List of most expensive films
Encyclopedia
This is a non-definitive list of the most expensive films.
Due to the secretive nature of Hollywood accounting
it is not clear which film is the most expensive film ever made. Spider-Man 3 officially holds the record with an acknowledged cost of $258 million, while Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and its sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End were produced together on a combined budget of $450 million, making them the most expensive production. Although the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels shared many costs it is estimated that around $300 million was spent on producing At World's End. More recently there have been reports that Avatar is the most expensive film ever made with speculation that it cost $280 million. Inflation also naturally contributes to increasing sizes, which often sees Cleopatra cited as the most expensive film of all time. Costing $44 million in 1963, its cost adjusted for inflation is over $300 million.
This list contains only the films that are already released to the general public, and no films that are still in production, post-production or just announced films, for the reason that these costs can still change in the production process. Listed below is the negative cost
: the costs of the actual filming, and not including promotional costs (i.e. advertisements, commercials, posters, etc.). The charts are ordered by official budget amounts where they are known. Most studios, however, will not give a statement on the actual production costs, so only estimates by professional researchers and movie industry writers are available. Where budget estimates conflict the productions are charted by lower-bound estimates.
(1925), costing about $4 million (an astronomical sum in those days at twenty-five times the $160,000 average cost of an MGM feature), held the record as the most expensive film going from the silent era
into the sound era
. It is unclear which film superseded it as the most expensive film, although this is commonly attributed to Hell's Angels
(1930), directed by Howard Hughes
; the accounts for Hell's Angels show it cost $2.8 million, but Hughes publicised it as costing $4 million, selling it to the media as the most expensive film ever made up to that point. The first film to seriously challenge the record was Gone with the Wind (1939), also costing about $4 million, although sources from the time state that Ben-Hur and—erroneously—Hell's Angels cost more. The first film that definitively displaced Ben-Hur at the top of the chart was Duel in the Sun in 1946, meaning Ben Hur might possibly have held the record for 21 years.
* Possibly held the record, but the figures are too inprecise to be definitive.
The Soviet produced War and Peace released in four parts across 1966 and 1967 is sometimes cited as the most expensive production ever: American estimates put its cost at $100 million, costing nearly $700 million accounting for inflation, although Russian sources show its cost to be a more conservative $9 million (about $54 million in today's money). Another notable omission is Metropolis
, the 1927 German film directed by Fritz Lang
, often erroneously reported as having cost $200 million at the value of modern money. Metropolis cost about $1.3 million at the time of its production, which would be about $ million at today's prices according to the German Consumer Price Index
.
Due to the secretive nature of Hollywood accounting
Hollywood accounting
Hollywood accounting refers to the opaque accounting methods used by the film, video and television industry to budget and record profits for film projects...
it is not clear which film is the most expensive film ever made. Spider-Man 3 officially holds the record with an acknowledged cost of $258 million, while Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and its sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End were produced together on a combined budget of $450 million, making them the most expensive production. Although the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels shared many costs it is estimated that around $300 million was spent on producing At World's End. More recently there have been reports that Avatar is the most expensive film ever made with speculation that it cost $280 million. Inflation also naturally contributes to increasing sizes, which often sees Cleopatra cited as the most expensive film of all time. Costing $44 million in 1963, its cost adjusted for inflation is over $300 million.
This list contains only the films that are already released to the general public, and no films that are still in production, post-production or just announced films, for the reason that these costs can still change in the production process. Listed below is the negative cost
Negative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
: the costs of the actual filming, and not including promotional costs (i.e. advertisements, commercials, posters, etc.). The charts are ordered by official budget amounts where they are known. Most studios, however, will not give a statement on the actual production costs, so only estimates by professional researchers and movie industry writers are available. Where budget estimates conflict the productions are charted by lower-bound estimates.
