This study examines the complex relationship between movie budgeting and the creative process in Hollywood filmmaking. To understand the effects of this relationship on the finished product, several films are analyzed throughout pre-production, production and post-production. These stages of filmmaking are further divided into categories for each case in order to reveal examples of potential conflicts that arise between investors and creators. A case study approach is guided by theories of the production of culture, which state that creative products manu-factured in the cultural industry must be analyzed in relation to their surrounding society. In their application to these cases, these theories suggest that social and financial influences on members of the Hollywood community produce a unique creative environment that may become increasingly detached from an international audience. Findings suggest previous indicators of box office success are becoming primary influences in the filmmaking process. The study also finds that financial standards in Hollywood potentially inhibit innovation among creative participants within a limited Hollywood creative sphere.