Culture
The Most Costly Films in History
Making movies is not cheap - even for those with millions of dollars to spare. Read about movies which cost the most to produce ...
Just because a movie has a large budget, does not mean it will be good. Even if the film was heading towards box office disaster, with the right marketing campaign, many people still saw it in theaters. Making movies is not cheap - even for those with millions of dollars to spare. These films cost the most money out of any other movies!
King Kong (2005)
The movie's budget was $207 million.
The director of "Lord of the Rings", Peter Jackson, also directed King Kong. With only a $150 million budget, he decided to remake the 1930s classic film. Unsurprisingly, a large portion of the money was used to create Kong himself. The movie's length caused it to be shown less times per day than other movies, which put it at greater risk for flopping initially.
The computer-animated gorilla king in the movie was so realistic that, at its release, the movie made a total of $550 million. It continues to be popular and people enjoy watching it even now.
Avatar (2009)
The budget for this movie was $237 million.
James Cameron directed this movie in 2009, giving the world a never-before-seen array of CGI. Over ninety hours were spent on every frame in the movie to maintain its status as a blockbuster today. Not only did popular actors agree to be in this film, but an entirely new language was created and taught to over 100 cast members. Obviously, finding scriptwriters and 3D animators costs quite a bit of money too; Consequently, the company likely lost quite a lot of money from making this movie
It's safe to say that the movie was a hit after it made $2 Billion in the box office, which is more than 10 times its initial budget of $237 million.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The movie cost $250 million dollars to produce.
Marvel has produced movie after movie, gaining millions of fans along the way. However, when the main cast members threatened to quit due to a lack of pay increase despite Marvel's success, the budget for this film was raised.
The movie used many drone cameras for filming fight scenes, landscapes, and traveling alongside the CGI to create the magic that is in a Marvel movie. The set budget was very well spent because it resulted in a $1.3 Billion box office release.
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince (2009)
The cost to produce this film was $250 million.
The budget for The Half-Blood Prince was higher than any of the other movies in the series. However, this led to it being both the least favorite movie among fans and critics. Yates had originally planned to do something different and experimental with the movie before ultimately deciding against it so as not alienate Potterheads who are loyal to J.K Rowling's original vision.
Harry Potter was a popular name in Hollywood even before the film series, which made it easier for the films to bring in over $934 million at the box office. Sometimes, spending less money is better.
Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011)
The film's budget was $397 million.
Following the success of its predecessors, this installment of Pirates of the Caribbean had a large budget. The movie included well-known actor Johnny Depp in what is recorded as the most expensive long shot ever filmed. He sets sail with Barbossa and Jack Sparrow on a journey to find treasure.
After spending $410 million to produce the movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean" more than doubled its investment by grossing over $1 billion at the box office. The series' success led to more movies being greenlit, which only did better as time went on and fans loved seeing Johnny Depp in beaded dreads and heavy eyeliner.
After Disney's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid" became one of the most expensive movies ever made, executives were still happy swimming in cash with the cast and director.