Most expensive productions (nominal cost)
Only productions with a budget over $150 million U.S. dollars are listed here.| Rank | Title | Year | Film costs in millions (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | 2007 | $300m |
| 2 | Tangled | 2010 | $260m |
| 3 | Spider-Man 3 Spider-Man 3 Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man... |
2007 | $258m (official) |
| 4 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron... |
2009 | $250m |
| 5 | Avatar | 2009 | $237m (official) |
| 6 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 epic fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published, fourth chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the second in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The... |
2008 | $225m (official) |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 adventure fantasy film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . It was directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by... |
2006 | $225m | |
| 8 | X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,... |
2006 | $210m |
| 9 | Superman Returns Superman Returns Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars... |
2006 | $209m (official) |
| 10 | King Kong King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... |
2005 | $207m |
| 11 | Titanic Titanic (1997 film) Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal... |
1997 | $200m (official) |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction-action film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to the 2007 film Transformers and the second installment in the live-action Transformers series... |
2009 | $200m (official) | |
| 2012 2012 (film) 2012 is a 2009 American disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures... |
2009 | $200m (official) | |
| Spider-Man 2 Spider-Man 2 Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man... |
2004 | $200m | |
| Quantum of Solace | 2008 | $200m | |
| Terminator Salvation Terminator Salvation Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting... |
2009 | $200m | |
| Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital... |
2010 | $200m | |
| Green Lantern Green Lantern (film) Green Lantern is a 2011 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins, with Martin Campbell directing a script by Greg Berlanti and comic book writers Michael Green and Marc... |
2011 | $200m | |
| Cars 2 Cars 2 Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage... |
2011 | $200m | |
| 20 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | 2011 | $195m |
| 21 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | 2008 | $185m |
| The Dark Knight The Dark Knight (film) The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins... |
2008 | $185m | |
| 23 | The Golden Compass | 2007 | $180m (official) |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of... |
2005 | $180m | |
| WALL-E WALL-E WALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future... |
2008 | $180m | |
| 26 | Troy Troy (film) Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:... |
2004 | $175m (official) |
| Evan Almighty Evan Almighty Evan Almighty is a 2007 American religious comedy film and the stand-alone sequel to Bruce Almighty . The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, and starring Steve Carell as the title character. Morgan Freeman also reprised his role as God from the original film. Production of... |
2007 | $175m | |
| Monsters vs. Aliens Monsters vs. Aliens Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American computer-animated 3-D science fiction film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures... |
2009 | $175m | |
| Up Up (2009 film) Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film... |
2009 | $175m | |
| A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol (2009 film) A Christmas Carol is a 2009 film written and directed by Robert Zemeckis... |
2009 | $175m | |
| 31 | Waterworld Waterworld Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures... |
1995 | $172m |
| 32 | Wild Wild West Wild Wild West Wild Wild West is a 1999 American steampunk action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline , Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.Similar to the original TV series it was based on, The Wild Wild West, the film features a large amount of gadgetry... |
1999 | $170m |
| Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, commonly abbreviated as T3, is a 2003 science fiction action film directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken... |
2003 | $170m | |
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | 2009 | $170m | |
| Iron Man 2 Iron Man 2 Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon... |
2010 | $170m | |
| Tron: Legacy | 2010 | $170m | |
| 37 | How to Train Your Dragon How to Train Your Dragon (film) How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 3D computer-animated action fantasy film by DreamWorks Animation loosely based on the 2003 book of the same name. The film stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, and Christopher... |
2010 | $165m |
| 38 | Cowboys and Aliens | 2011 | $163m (official) |
| 39 | Sahara Sahara (2005 film) Sahara is a 2005 action-comedy adventure film directed by Breck Eisner and based on the best-selling book of the same name by Clive Cussler... |
2005 | $160m (official) |
| Van Helsing Van Helsing (film) Van Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale... |
2004 | $160m | |
| Poseidon Poseidon (film) Poseidon is a 2006 disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the third film adaptation of the novel The Poseidon Adventure written by Paul Gallico, and a loose remake of the 1972 film of the same name. It stars Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss. It was directed by Wolfgang Petersen... |
2006 | $160m | |
| Shrek the Third Shrek the Third Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007... |
2007 | $160m | |
| Inception Inception Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19... |
2010 | $160m | |
| 44 | Robin Hood Robin Hood (2010 film) Robin Hood is a 2010 British/American adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett... |
2010 | $155m (official) |
| Alexander Alexander (film) Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role... |
2004 | $155m | |
| Rank | Titles | Year(s) | Production costs in millions (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 adventure fantasy film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . It was directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by... Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End |
2006–07 | $450m |
| 2 | The Lord of the Rings film trilogy The Lord of the Rings film trilogy The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter... |
2001–03 | $260m (official) |
| 3 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 & Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David... |
2010–11 | $250m (official) |
| 4 | The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,... The Matrix Revolutions The Matrix Revolutions The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,... |
2003 | $237m |
Sound era record-holders
Ben-HurBen-Hur (1925 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace...
