The amount of money invested in Hollywood franchise movies is astounding. The budgets for some movies really make you realise how small we, as viewers, are in relation to the giants of the film industry, between the multi-million dollar wages of the stars and the pay of thousands of crew members to post-production and marketing. The fact that large blockbusters are the most expensive movies is undoubtedly unsurprising, but the precise costs of each film will undoubtedly cause you to pause.
Updated April 13, 2023: This page has been revised to reflect the addition of new movies and recent box office successes for a number of the entries on the list.
Naturally, a movie with a big budget does not guarantee that it will produce a good profit or, for that matter, be a well-written and engaging plot. Disney, for instance, spends millions on each of its endeavours, but it does not prevent the large studio from occasionally having box office failures. What movies actually cost the most to make in light of all that? The outcomes could shock you. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most expensive films ever produced.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) – $350M
The eagerly anticipated Avatar: The Way of Water is James Cameron’s follow-up to the 2009 film. This film, which centres on the Sully family and has a huge budget, is similar to the first one in that regard. James Cameron estimated that the $350 million budget for Avatar: The Way of Water would be needed for the film to become one of the third or fourth highest-grossing films of all time. Avatar: The Way of Water, which has earned $2.3 billion globally, is the third-highest-grossing film of all time, proving that Cameron struck the mark perfectly.
Avengers: Age of Ultron — $365M
Unexpectedly, Avengers: Age of Ultron is the most expensive Avengers film. The film’s budget is $365 million, $9 million higher than Avengers: Endgame, and it boasts multiple special effects and filming sites all around the world. Nevertheless, as is customary for the MCU series, it was successful and finished as the fourth-highest-grossing movie of 2015, even if the box office performance was viewed as lacking in comparison to the first Avengers.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) – $356M
Avengers: Endgame, the film that would wrap up the Infinity Saga plot, was highly anticipated. It makes sense that the statistics would support that. The movie made $2.798 billion globally on a $356 million budget. Avengers: Endgame exceeded its entire production budget by $1 million in just three days, earning $357 million in its first weekend alone.
If you thought Infinity War’s successes were noteworthy, Endgame outperforms them by holding the record for the highest-grossing film ever from July 2019 until March 2021, when it was ousted by the re-release of Avatar. Marvel Studios is still making great progress with their MCU projects, but only time will tell if they can pull off another big-budget movie like Avengers: Endgame or if that was the MCU’s proper climax.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – $325M
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures stars Josh Brolin as Thanos.
So, let’s be honest: when has an Avenger film failed to live up to the hype, especially in terms of box office revenue? Given that Avengers: Infinity War became the first superhero movie to gross over $2 billion globally, sticking to a $325 million budget paid off.
Despite the fact that many people think the superhero movie genre is overused and that superhero movie weariness would soon set in, the statistics to the contrary. Regardless of whether one supports the MCU or not, Avengers: Infinity War left a lasting impression on movie history.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – $263M
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice cost almost $260 million to produce, but it didn’t fare as well as Aquaman or Wonder Woman. Throughout its theatrical run, the movie made over three times what it cost, but after an outstanding opening weekend in which it broke the record for the largest opening weekend for the Easter vacation, it had a significant decline in ticket sales.
Several fans contend that the film lived up to the hype and that they enjoyed witnessing the DC trinity (Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman) come together on screen. Some, on the other hand, were less enthused with the movie and criticised its darker tone and narrative. Warner Bros. put a lot of money into the film and essentially staked ten years of their future on it. Sadly, the investment did not pay off, and the Snyderverse is now officially done, dead, and gone.
Beauty and the Beast (2017) – $255M
Beauty and the Beast, a live-action remake of one of the studio’s most recognisable and cherished movies, cost Disney $255 million. The decision was successful as Beauty and the Beast earned $174 million in its first weekend of release before earning $504 million domestically and $1.2 billion globally. This demonstrated to Disney that there would be significant financial gain from redoing the Disney Renaissance movies.
Fast X (2023) – $340M
With a $340 million budget, the upcoming movie Fast X is now one of the most costly movies ever produced. Similar to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Fast X spent its cash on extensive practical action sequences shot on location throughout the world.
The cast of Fast X is filled with talented actors that can fetch high salaries. The film also encountered a snag when Louis Letterier was brought in to helm the picture when Justin Lin left shortly after filming began. Bringing in a director when the cameras are rolling may be expensive, as was the case with Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) – $295M
One of the most expensive films ever created, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hasn’t even been released yet. The movie, which is expected to be the last in the Indiana Jones series, seems to have been thoroughly budgeted by Lucasfilm and Disney. According to the trailers, a significant chunk of the movie’s $295 million budget may have gone on Harrison Ford’s advanced anti-aging effects and the film’s broad global setting. I’m hoping the investment is worthwhile.
john Carter (2012) – $264M
One of the few films that simultaneously bears the distinctions of being both one of the most expensive films ever made and one of the biggest box office flops is John Carter (though its lead actor Taylor Kitsch would disagree). Despite having a $264 million budget, the science fiction epic only made $73 million domestically.
After it was all said and done, John Carter was a huge failure for Disney, despite having a respectable $284 million global total. The release of The Avengers two months later, which helped recover any revenue lost from John Carter, was the sole positive news. Disney, of course, had aspirations to create a full John Carter franchise, so they did not anticipate this movie to do so poorly at the box office.
