How did Ian Christie explain RKO's gamble and the $686,000 budget of Citizen Kane?

Ian Christie says RKO was the smallest and financially weakest of the major Hollywood studios, and owned few cinemas at a time when studios also ran theatre chains. Like Warner Bros. betting on The Jazz Singer and sound, RKO staked something on Welles in the hope he would pull off a hit. Citizen Kane cost $686,000, cheap by Hollywood standards despite its complex look, which Christie credits to clever process photography, production design and cinematography.

• The panel calls the idea that Welles overran his budget a myth; reused RKO sets and props helped keep costs down.
• RKO's lack of its own cinemas mattered once exhibitors refused to show the film.

▸In their words

“It wasn't a very expensive film. It was $686,000.” Ian Christie · at 14:26 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on In Our Time (2026-11-02). Read the whole episode summary →

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