(1925), costing about $4 million (an astronomical sum in those days at twenty-five times the $160,000 average cost of an MGM feature), held the record as the most expensive film going from the silent era
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
into the sound era
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
. It is unclear which film superseded it as the most expensive film, although this is commonly attributed to Hell's Angels
Hell's Angels (film)
Hell's Angels is a 1930 American war film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon, and James Hall. The film, which was produced by Hughes and written by Harry Behn and Howard Estabrook, centers on the combat pilots of World War I...
(1930), directed by Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
; the accounts for Hell's Angels show it cost $2.8 million, but Hughes publicised it as costing $4 million, selling it to the media as the most expensive film ever made up to that point. The first film to seriously challenge the record was Gone with the Wind (1939), also costing about $4 million, although sources from the time state that Ben-Hur and—erroneously—Hell's Angels cost more. The first film that definitively displaced Ben-Hur at the top of the chart was Duel in the Sun in 1946, meaning Ben Hur might possibly have held the record for 21 years.
| Year | Production | Film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind (film) Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard... * |
$3.9–4.25m | |
| 1944 | Wilson Wilson (film) Wilson is a 1944 biographical film in Technicolor about President Woodrow Wilson. It stars Charles Coburn, Alexander Knox, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.The movie was written by Lamar Trotti and directed by Henry King... * |
$4m | |
| 1946 | Duel in the Sun | $5.255m | |
| 1947 | Forever Amber Forever Amber (film) Forever Amber is a 1947 film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde. It was based on the book of the same name. It also starred Richard Greene, George Sanders, Glenn Langan, Richard Haydn, Dolores Hart, and Jessica Tandy... |
$6.375m | |
| 1951 | Quo Vadis Quo Vadis (1951 film) Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography... |
$7m | |
| 1956 | The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (1956 film) The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by... |
$13.5m | |
| 1959 | Ben-Hur Ben-Hur (1959 film) Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by... |
$15m | |
| 1962 | Mutiny on the Bounty Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film) Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1962 film starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The film retells the 1789 real-life mutiny aboard HMAV Bounty led by Fletcher Christian against the ship's captain, William Bligh... |
$19m | |
| 1963 | Cleopatra Cleopatra (1963 film) Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy... |
$44m | |
| 1978 | Superman | $55m | |
| 1988 | Rambo III Rambo III Rambo III is an American Action film released on May 25, 1988. It is the third film in the Rambo series following First Blood and Rambo: First Blood Part II... |
$58m | |
| Who Framed Roger Rabbit Who Framed Roger Rabbit Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters... |
$70m | ||
| 1990 | Die Hard 2 Die Hard 2 Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane... * |
$70m | |
| 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day Terminator 2: Judgment Day Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong... |
$94m | |
| 1994 | True Lies True Lies True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles... |
$100m | |
| 1995 | Waterworld Waterworld Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures... |
$172m | |
| 1997 | Titanic Titanic (1997 film) Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal... |
$200m | |
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,... The Matrix Revolutions The Matrix Revolutions The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,... |
$237m | |
| Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) | $260m | ||
| 2005 | King Kong King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... |
$207m | |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,... |
$210m | |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 adventure fantasy film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . It was directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by... |
$225m | ||
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 Spider-Man 3 Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man... (official record holder) |
$258m | |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | $300m | ||
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 adventure fantasy film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . It was directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by... (2006) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) |
$450m | ||
Most expensive productions (adjusted for inflation)
