"Made $0": The Brutalist director Brady Corbet reflects upon earnings from the multiple award-winning film

Brady Corbet, who is an Oscar-nominated director, exposed an unexpected financial actuality hidden behind his critically celebrated film, The Brutalist.

The film stars Adrien Brody as László Tóth, Joe Alwyn as Harry Lee Van Buren Jr., Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr., and Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth amongst the lead roles.

Regardless of sweeping numerous awards and praises at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, along with securing a handful of nominations at the 2025 Oscars, director Brady Corbet revealed a distressing truth during his attendance on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, during which he said,

"We made zero dollars on the last two films that we made."

Corbert claims that his earnings sum up to around $0 from his multiple award-winning film titled The Brutalist. This revelation shed light on the financial struggles faced by independent filmmakers, despite critical acclaim and recognition in the industry.

Keep reading to find out why.

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Brady Corbet claims he earned $0 from The Brutalist

Corbet revealed that both The Brutalist and his earlier film, Vox Lux (2018), curated next to no money for him.

While addressing this claim of earning $0 from his recent film, Cobert highlights some of his insights on the podcast, to which he says;

“We made zero dollars on the last two films that we made...actually, zero. We had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago.”

The monetary strain compelled him to depend on commercial creation in Portugal for some funds. This seemed to have worked in his favor as he added,

“I just directed three advertisements in Portugal… It’s the first time I had made any money in years.”

On the podcast, Corbert also addressed how the issue of financial uncertainty is not a very unique and one-off experience to him personally.

The extensive promotional procedure for the film has also taken a toll on Corbet. He also mentions how filmmakers, especially independent filmmakers, are paid next to nothing while promoting a film they make.

Ever since The Brutalist had its release in September 2024, Corbet has been on a persistent press tour for 6 whole months. He reveals that last week alone, he carried out around 90 interviews promoting the film, which again, earned him nothing.

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Success of the film regardless of financial challenges

Despite Corbet’s lack of financial reward, The Brutalist has been extensively honored. Adrien Brody stars in the film as a Hungarian architect who has also survived the Holocaust.

The film swept up 10 nomination categories in the fast-approaching Oscars. Some of the categories include Best Picture, Best Actor for Brody, and Best Director for Corbet. Furthermore, the film has previously seen accomplishments with other major award shows like the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes.

At the BAFTAs, the film earned Best Director (Corbet), Best Actor (Brody), Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography. Likewise, it took brought home awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor at the Golden Globes.

Brady Corbet’s financial difficulties throw light on the hardships faced by several other filmmakers who are independent. His remarks also highlight the toils that independent filmmakers who have an extensive amount of commercial success face regularly.

While The Brutalist lingers on to make itself known during awards season, Corbet’s frank and open statements underline the personal expenses and financial ambiguity that tag along with filmmaking.

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