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.)
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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49. Terminator Salvation (2009)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $125.3 million
> Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood
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
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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46. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $415.0 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty
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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44. Finding Dory (2016)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Domestic box office: $486.3 million
> Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson
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
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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41. Tenet (2020)
> Production budget: $205 million
> Domestic box office: $57.9 million
> Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Juhan Ulfsak
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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39. King Kong (2005)
> Production budget: $207 million
> Domestic box office: $218.1 million
> Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann
38. Robin Hood (2010)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Domestic box office: $105.5 million
> Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen, Max von Sydow
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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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
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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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
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33. Jurassic World (2015)
> Production budget: $215 million
> Domestic box office: $652.3 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer
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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31. Battleship (2012)
> Production budget: $220 million
> Domestic box office: $65.2 million
> Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Rihanna
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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29. The Lone Ranger (2013)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Domestic box office: $89.3 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson
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
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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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
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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24. Quantum of Solace (2008)
> Production budget: $230 million
> Domestic box office: $169.4 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench
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
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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21. Superman Returns (2006)
> Production budget: $232 million
> Domestic box office: $200.1 million
> Starring: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden
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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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
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
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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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
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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14. Tangled (2010)
> Production budget: $260 million
> Domestic box office: $200.8 million
> Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman
13. The Lion King (2019)
> Production budget: $260 million
> Domestic box office: $543.6 million
> Starring: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor
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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11. John Carter (2012)
> Production budget: $263.7 million
> Domestic box office: $73.1 million
> Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton
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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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
8. Spectre (2015)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Domestic box office: $200.1 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes
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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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
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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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
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
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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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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