Have you ever wondered how much it costs to produce a movie? Particularly, a blockbuster of epic scope that has large-scale set pieces that take place around the world, an A-list cast, and breathtaking visual effects. To put it simply, making a movie of this scope is not inexpensive. A movie costing $200 million was formerly seen as pricey. As studio budgets continue to rise over $300, even $400 million, $200 million has become the norm.
Top 10 Most Expensive Movie Ever Made
For movies that they predict will gross $1 billion worldwide and serve as the foundation for a lucrative franchise, more studios are raising their budgets. The top 10 most costly movies ever are listed below.
10. Justice League — $300 million
Superhero movies cost a lot to make these days because of their elaborate sets, CGI characters, and visual effects. Justice League was no exception, although the production of the movie had various issues with the script while it was being filmed. Despite the fact that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice turned a profit and produced over $873 million worldwide, Warner Bros. was disappointed by the film’s unfavorable reviews.
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – $300 million
Shooting on site is the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s greatest asset, but also its most expensive choice. World’s End was filmed in Singapore, Palmdale, Niagara Falls, Molokai, the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, and these locations. An essential expense when filmmaking is shooting at sea and filming in enormous tanks that require an unbelievable quantity of water.
8. Avengers: Infinity War – $325 million
It takes a lot of time and money to create a story that spans a decade. The Infinity Saga’s final chapter, Avengers: Infinity War, marked the start of the end of the 2008–2008 plot. The Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and Thanos, who had his first non-cameo appearance in the MCU, were among the many Marvel characters who appeared in Infinity War, which included more of them than any other Avengers movie.
7. Fast X – $340 million
In The Fast Saga, Vin Diesel (F9) is still fighting to defend his family as Dominic Toretto after more than two decades. The 10th installment of the franchise, Fast X, is rumored to have an estimated budget of $340 million.
Global locations, practical action sequences, and talent expenses are the three major expenditure categories for the franchise. Scenes for the film Fast X were filmed in Rome, London, Turin, Lisbon, and Los Angeles.
6. Avatar: The Way of Water – $350 million
In the more than 40 years that James Cameron (Avatar) has labored as a filmmaker, there are two certainties. The first lesson is never to wager against Cameron’s films, as they always deliver. Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water are Cameron’s three of the four highest-grossing films of all time. All three films had budgets in excess of $200 million and grossed more than $2.2 billion worldwide.
5. Avengers: Endgame – $356 million
In Avengers: Endgame, the epic conclusion of the Infinity Saga was brought to a close. Similar to Infinity War, Endgame featured a cast of over 60 performers. However, not all salaries are created equal. Chris Evans (Ghosted), Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) earned an estimated $15 million as the original Avengers.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron – $365 million
It is surprising to discover that Infinity War and Endgame are not the most expensive Avengers films, given their prominence within the MCU and the number of actors involved in their productions. This distinction belongs to Avengers: Age of Ultron, which is regarded as the worst of the four Avengers movies.
Ultron, portrayed by James Spader (The Blacklist), is a motion-capture character, and his army is composed of a swarm of CGI machines. Since it takes place in the floating city of Sokovia, the entire final combat relies on visual effects.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – $379 million
One of the most costly films on our list is also one of the oldest, with an estimated production budget of $379 million for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 2011. Despite the absence of franchise mainstays Keira Knightley (The Boston Strangler) and Orlando Bloom (Carnival Row), Disney backed up the brinks truck for Depp, who earned a whopping $55.5 million for his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow.
2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – $416 million
On paper, a blockbuster film grossing more than $1 billion worldwide on a $416 million budget is a success. In the long term, however, The Rise of Skywalker wrought more harm than good for Lucasfilm. Parting ways with a director is a fairly typical occurrence. The departure of Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) from Episode IX was cause for anxiety, but it wasn’t time to panic.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens – $447 million
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, released in 2015, is the most costly film ever made. Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, and The Force Awakens was the first picture produced under the new management. I don’t want to argue that money wasn’t a problem, but Disney couldn’t afford to lose out on their first Star Wars film. As a result, the corporation was willing to invest a lot of money to assure its success.