The Big Picture
- Hollywood’s most stunning films are often the result of incredible budgets, with classic epics like Ben-Hur and Cleopatra rivaling today’s blockbusters.
- The success of a film is no longer solely determined by its box office performance, but also by factors such as marketing campaigns and performance on streaming platforms.
- Some of the most expensive films ever made include John Carter, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Justice League, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Avengers: Infinity War, Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Hollywood has a history of indulging itself, and many of the most stunning films of all-time are the result of incredible budgets. With adjustments for inflation, classic historical epics like Ben-Hur and Cleopatra are just as pricey as the blockbusters of today. A film’s budget and box office performance can change the way that the industry operates and inspire new trends. In the case of Ben-Hur, Hollywood saw a future in epic storytelling with elaborate sets and set pieces; in the case of Cleopatra, the film’s failure marked an end to this fruitful period of movie stars and signified the dawn of the New Hollywood era.
The “make or break” point for some films has become more complicated in recent years. Between the costs paid to theater owners, the price tag on the marketing campaign, and a film’s performance on physical media, VOD, and streaming can affect whether it’s seen as a “success.” Budgets tend to grow beyond their original proportions when considering the costs of reshoots, last minute editing changes, and the flexible release window. However, this year offered an example of many films that had a massive budget that paid off; Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water were released to critical acclaim, and each made more than #1 billion worldwide.
Here are the top ten most expensive movies ever made.
10. John Carter (2012)
John Carter was finally released in March of 2012 after years of lingering in development hell; Disney was keen on delivering another live-action epic that could rival the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and for a brief moment it seemed like Taylor Kitsch would be the biggest movie star of his generation. Unfortunately, John Carter’s ballooning budget of $264 million was unable to draw in audiences, which sadly ended the presumed franchise before it had the chance to take off.
8. and 9. (TIE) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Where to start with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? The production of the final installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy was hit with setbacks at the very beginning due to the tragic loss of Carrie Fisher, and swapped Colin Trevorrow out for J.J. Abrams in a last minute change. It’s budget ended up at $275 million. Unfortunately, The Rise of Skywalker was a major blunder that squashed the inventiveness of The Last Jedi and the promise of The Force Awakens. While the film still managed to cross the box office $1 billion mark, it’s notably the last theatrical Star Wars film that we’ve seen in theaters.
8. and 9. (TIE) Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Also coming in at $275 million, Solo: A Star Wars Story suffered a major director swap, except this time it came after shooting was nearly completed. Ron Howard stepped in to replace Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and the film had a botched marketing campaign that didn’t begin until a Super Bowl advertisement three months before its release date. In an unusual move, Disney decided to open the Star Wars prequel film only three weeks after Avengers: Infinity War, and effectively buried an underrated film that deserved to not only be remembered for its budget.
6. and 7. (TIE) Justice League (2017)
Production issues tend to dominate the most expensive films ever, and the story behind the $300 million Justice League is far more interesting than either version of the film. After Zack Snyder left the production, Joss Whedon effectively reshot the film in order to rebound from the critical failure of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, it seems like the previous DCEU installments had burned fans too hard, as Justice League failed to become a critical and financial success on the level of The Avengers. $300 million wasn’t enough to make Henry Cavill’s digitally erased mustache convincing.
6 and 7. (TIE) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
The third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is certainly a film where every inch of the $300 million budget can be seen on screen; between an elaborate escape from a watery afterlife to one of the most ridiculous ship battles in film history, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End utilizes all the wonders of visual effects and practical worldbuilding to create one of the weirdest, and most fulfilling blockbusters in recent memory.
5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War somehow did the impossible and brought together a decade of storytelling into a coherent narrative that balanced all of the heroes. The hefty $325 million price tag for uniting these heroes paid off, and Infinity War became the first Marvel film to pass the $2 billion box office threshold.
4. Avatar: The Way of Water ($350 million)
While its box office story is still unfolding for the second Avatar movie, it’s safe to say that the film will continue to dominate the charts for the next month as audiences return to the world of Pandora. Avatar: The Way of Water is another film where you can see the results of the price tag on screen; the stunning underwater photography and epic action sequences somehow managed to top the visual achievements of its predecessor.
3. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The $356 million final film in the “Infinity Saga” brought back dozens of heroes for a three hour long epic that featured time hopping, cameos, and one of the biggest battle scenes in cinema history. Beyond its critical acclaim, Avengers: Endgame provoked emotional responses from viewers that had lived with these heroes for over a decade. Endgame managed to briefly become the highest grossing film of all-time before Avatar topped it upon its re-release.
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Surprisingly, the most expensive film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far was 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron at $365 million. Although it received generally favorable reviews and still became one of the highest grossing films of all-time, Age of Ultron failed to top the earning and fan enthusiasm of its predecessor.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($378 million)
Following the massive success of the original trilogy, Disney quickly planned a fourth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise – and a $378 million dollar one at that – offering more of Johnny Depp’s iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow. While the general consensus was that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was an overindulgent mess that stretched the narrative, it didn’t fail on a financial level and became yet another film in the series to cross the $1 billion box office mark.
