[ad_1]
If James Cameron’s estimates are accurate and Avatar: The Way of Water needs to make $2 billion just to break even, that would make it easily the most expensive movie ever made.
More recent films have knocked historical classics that went horrendously over budget such as 1963’s Cleopatra, which in today’s money would have cost nearly $300 million to make.
That number pales in comparison to the $500 million used to produce and market the Avengers movies, not to mention the more than $400 million spent on flops such as John Carter and The Lone Ranger.
Here are the list of the most expensive movies ever, including production and marketing costs, with numbers adjusted for inflation:
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – $599 million
The first Avengers sequel cost an astonishing $599 million for Disney to make on the back of an estimated $440 million plus production budget and more than $150 million marketing budget.
Despite this, the film was still a major financial success following its worldwide gross of over $1.4 billion.
2. John Carter (2012) – $547 million
John Carter was a devastating failure at the box office, bringing in a paltry $100 million or so
One of the most infamous flops of all time, Disney’s John Carter, which was supposed to spawn its own franchise, cost the animation king $547 million in production and marketing.
The film was a devastating failure at the box office, bringing in around a paltry $100 million. Plans for sequels and spinoffs were all swiftly abandoned.
3. Avengers: Endgame (2019) – $475 million
Avengers: Endgame, which surpassed Avatar, as the highest grossing film of all time when it was released in 2019, had a whopper budget of $475 in production and marketing.
It proved to be a wise investment for Disney after it brought in $2.8 billion.
4. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) $466 million
Disney’s 2018 Avengers sequel, Infinity War, had a mega production budget of more than $300 million on top of a marketing budget somewhere between $150 million and $170 million.
Like its brothers, the film proved to be a moneymaking juggernaut for Disney, bringing in more than $2 billion worldwide.
5. Titanic (1997) – $440 million
James Cameron’s Titanic was a smash hit at the box office and even brought home 11 Academy Awards
James Cameron’s Oscar winning 1998 blockbuster Titanic was one of the costliest films ever made when it was produced in the 1990s.
Adjusting for inflation, the film’s then $200 million budget would be worth upwards of $365 million. That’s on top of the $75 million that Fox spent marketing the film across the world.
Like many movies on the list, it proved a worthy investment as the movie won 11 Academy Awards and made around $3.6 billion in todays money, adjusting for inflation.
6. Waterworld (1995) – $438 million
Unlike Titanic, the other 1990s movie on the list, Waterworld, was not a worthy investment for the movie’s producers.
Set in a futuristic world where the polar ice caps have melted and flooded the earth, the film became infamous as production costs spiraled of control and eventually ended up doubling.
Costing $438 million in today’s money to produce as the budget spiraled out of control, the film was one of the worst reviewed films of the year and regularly appears on Worst Top 10 lists.
Despite the negative publicity, in today’s money, the film made around $500 million worldwide, so not a poor showing.
However, the critical reception and over-budgeting meant that Kevin Costner’s career never recovered.
7. Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides (2011) – $410 million
In terms of production budget alone, 2011’s Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides is one of the costliest films to ever produce.
Like its predecessors, marketing budget figures were not readily available, but according to Forbes, the entire budget was listed as $410.6 million in tax documents. Again it proved to be a worthwhile investment as the film brought in more than $1 billion in ticket sales.
8. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009) – $405 million
The sixth movie in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince cost $405 million after marketing costs were taken into account.
The film raised $934 million at the box office.
9. Justice League (2017) – $400 million
One of the more recent films where the budget spiraled out of control, Justice League so it’s budget go beyond it’s original $300 million after Joss Whedon was recruited to take over production when original director Zack Snyder’s daughter died.
Reshoots and reedits brought the budget to $400 million
10. The Lone Ranger (2013) – $400 million
Johnny Depp’s role as Tonto in The Lone Ranger was severely criticized, as was the film, despite this, it brought in $260 million at the box office
Another hugely controversial entry, universally panned by critics and severely criticized over the casting of Johnny Depp as a Native American, Disney’s Lone Ranger was also hugely costly.
The movie’s production went $25 million over budget, going from $225 to $250, Disney also put $150 million into marketing the movie worldwide.
According Disney’s numbers, the film brought in $260 million.
[ad_2]
Source link