The productions listed here have their nominal budgets adjusted for inflation using the United States Consumer Price Index taking the year of release. Charts adjusted for inflation are usually ordered differently, because they are dependent on the inflation measure used and the original budget estimate.The Soviet produced War and Peace released in four parts across 1966 and 1967 is sometimes cited as the most expensive production ever: American estimates put its cost at $100 million, costing nearly $700 million accounting for inflation, although Russian sources show its cost to be a more conservative $9 million (about $54 million in today's money). Another notable omission is Metropolis
Metropolis (film)
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
, the 1927 German film directed by Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
, often erroneously reported as having cost $200 million at the value of modern money. Metropolis cost about $1.3 million at the time of its production, which would be about $ million at today's prices according to the German Consumer Price Index
Consumer price index
A consumer price index measures changes in the price level of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI, in the United States is defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of...
.
| Rank | Title | Year | Adjusted film costs in millions (est.) | Nominal film costs in millions (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleopatra Cleopatra (1963 film) Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy... |
1963 | $m | $44m |
| 2 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | 2007 | $m | $300m |
| 3 | Titanic Titanic (1997 film) Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal... |
1997 | $m | $200m (official) |
| 4 | Spider-Man 3 Spider-Man 3 Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man... |
2007 | $m | $258m (official) |
| 5 | Tangled | 2010 | $m | $260m |
| 6 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron... |
2009 | $m | $250m |
| 7 | Waterworld Waterworld Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures... |
1995 | $m | $172m |
| 8 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 adventure fantasy film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . It was directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by... |
2006 | $m | $225m |
| 9 | Avatar | 2009 | $m | $237m (official) |
| 10 | King Kong King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... |
2005 | $m | $207m |
| Spider-Man 2 Spider-Man 2 Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man... |
2004 | $m | $200m | |
| 12 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 epic fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published, fourth chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the second in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The... |
2008 | $m | $225m (official) |
| 13 | X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,... |
2006 | $m | $210m |
| 14 | Superman Returns Superman Returns Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars... |
2006 | $m | $209m (official) |
| 15 | Wild Wild West Wild Wild West Wild Wild West is a 1999 American steampunk action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline , Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.Similar to the original TV series it was based on, The Wild Wild West, the film features a large amount of gadgetry... |
1999 | $m | $170m |
| 16 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction-action film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to the 2007 film Transformers and the second installment in the live-action Transformers series... |
2009 | $m | $200m (official) |
| 2012 2012 (film) 2012 is a 2009 American disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures... |
2009 | $m | $200m (official) | |
| Terminator Salvation Terminator Salvation Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting... |
2009 | $m | $200m | |
| 19 | Quantum of Solace | 2008 | $m | $200m |
| 20 | Troy Troy (film) Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:... |
2004 | $m | $175m (official) |
| Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, commonly abbreviated as T3, is a 2003 science fiction action film directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken... |
2003 | $m | $170m | |
| 22 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of... |
2005 | $m | $180m |
| 23 | Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital... |
2010 | $m | $200m |
| Green Lantern Green Lantern (film) Green Lantern is a 2011 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins, with Martin Campbell directing a script by Greg Berlanti and comic book writers Michael Green and Marc... |
2011 | $m | $200m | |
| Cars 2 Cars 2 Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage... |
2011 | $m | $200m | |
| 26 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | 2011 | $m | $195m |
| 27 | The Golden Compass | 2007 | $m | $180m (official) |
| 28 | Superman | 1978 | $m | $55m |
External links
- The 10 Most Expensive Movies of All Time at Know Your Money.
- Hollywood's Most Expensive Movies at ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
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