Special Report

Most Expensive Movies Ever Made

In 1997, director James Cameron’s “Titanic” broke records by becoming the most expensive movie ever made, with a budget of $200 million. Since then, $200 million movies have become almost commonplace — and one feature released in 2019 cost twice that. 

24/7 Tempo has compiled the 50 most expensive movies ever made, with budgets unadjusted for inflation. All 50 were made in the last two decades. Ultra-expensive movies are becoming increasingly more common — and they often pay off. Indeed, some of the most expensive movies ever made are also among the highest-grossing. (Here are the 50 top grossing movies of all time.)

Sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero films dominate the list of big-budget movies. Costs include the special effects, elaborate sets, stunts, costumes, and the computer generated graphics required to successfully portray a fantasy universe. Of the 50 films on our list, 13 are superhero-themed.

Click here to see the most expensive movies ever made

To identify the most expensive movies ever made, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the production budgets for 4,768 movies in our database. Production budget and domestic box office figures come from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by consulting firm Nash Information Services. Box office figures are not inflation adjusted. Cast information comes from IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon.

Sequels to successful movies have become a safe bet for studios to pour money into, too. Many films on the list are extensions of popular franchises, including four “Avengers” films, four “Pirates of the Caribbean” spinoffs, and four additions to the “Star Wars” canon. (Here is every Star Wars movie ranked from worst to best.)

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

50. Onward (2020)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $61.6 million
> Starring: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

49. Terminator Salvation (2009)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $125.3 million
> Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

48. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $233.9 million
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

47. Skyfall (2012)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $304.4 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

46. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $415.0 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

45. Toy Story 4 (2019)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $434.0 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

44. Finding Dory (2016)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $486.3 million
> Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

43. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $532.2 million
> Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

42. Incredibles 2 (2018)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $608.6 million
> Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

41. Tenet (2020)
> Production budget: $205 million
> Domestic box office: $57.9 million
> Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Juhan Ulfsak

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

40. The Golden Compass (2007)
> Production budget: $205 million
> Domestic box office: $70.1 million
> Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

39. King Kong (2005)
> Production budget: $207 million
> Domestic box office: $218.1 million
> Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

38. Robin Hood (2010)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Domestic box office: $105.5 million
> Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen, Max von Sydow

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

37. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Domestic box office: $234.4 million
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

36. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Domestic box office: $245.4 million
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

35. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Domestic box office: $402.1 million
> Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

34. Men in Black 3 (2012)
> Production budget: $215 million
> Domestic box office: $179.0 million
> Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

33. Jurassic World (2015)
> Production budget: $215 million
> Domestic box office: $652.3 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

32. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
> Production budget: $217 million
> Domestic box office: $130.2 million
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Laura Haddock

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

31. Battleship (2012)
> Production budget: $220 million
> Domestic box office: $65.2 million
> Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Rihanna

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

30. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
> Production budget: $220 million
> Domestic box office: $262.0 million
> Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

29. The Lone Ranger (2013)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Domestic box office: $89.3 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

28. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Domestic box office: $141.6 million
> Starring: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

27. Man of Steel (2013)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Domestic box office: $291.0 million
> Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

26. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Domestic box office: $423.3 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

25. The Avengers (2012)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Domestic box office: $623.4 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

24. Quantum of Solace (2008)
> Production budget: $230 million
> Domestic box office: $169.4 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

23. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
> Production budget: $230 million
> Domestic box office: $172.6 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Orlando Bloom

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

22. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
> Production budget: $230 million
> Domestic box office: $448.1 million
> Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

21. Superman Returns (2006)
> Production budget: $232 million
> Domestic box office: $200.1 million
> Starring: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

20. Avatar (2009)
> Production budget: $237 million
> Domestic box office: $760.5 million
> Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

19. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Domestic box office: $225.8 million
> Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

18. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Domestic box office: $255.1 million
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

17. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Domestic box office: $258.2 million
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

16. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Domestic box office: $408.1 million
> Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

15. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
> Production budget: $258 million
> Domestic box office: $336.5 million
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

14. Tangled (2010)
> Production budget: $260 million
> Domestic box office: $200.8 million
> Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

13. The Lion King (2019)
> Production budget: $260 million
> Domestic box office: $543.6 million
> Starring: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

12. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
> Production budget: $263 million
> Domestic box office: $330.4 million
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

11. John Carter (2012)
> Production budget: $263.7 million
> Domestic box office: $73.1 million
> Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
> Production budget: $275 million
> Domestic box office: $213.8 million
> Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

9. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
> Production budget: $275 million
> Domestic box office: $515.2 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

8. Spectre (2015)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Domestic box office: $200.1 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

7. Justice League (2017)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Domestic box office: $229.0 million
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Domestic box office: $309.4 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Domestic box office: $678.8 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

4. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
> Production budget: $306 million
> Domestic box office: $936.7 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
> Production budget: $365 million
> Domestic box office: $459.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
> Production budget: $379 million
> Domestic box office: $241.1 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

1. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
> Production budget: $400 million
> Domestic box office: $858.4 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth

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