Hollywood doesn't love Oliver Stone? Since when? LOL Not just anyone could have gotten funds to make "W". Stone is the activist film maker.
Never said anything about big budgets. Although his heyday is over, Stone will always be able to get funding for his films. Btw, Alexander had a huge budget and it turned a profit.
But Stone was unable to find funding for W from a major Hollywood studio, so he resorted to independent financing. He and his producers aim to have the movie in theaters before this November's presidential election and maybe as soon as October
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=alexander.htm
Budget was 155 million. made 34 million domestically if you include the world it made 167 million. It did not turn a profit, you have to make 3 times your budget to turn a real profit, at a minimum twice your budget, now of course it all depends on how much money goes into advertising, so those are not hard and fast rules, but no way 12 million above budget turned a profit for this movie.