When it comes to pricey films, the stakes are high. There are films made on a large budget, frequently in the millions of dollars, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because they regularly turn a profit. The cost of building and operating film sets, developing special effects, props, and costumes are likely to be the most significant expenses in a film’s production budget. Other costs include the salaries of the film cast, technical team, and producers, as well as general eating, accommodation, and travel expenses.
The highest-grossing films are found to be directly proportionate to the amount of money spent on them. Disney is responsible for the majority of these high-priced films.
We’ve put up a list of the top 20 most expensive films ever made (amount adjusted to Inflation). Take a look at them below!
Table Of Content
- 1 Avatar (2009)
- 2 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- 3 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- 4 Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- 5 Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
- 6 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- 7 John Carter (2012)
- 8 Justice League (2017)
- 9 King Kong (2005)
- 10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
- 11 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
- 12 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
- 13 Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
- 14 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- 15 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
- 16 Spider-Man 3 (2007)
- 17 Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- 18 Tangled (2010)
- 19 Titanic (1997)
- 20 Waterworld (1995)
Avatar (2009)
Skeptics thought the movie Avatar, which was developed with a $237 million budget, was strange when it was released in 2009.
Avatar, on the other hand, was a huge hit, collecting $2.84 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film ever.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The Avengers is the second most costly film ever, costing about $365 million to produce. This is the most expensive film produced by Marvel Studios. The sequel to the Avengers film series, Avengers: Age of Ultron, was released in 2015. The narrative of the film is based on the Avengers, a superhero team from Marvel Comics.
The picture earned positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film has a worldwide gross of more than $1.4 billion, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of all time.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War is the fifth most costly film in the world, with the production spending $316 million on the third installment of the Avengers franchise. Stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, and others star in this film.
Marvel Studios has gathered a large cast for this epic film. With the use of expensive computer graphics, all of the battle scenes appear realistic. Infinity War surpassed $2 billion in worldwide box office receipts.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame is the world’s fourth most expensive film, with a production budget of $356 million. It is the sequel to Infinity War, and fans of the film were eager to know how the Avengers’ battle with Thanos concluded.
The film grossed $2.8 billion worldwide in just 11 days, making it the highest-grossing film of all time.
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Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
With a budget of $263 million, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is the world’s fifteenth most expensive film. The narrative of the film centres around the characters Batman and Superman from DC Comics.
Ben Affleck, a well-known Hollywood actor, played Batman. Zack Snyder, a renowned director, directed the picture. The film grossed nearly $870 million worldwide, falling just short of a billion dollars because there were several sequels planned.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
The film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is based on J. K. Rowling’s 2005 novel “Harry Potter.” This is the sixth entry in the series, and it is the only film in the top 20 films, ranking tenth.
The film was produced on a $250 million budget. All eight films in the Harry Potter series have collected a staggering $7.7 billion dollars, with The Half-Blood Prince coming up just shy of a billion dollars in worldwide gross collections at $934.5 million.
This film has won numerous honors, including the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, SFX Awards, MTV Movie Awards, and numerous nominations in various categories.
John Carter (2012)
Despite the fact that Taylor Kitsch was not exactly a Hollywood A-lister, “John Carter” had a $263.7 million budget. John Carter is the ninth most expensive film, with a box office gross of only $284.1 million.
Andrew Stanton directed the film, which is a science fiction action picture. Because the film was not a commercial success, the team had to abandon their plans for a sequel.
Justice League (2017)
The film Justice League, which cost $300 million to make, is ranked ninth on our list of the world’s most costly films. The Justice League of DC Comics is the inspiration for this film.
Many moviegoers are aware of the film’s dilemma, which includes an unshaven mustache and the fact that Joss Whedon replaced Snyder, who had to leave the project due to the personal sorrow of his daughter’s suicide.
King Kong (2005)
If you’re wondering whether “Lord of the Rings” or “Hobbit” is Peter Jackson’s most expensive film, you’ll be astonished to learn that it’s a remake of the King Kong film. Despite the fact that this “King Kong” was not as legendary as the first, it was made for $207 million and grossed $562.3 million worldwide.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
The third Pirates of the Caribbean film, At World’s End, cost a stunning $300 million, making it the third most expensive film in the franchise. This Disney sequel film has a sizable fan base.