Justice League (2017) – $300M
Justice League is a case of a studio spending so much money on a movie because of extensive reshoots, similar to Solo. The $300 million the DC teamup cost Warner Bros. Despite earning $657 million globally, it was seen as a box office dud and ended up costing Warner Bros. money. After Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice received poor reviews, the studio decided to try again with the reshoots.
Several supporters were upset by the abrupt course correction because they knew that Justice League did not adhere to director Zack Snyder’s initial intent. The legendary “Snyder Cut” was in high demand as a result for years and was finally released in 2021 on HBO Max to great streaming popularity. If Warner Bros. had simply stayed with the Justice League version Snyder was producing, one wonders how much money they may have saved.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I – $290M
Three movies slated for release in 2023, the first of which is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, have already jumped into this list. The high $290 million budget for the seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible series is mainly attributable to the fact that the movie was forced to stop production for a significant portion of the shooting because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The movie followed stringent COVID guidelines and was shot in a number of different nations across the world. Although the cost of the movie skyrocketed, Paramount Pictures is probably not worried about doing so after the success of Top Gun: Maverick because their previous bet on Tom Cruise paid off.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) – $300M
This is a scene from the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s EndBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
On the other hand, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End demonstrates to the world that making a movie for $300 million can provide excellent outcomes. With almost $960 million in worldwide box office receipts, the third entry in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise became the highest-grossing film of 2007. With enormous physical sets, terrific action scenes, and an all-star cast, the money is up on the screen.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) – $379M
For many years, it was thought that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the only Pirates film to come close to a $400 million budget, was the most costly film ever made. Many filming locations, the use of 3D cameras comparable to those in Avatar, and the involvement of 10 different companies in the complex visual effects are some of the factors that contributed to the film’s high cost. On Stranger Tides was the third-highest grossing movie of 2011, regardless of whether you loved it or thought the franchise was over.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) – $275M
The focus of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the second live-action Star Wars anthology movie, is a young Han Solo who is not portrayed by Harrison Ford. Due to the fact that the original filmmakers, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, were cut off from the production, Solo is notorious for its challenging production. The budget for what was supposed to be a less expensive Star Wars film increased due to the hiring of Ron Howard as the new director and the necessity of extensive reshoots of previously filmed parts.
With a worldwide total of $393.2 million, the movie became the first Star Wars box office failure, far behind The Last Jedi’s $1.333 billion. The failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story caused Lucasfilm to shift its attention away from anthology films and towards shows on Disney+. There’s a chance Solo may have made money if the extra reshoot expense hadn’t been added on.
Spider-Man 3 (2007) – $258M
In Spider-Man 3, Sam Raimi’s final Spider-Man film, Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker battles with himself after a symbiote turns his costume black and awakens his shadowy side. The budget for Spider-Man 3 was rumoured to have exceeded $300 million, which Sony refuted, making it the most costly film ever filmed at the time of its release. Although the VFX were praised, the remainder of the reviews were more critical, and future Maguire Spider-Man films were cancelled as a result. The movie made close to $900M at the box office.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $447
The sequel trilogy to The Force Awakens by J.J. Abrams was the first in the series. With the introduction of new characters like Rey, Poe, and Finn, the story of the original cast was continued. The movie was one of the most eagerly awaited releases in history, and much depended on it. According to recent sources, The Force Awakens had a $447 million budget, making it the most expensive film ever.
Investment was profitable. The movie grossed nearly $2 billion at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year and continuing to hold that title today.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – $300M
The sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens received yet another substantial production and marketing budget as a result of the movie’s success. The film that caused the most controversy was Star Wars: The Last Jedi, particularly in relation to how Luke Skywalker was portrayed. The movie was a huge success, earning $1 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing picture of 2017.
Some Star Wars fans applaud Rian Johnson’s ambitious storytelling, but others still take issue with many of his artistic choices. Yet, it is difficult to contest that Lucasfilm’s investment was profitable.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – $416M
Lucasfilm allocated a $416 million reported budget for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which was promoted as concluding the Skywalker Saga. The cost of building the enormous sets used to tie up the sequel trilogy and the need to appoint a new creative team when Colin Trevorrow left the project can both be attributed to the production costs.
The Rise of Skywalker, although being the sequel trilogy’s lowest-grossing film, still managed to earn $1 billion globally and was one of the last box office successes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A new Star Wars movie will continue the narrative as Rey tries to restore the Jedi Academy.
Tangled (2010) – $260M
Rapunzel, a young princess with magical hair who is imprisoned in a tower, is the main character of the animated film Tangled, which relates the tale of her escape and subsequent adventure. Disney spent six years developing Tangled, which resulted in a large budget that is estimated to be $260M. As a result, it would be the most expensive animated film ever produced. The film’s stunning graphics, together with its plot and cast of characters, received great praise and contributed to its commercial success.
The Lion King (2019) – $260M
After directing the remake of The Jungle Book, Jon Favreau took on the directing duties for The Lion King. By producing lifelike animals, Favreau and his team pushed the boundaries of what is currently possible with computer graphics. While some Disney fans were content, others weren’t. Yet, the $260 million final product, which was exceedingly costly, eclipsed Frozen as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
Remaking one of the most cherished and well-liked animated movies was a wise investment. The Lion King was definitely successful enough to get the go-ahead for a prequel movie. It had an all-star ensemble, including Donald Glover and Beyoncé, and James Earl Jones returned in his renowned Mufasa role. The new movie, whose director is Barry Jenkins, will soon unveil, will act as both a prequel and a sequel.