Produced in just over five months, the picture continues to hold one of the top spots for fastest produced 35mm feature films (from script-to-screen) to receive a wide-release:
- Pre-production: Script acquired/director hired: May, 1999.
- Production: June and July, 1999.
- Post-production: Edited (including 250+ visual effects), scored and mixed: August and September, 1999.
With a final budget of $5.25 million, the film recouped it all in its first week in theaters. It grossed well over $30 million worldwide in theatrical, DVD, digital, and television sales.
The bats in the film were a combination of animatronics, CGI, and 2 live bats. The 2 original bats in the film were brought over from Indonesia.
Theatrical teaser trailers, (which included no images from the actual film), appeared in theaters as the picture had just begun its second week of a 28 day shoot. No actual full-length trailers were ever created in time for the film's theatrical release.