Many people praised the picture for its acting, direction, and special effects. However, it received criticism for its narrative and 168-minute running time. At $963 million, the total collection fell just short of a billion dollars.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,’ the fourth installment in the franchise, is the most costly film ever made. The film’s budget is projected to be over $378.5 million. This figure is close to $430 million when adjusted for inflation.
One of the more intriguing aspects of this film is the absence of both Will and Elizabeth (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley). According to Forbes, Johnny Depp earned $55 million for this sequel picture, with Penelope Cruz as his co-star. Captain Edward Teague, played by Keith Richards, was also featured in this picture. This appears to be where the majority of the budget was spent.
Regardless, global gross receipts fell short of the $1 billion mark. The fifth film in this season was released in 2017, but it was not included in our ranking because it was ranked 37th.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Dead Man’s Chest, the thirteenth most costly film, is another installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise has spent about $225 million on this film, which can’t all be attributed to Johnny Depp’s salary.
This film has a worldwide gross of $1.06 billion. It’s the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which came out in 2003. Jerry Bruckheimer produced and Gore Verbinski directed Dead Man’s Chest, which was released in theaters in 2006. The special effects and directing of the film were praised.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
With a budget of $259 million, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ was the first film of the Star Wars trilogy and is the world’s 17th most expensive film.
This film’s ensemble lacks many huge A-list stars, yet the risk paid off as it became the third-highest-earning film of all time, grossing 2.06 billion dollars.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The Rise of Skywalker is the sequel to The Last Jedi, which came in at number 18 on our list with a $275 million budget. It is the final installment in the Star Wars franchise. Despite grossing more than a billion dollars worldwide like its two predecessors, The Rise of Skywalker is seen as a box office disaster.
Collections were lower than the previous two films in the trilogy, which could be one of the causes for the disappointment.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
With a budget of $262 million, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the 19th most expensive film ever filmed. Regardless of what the critics say, this film is the tenth highest-grossing film of all time, with over 1.33 billion dollars in worldwide receipts. It’s the most polarizing film in the Star Wars franchise. It was nominated for 37 awards and won eight of them, including the Empire Award for Best Film and Best Director in 2018.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The third and final installment of the Spiderman franchise, directed by Tobey Maguire, is the seventh most expensive film, with a budget of $258 million. The superhero picture based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi, grossed 894.9 million dollars worldwide.
The first two Spiderman films were great successes, but according to some critics, the quality and reaction of Spider-Man 3 was a little worse.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Despite the fact that Solo may be the most commercially unsuccessful film in the Star Wars franchise, it nevertheless ranks sixteenth on our list of the world’s most expensive films. Solo: A Star Wars Story was released in 2018 with a $275 million budget and only $393 million in worldwide box office receipts.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed Solo. There was an attempt in this movie, which had numerous filmmakers, to give the Star Wars character Han Solo greater screen time.
Tangled (2010)
Tangled, a 3D computer-animated adventure picture, is a peculiar ninth-place finisher on our list. This type of film usually does not cost a lot of money, but “Tangled” had a budget of around $260 million. The cartoon was purchased for a large sum of money just when the directors were hoping for something more lavish.
Finally, the efforts paid off, with the film grossing $592.4 million worldwide. The animated film Tangled is another Walt Disney Animation Studios production on our list. The picture was released by Walt Disney Pictures.
Titanic (1997)
Titanic is the world’s sixth most expensive film, and its critics have been left dumbfounded. When the film was released, many jokes circulated, and many critics dismissed it, claiming that the $200 million spent on it would be wasted like the Titanic’s sinking.
James Cameron’s “Titanic,” which he directed, wrote, and co-produced, has had everyone talking and laughing all the way to the bank for more than ten years. The film gained numerous accolades, including 11 Academy Award nominations and 11 wins in categories such as Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture, among others.
Celine Dion’s recording of “My Heart Will Go On” was a big success and an instant hit. James Cameron and his crew invested a significant sum of money, and it paid off nicely.
Waterworld (1995)
Waterworld, which was released in 1995, is ranked 12th on our list of the most costly films ever made. The film, which cost $172 million to make, has now grossed $264 million in box office receipts.
Despite the fact that the movie was widely regarded as a complete disaster, the producers were only able to break even. It only received one Golden Rasberry Award, in the ominous category of Worst Supporting Actor.
Kevin Reynolds, a well-known director, directed the action flick Waterworld. Universal Pictures distributed the film, which was based on Rader’s original 1986 screenplay.
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