Big Hollywood budgets almost seem to be the standard for feature films today. It is now considered normal for a movie to cost over $100 million, with many now crossing $200 million regularly, and some even at the $300+ million mark and breaking records. The following list is of the 10 Most Expensive Movies Ever Made.
The cost of ensemble casts, hiring crew, advertising, marketing, creating special effects, director fees and so on, can make the total budget of current movies in the hundreds of millions. If you enjoy big budget Hollywood blockbusters, check out this list of the 10 most expensive movies ever made. In the last twenty years, we have seen some of the highest film costs ever. Read on to learn which top this list.
The List of the 10 Most Expensive Movies Ever Made
10. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Cost: $263,000,000
Year Released: 2016
Director: Zack Snyder
Producer: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill
The Record Setting Budget of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) is the tenth most expensive movie ever made. The 2016 American Superhero film’s budget was $263,000,000. The film was directed by Zack Snyder and features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Gal Gadot. It earned $873,600,000 at the box office.
The film was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Atlas Entertainment and Cruel and Unusual Films. The movie was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a follow-up to Man of Steel (2013) and the second installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the first live-action film to feature Batman and Superman together, as well as the first live-action cinematic portrayal of Wonder Woman.
9. John Carter
Cost: $264,000,000
Year Released: 2012
Director: Andrew Stanton
Producer: Lindsey Collins, Colin Wilson, and Jim Morris.
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins
The Record Setting Budget of John Carter
John Carter (2012) is the ninth most expensive movie ever made. The 2012 American science fiction action film’s budget was $264,000,000. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton and features a cast that includes Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, and Willem Dafoe. It earned $284,100,000 at the box office.
The movie was produced by Lindsey Collins, Colin Wilson, and Jim Morris. The film follows the first interplanetary adventure of John Carter and his attempts to mediate civil turmoil amongst the kingdoms of Barsoom, which are at war. Several attempts have been made and abandoned to bring John Carter to film since the 1930s. When John Carter was finally release in 2012 through Disney, it was a box office bomb, losing the company hundreds of millions.
7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Cost: $275,000,000
Year Released: 2019
Director: J. J. Abrams
Producer: Lucasfilm
Starring: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill
The Record Setting Budget of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) is tied for the seventh most expensive movie ever made. The 2019 American epic space opera film’s budget was $275,000,000. The film was produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. It features an ensemble cast that includes Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams. It earned $1,074,600,000 at the box office.
Lucasfilm and Bad Robot Productions produced the film. It was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
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7. Solo: A Star Wars Story
Cost: $275,000,000
Year Released: 2018
Director: Ron Howard
Producer: Lucasfilm
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson
The Record Setting Budget of Solo: A Star Wars Story
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) is tied for the seventh most expensive movie ever made. The 2018 American epic space opera film’s budget was $275,000,000. The film was directed by Ron Howard and features a cast that includes Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo and Paul Bettany. It earned $393,200,000 at the box office.
The film was produced by Lucasfilm, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the second Star Wars anthology film. Despite a positive critical reception, the film did not perform well and it was the first Star Wars movie considered to be a failure at the box office.
5. Justice League
Cost: $300,000,000
Year Released: 2017
Director: Zach Snyder
Producer: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill
The Record Setting Budget of Justice League
Justice League (2017) is tied for the fifth most expensive movie ever made. The 2017 American superhero film’s budget was $300,000,000. The film was directed by Zach Snyder and features an ensemble cast including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, and Ciarán Hinds. It earned $657,900,000 at the box office.
Following the death of his daughter, Zach Snyder stepped down and Josh Whedon was hired to finish post-production, write and direct additional scenes, and reshoot a large portion of the film. This ended up changing many aspects of the film, but ultimately Snyder retained sole credit as director.
The film was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Cruel and Unusual Films, Atlas Entertainment, and RatPac-Dune Entertainment. It was distributed by Warner Bros. League is the follow-up to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Cost: $300,000,000
Year Released: 2007
Director: Gore Verbinski
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom
The Record Setting Budget of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) is tied for the fifth most expensive movie ever made. The 2007 American epic fantasy swashbuckler film’s budget was $300,000,000. The film was directed by Gore Verbinski and stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgård, Bill Nighy, Chow Yun-fat, Geoffrey Rush, Jack Davenport, Kevin, R. McNally, and Jonathan Pryce. It earned $960,900,000 at the box office.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is the third installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and the sequel to Dead Man’s Chest (2006). The film follows Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Hector Barbossa, and the crew of the Black Pearl as they try to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. It was nominated for two academy awards.
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4. Avengers: Infinity War
Cost: $325,000,000
Year Released: 2018
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Producer: Marvel Studios
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth
The Record Setting Budget of Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) is the fourth most expensive movie ever made. The 2018 American superhero film’s budget was $325,000,000. The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldaña, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. It earned $2,048,000,000 at the box office.
The film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Avengers: Infinity War is the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the movie, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy try to stop Thanos on his quest to kill half of all life in the universe by using the six Infinity Stones.
3. Avengers: Endgame
Cost: $356,000,000
Year Released: 2019
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Producer: Marvel Studios
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans
The Record Setting Budget of Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame (2019) is the third most expensive movie ever made. The 2019 American superhero film’s budget was $356,000,000. The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. It earned $2,798,000,000 at the box office.
Avengers: Endgame was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the film, the surviving Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos destruction. The film serves as a conclusion to the story of the MCU up to that point.
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Cost: $365,000,000
Year Released: 2015
Director: Joss Whedon
Producer: Marvel Studios
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth
The Record Setting Budget of Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Endgame (2015) is the second most expensive movie ever made. The 2015 American superhero film’s budget was $365,000,000. The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon. It features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, and Samuel L. Jackson. It earned $1,403,000,000 at the box office.
Avengers: Endgame was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to The Avengers (2012) and the 11th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the movie, the Avengers fight an AI named Ultron, who is obsessed with causing human extinction.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Cost: $379,000,000
Year Released: 2011
Director: Rob Marshall
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz
The Record Setting Budget of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) is the most expensive movie ever made. The 2011 American fantasy swashbuckler film’s budget was $379,000,000. The film was directed by Rob Marshall and stars Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, and Geoffrey Rush. It earned $1,046,000,000 at the box office.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film was also produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was the first movie in the series to be released in the Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3D formats. In it, Captain Jack Sparrow is forced into an alliance with Angelica, as they quest for the Fountain of Youth. This film broke many box office records in 2011.
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