We had to just live off of a paycheck from three years ago.” The acclaimed director revealed work he’d recently finished on three advertisements filmed in Portugal was the first time he’d made money “in years”.

And he's not alone. "I've spoken to many filmmakers with films nominated this year who can't pay their rent," Corbet said of his fellow Oscar nominees.

And not just “zero dollars” on The Brutalist, but also on his 2018 Natalie Portman-starring tortured pop star drama Vox Lux as well. Neon acquired U.S. on the 2018 pic, which grossed only $727,000 at the domestic box office and $1.4M worldwide.