20 Films with the Biggest Production Budgets of All Time

Published on February 10, 2024 at 7:33 am by Zarah Hamid in Business, Industries, Lists, News

In this article, we will be navigating through the 20 films with the biggest production budgets of all time. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 5 Films with the Biggest Production Budgets of All Time.

The Global Film Industry to Reach $345 Billion by 2027

According to a report by Research and Markets, the global film and video industry was valued at $283.5 billion in 2023. The global film and video industry is expected to grow to $344.84 billion by 2027, at a compound annual growth rate of 5.0%. Region-wise, North America dominated the global film industry. Simultaneously, Africa tends to be the fastest-growing region in the market. Countries that produce the best movies have also been previously covered.

Film Industry Recap 2023

During the first half of 2023, the domestic box office was successful in making $4.46 billion in movie ticket sales. However, these sales were almost 21% lower than the pre-pandemic levels. The number of releases in 2023 also seemed to be discouraging. On July 4, 2023, CNBC reported that 57 films were released in more than 2,000 theaters from January to June 2019 while only 45 films were released during the same period in 2023. Many of the blockbusters during 2023’s first half such as “The Flash”, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” performed lower than expected. On the other side of the spectrum, films that performed well included “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3″, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, and “M3gan.”. The summer movie season of 2023 failed to catch up with 2022 in terms of gross. This is evident from the fact that the highest-grossing movie during the summer of 2022, “Top Gun: Maverick”, generated $555.4 million while “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” from 2023’s summer could only make $354.9 million in gross. You can also view some of the highest grossing movies of all time.

In May 2023, The Hollywood film industry was subject to a strike from more than 1,000 film and television writers who demanded compensation during all phases including pre-production, production, and post-production. On May 2, 2023, CNBC reported that the median writer-producer pay has dropped by 4% over the last 10 years. This doesn’t sit right with the fact that streaming services have become increasingly popular across the world. Another concern pertained to an inconsistent source of income for the writers as modern series tend to be shorter than broadcast shows. The Writers Guild of America strike also impacted the late-night shows since hosts were reluctant to pursue the shows without their respective writers.

Although the underperforming summer films and the writer strike in 2023 placed pressure on the film industry in the second half of 2023, the two much-anticipated films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” emerged as game changers and were even cited to stimulate the US economy. On July 7, 2023, CNN reported that Bank of America cardholders cut their spending on categories such as online electronics, furniture, and home improvement and spent 13.2% more on the entertainment category in the latter part of July 2023, as compared to 2022. Bank of America has also reported that the aggressive spending on entertainment was driven by films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer to some extent. Barbie witnessed the biggest opening for a female director ultimately crossing “Captain Marvel”, a film that was co-directed by Anna Boden. Simultaneously, Oppenheimer was reported to generate $80.5 million in the United States and Canada, exceeding expectations made before the film’s release. This massive blockbuster turnout was also referred to as Hollywood’s recovery from the pandemic when theaters were shut down and a trend of streaming at home emerged.

Companies Offering Filmed Entertainment

Some of the most renowned companies that offer filmed entertainment include The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), Sony Group Corporation (NYSE:SONY), and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX). Let’s take a look at what these firms have been up to. You can also take a look at some of the biggest film production companies in the world.

The Walt Disney Company’s (NYSE:DIS) film studio division includes Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Searchlight Pictures, Lucasfilm, and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Some of the Disney movies released in 2023 include “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, “The Little Mermaid”, and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”. The Walt Disney Studios is all set to release “Moana 2” in November 2024. On February 7, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) reported strong earnings for the fiscal first quarter of 2024. The company reported earnings per share of $1.22, beating EPS estimates by $0.19. The company’s revenue for the quarter amounted to $23.55 billion, up 0.16% year-over-year.

The entertainment division of Sony Group Corporation (NYSE:SONY) produces and distributes filmed entertainment through Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. On January 8, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. reported the launch of a new and advanced visualization facility “Torchlight” located at Sony Pictures, Culver City. This facility will offer a virtual environment using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine and virtual cameras. This will enable filmmakers to undertake real-time creation. Some of the recent films from Sony Group Corporation (NYSE:SONY) include “The Equalizer 3”, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, and “Insidious: The Red Door”.

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) distributes original and acquired shows and films. On February 9, the company reported the production of the nine all-new Mexican series and films to build on its ten years of production in Mexico. The new films announced include Las Locuras, The biggest fan, Delincuentes, and Negociando con mi mujer. Some of the original films from Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) released in 2023 include “The Killer”, “The Matchmaker”, and “Heart of Stone”.

Now that we have taken a look at the global film industry, let’s move to the 20 films with the biggest production budgets of all time.

20 Films with the Biggest Production Budgets of All Time

Our Methodology:

In order to compile a list of the 20 films with the biggest production budgets of all time, we sourced data from The Numbers which reports data on the film industry. Since production budgets are not commonly disclosed, the numbers are based on estimates. The films have been ranked in ascending order of their production budgets as cited by the source.

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20 Films with the Biggest Production Budgets of All Time

20. Spider-Man 3

Production Budget: $258 Million

The production budget for Spider-Man 3 was $258 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $336,530,303 in domestic gross and $894,860,230 in worldwide gross.

19. The Lion King

Production Budget: $260 Million

The production budget for The Lion King was $260 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $543,638,043 in domestic gross and $1,646,106,779 in worldwide gross.

18. Tangled

Production Budget: $260 Million

The production budget for Tangled was $260 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $200,821,936 in domestic gross and $582,440,151 in worldwide gross.

17. Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi

Production Budget: $262 Million

The production budget for Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi was $262 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $620,181,382 in domestic gross and $1,331,635,141 in worldwide gross.

16. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Production Budget: $263 Million

The production budget for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was $263 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $330,360,194 in domestic gross and $872,395,091 in worldwide gross.

15. John Carter

Production Budget: $263.7 Million

The production budget for John Carter was $263.7 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $73,058,679 in domestic gross and $282,778,100 in worldwide gross.

14. The Marvels

Production Budget: $274.8 Million

The production budget for The Marvels was $274.8 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $84,500,223 in domestic gross and $199,706,250 in worldwide gross.

13. Solo: A Star Wars Story

Production Budget: $275 Million

The production budget for Solo: A Star Wars Story was $275 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $213,767,512 in domestic gross and $393,151,347 in worldwide gross.

12. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Production Budget: $275 Million

The production budget for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was $275 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $515,202,542 in domestic gross and $1,072,767,997 in worldwide gross.

11. Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One

Production Budget: $290 Million

The production budget for Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One was $290 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $172,640,980 in domestic gross and $566,644,143 in worldwide gross.

10. Justice League

Production Budget: $300 Million

The production budget for Justice League was $300 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $229,024,295 in domestic gross and $655,945,209 in worldwide gross.

9. Avengers: Infinity War

Production Budget: $300 Million

The production budget for Avengers: Infinity War was $300 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $678,815,482 in domestic gross and $2,048,359,754 in worldwide gross.

8. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Production Budget: $300 Million

The production budget for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was $300 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $174,480,468 in domestic gross and $381,561,976 in worldwide gross.

7. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Production Budget: $300 Million

The production budget for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End was $300 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $309,420,425 in domestic gross and $960,996,492 in worldwide gross.

6. Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens

Production Budget: $306 Million

The production budget for Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens was $306 million. According to The Numbers, the movie recorded $936,662,225 in domestic gross and $2,064,615,817 in worldwide gross.

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