Estes felt that there were very few films about kids dealing with a tragedy, a genre he had always admired both as a kid and as an adult student of film. The film was independently financed with a budget of $500,000, although about $350,000 of it was spent off screen or donated. It was shot mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, including the cities of Boring, Sandy, and Estacada, though footage on the river was filmed on the Lewis River in southwest Washington. Release Box office Mean Creek received a limited release in North America in four theaters and grossed $29,170 with an average of $7,292 per theater. The film earned $603,951 domestically and $198,997 internationally for a total of $802,948. Based on a $500,000 budget, the film can be considered a modest box office success. Critical reception On Rotten Tomatoes, Mean Creek has an 89% approval rating based on 124 reviews with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads "Mean Creek is an uncomfortably riveting glimpse into the casual cruelty of youth." Additionally, the film also holds a 74/100 score on Metacritic based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Roger Ebert praised the acting and concept of teenagers making conscious moral decisions and wrote "Mean Creek joins a small group of films including River's Edge and Bully which deal accurately and painfully with the consequences of peer-driven behavior. Kids who would not possibly act by themselves form groups that cannot stop themselves. This movie would be an invaluable tool for moral education in schools, for discussions of situational ethics and refusing to go along with the crowd." See also Dyslexia in popular culture References External links Screenplay at Drew's Script-o-rama Official trailer posted by Carly Schroeder on YouTube 2004 films 2004 crime drama films 2004 directorial debut films 2004 independent films 2000s American films 2000s coming-of-age drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s psychological drama films 2000s teen drama films American coming-of-age drama films American crime drama films American films about revenge American independent films American psychological drama films American teen drama films Films about autism Films about bullying Films about disability in the United States Films about pranks Films directed by Jacob Aaron Estes Films scored by Tomandandy Films set in Oregon Films shot in Oregon Films shot in Washington (state) John Cassavetes Award winners Paramount Vantage films Paramount Pictures films Focus Features films Teen crime