TMNT: Mutant Mayhem's Thrifty Budget Has All But Guaranteed Its Box Office Success

For the first time in seven years, the heroes in a half-shell are back on the big screen as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" hits theaters. But unlike the most recent Michael Bay-produced iteration of the franchise, Paramount is bringing the Turtles back to animation. Also unlike the Bay films, this latest movie doesn't come with a Bayhem-inflated budget, as it appears the studio was incredibly thrifty this time around. So much so that the movie's box office success is all but guaranteed even in the earliest stages of its run.

According to Variety and several other trade publications, director Jeff Rowe's "Mutant Mayhem" carries a shockingly low $70 million budget. Granted, that is before marketing, but such a figure is so much lower than other recent animated hits that it's a little hard to wrap one's head around the figure. Pixar's "Elemental" carried a $200 million budget, for example, while "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" had a $100 million price tag. Last year's "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" was produced for $90 million and went on to find great success. You would be hard-pressed to find a cheaper, high-profile animated feature film released over the past couple of years.

Even more good news: Paramount released the film mid-week to get a jump on the competition, which includes this week's other big new release, "Meg 2: The Trench." It's already going well, as the new "TMNT" flick earned $3.85 million from Tuesday preview screenings, setting it up for a $45 to $50 million five-day domestic debut come Monday morning. That may not be enough to take the crown away from "Barbie," but it's more than enough to count as a win for a movie made for that price.

Helping matters even more is the fact that "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" has been met with near-universal praise thus far. The film currently carries a 95% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, to go with a 94% audience rating. That suggests great word of mouth in the coming weeks. Paramount is so confident in what they have that a sequel and a show for Paramount+ have already been announced. It seems that confidence was well-placed.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, of "Superbad" and "The Boys" fame, wrote and produced the new take on Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's enduring team of comic book heroes. This is not the first time Rogen and Goldberg have been associated with a surprisingly cheap animated hit, as 2016's R-rated "Sausage Party" was made (somehow) for just $19 million, en route to $141 million at the box office.

Maybe it helps that they have good relationships with many members of the A-list cast. Maybe it helps that the duo are generally thrifty filmmakers. Whatever the case, they did it right once again and have set up not just one movie, but likely a whole franchise, for success. 

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is in theaters now.