The amount of money invested in Hollywood franchise movies is astounding. The budgets for some movies really make you realize 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 franchises and films that will appear on a list of the most expensive films ever made are undoubtedly predictable, but the particular sums for each film will no doubt cause you to pause.
Updated: December 2022: Olivia Martello has updated this article to include new details and entries in an effort to keep it current.
Naturally, a movie with a big budget doesn’t guarantee that it will earn a decent profit or, for that matter, be a well-written and engaging plot. Disney, for instance, spends millions on each of its endeavors, but that doesn’t preclude the huge company from occasionally having box office flops. Transformers: The Last Knight is another excellent illustration of this occurrence. Despite having a budget of nearly $216 million, the movie still managed to lose over $100 million, debuting at a franchise-low of $69.1 million overall. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most expensive films ever produced.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) – $350-400M
The eagerly anticipated Avatar: The Way of Water is James Cameron’s follow-up to the 2009 film. This film, which centers on the Sully family and has a huge budget, is similar to the first one in that regard. Initial estimates put the amount at $250 million, but additional studies have shown that the real amount is between $350 and $400 million. Whatever the final official budget turns out to be—which is currently unknown—it will be among the most expensive films ever produced.
Avengers: Age of Ultron — $365M
The Avengers: Age of Ultron is the second-most costly film ever produced. The film had a $360 million budget and was shot in locations all over the world with numerous special effects. But as is customary for the MCU series, it was profitable and ended up becoming the fourth-highest grossing movie of 2015. Discussions over Tony’s accountability (or lack thereof) and the new team member Wanda Maximoff are sparked by the second Avengers film.
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. If you thought Infinity War’s accomplishments were noteworthy, Endgame outperforms them by earning the most money of any film ever from July 2019 to March 2021. Marvel Studios is still making great progress with their MCU projects, but only time will tell if they can pull off another major film production on the scale of Avengers: Endgame.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — $325M
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 clearly 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. One cannot deny that Avengers: Infinity War has a tremendous impact on the history of cinema, regardless of whether they are fans of the MCU or not.
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. According to Forbes, the movie made more than three times its budget during its theatrical run, but it had a significant decline following an outstanding opening weekend. Some fans contend that the film lived up to the expectations and that they enjoyed seeing Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot as the DC trinity on screen together. Others, on the other hand, are less enthused about the movie and critique its darker tone and narrative.
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. Despite having a $264 million budget, the science fiction epic only made $73 million domestically. 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
Time has repeatedly shown that having a large production budget does not guarantee international success. Warner Bros. lost money as a result of the $300 million production expense of the hotly anticipated Justice League. After Batman v. Superman had a poor review, the studio tried to turn things around with Justice League. Many 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.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) — $300M
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 revenue, the third entry in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise became the most successful film of 2007. The entire film focuses on Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) never-ending battle for his ship while accepting his fate, as well as Elizabeth and Will’s (Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom) whirlwind romance. What could one not love?
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) — $379M
Last but not least, the most costly film ever produced: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the only one in the series to have a budget close to $400 million. Numerous 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. Regardless of whether you love Pirates 4 or think the series is over, On Stranger Tides was still the third-highest grossing movie of 2011.
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. The creation of Solo is notoriously tough, with original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller being replaced late in the process. The movie, according to Vanity Fair, became the first Star Wars movie to fail financially. Compared to The Last Jedi’s $1.333 billion worldwide total, it brought in just $393.2 million. Due to Solo: A Star Wars Story’s commercial failure, Lucasfilm changed its direction away from anthology movies and toward Disney+ original shows.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) — $275M
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2019, Daisy Ridley
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the most expensive film of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, also has the lowest box office earnings. Nevertheless, it was nevertheless able to earn a $300 million net profit and rank among the highest-grossing films of the year. The movie cost $275 million to produce and market. The final film to generate over $1 billion before the COVID-19 epidemic was The Rise of Skywalker, although the grand finale of the Skywalker saga has received a mixed response from fans.
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. It was the most costly film ever filmed at the time of its release; some speculated that the budget may have even exceeded $300 million, however Sony disputed this. While the VFX were praised, the remainder of the reviews were more critical, and this resulted in the cancellation of any additional Maguire Spider-Man films, despite the movie making close to $900M at the box office.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $259M
J.J. The Force Awakens, the first film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, introduced Rey, Poe, and Finn as well as continued the Skywalker family saga. The film made superb use of its special effects budget. It was the highest-grossing movie that year and a huge smash with over $2 billion in box office revenue. Although many believed the last films in the trilogy fell short of expectations, it is nonetheless a good start.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) — $262M
a scene from the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures film Avengers: Age of Ultron
The sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens received yet another substantial production and marketing budget as a result of the movie’s success. However, The Last Jedi turned out to be the more contentious movie, particularly in regards to how Luke Skywalker was portrayed. Some Star Wars fans applaud Rian Johnson’s ambitious storytelling, but others still take issue with many of his artistic choices. However, Star Wars: The Last Jedi brought in over $1 billion, making it profitable for Lucasfilm.
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. When Rapunzel finally manages to escape the tower, an adventure starts. Its estimated $260M budget, which combines conventional animation and CGI, would make it the most costly animated film ever produced, according to Comic Book Resources. 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 pushing the boundaries of what current CGI is capable of, Favreau and his crew were able to produce something that was almost convincing. While some Disney fans were content, others weren’t. Nevertheless, the incredibly pricey final product outperformed Frozen to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. 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. According to current information from director Barry Jenkins, it actually functions as both a prequel and a sequel. We’re eager to see what the Moonlight director will deliver to this eagerly awaited live-action project.