Reese Witherspoon)
Best Supporting Actress (Laura Dern)

Budget: $15 million

BIRDMAN

Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Academy Award Nominations: 9

Best Picture
Best Director (Alejandro G. Inarritu)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actor (Michael Keaton)
Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton)
Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone)
Best Cinematography
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Budget: $18 million

SELMA

Studio: Paramount Pictures
Academy Award Nominations: 2

Best Picture
Best Original Song

Budget: $20 million

FOXCATCHER

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Academy Award Nominations: 5

Best Director
Best Actor (Steve Carrell)
Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Budget: $24 million

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Academy Award Nominations: 9

Best Picture
Best Director (Wes Anderson)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Original Score
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup and Hair

Budget: $26.6 million

AMERICAN SNIPER

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Academy Award Nominations: 6

Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Budget: $60 million

GONE GIRL

Studio: 20th Century Fox
Academy Award Nominations: 1

Best Actress (Rosamund Pike)

Budget: $61 million

INTERSTELLAR

Studio: Paramount Pictures
Academy Award Nominations: 5

Best Original Score
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Production Design
Best Visual Effects

Budget: $165 million