Movies are big business — very big business. Every year, and particularly in the summer, studios release what are called tentpoles — movies that are expensive to make but that are expected to make a lot of money in return. And they expect them to open big, too. If tentpoles don’t do well in the opening weeks, the studios are very disappointed.
24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the 50 most expensive movies ever made, based on production budgets. (We should note that spending doesn’t end with production — studios also invest in marketing.)
There’s a rule of thumb that a movie has to have a worldwide box office of at least twice its production budget to be profitable. Most of the movies on our list got there comfortably. And some did a whole lot better.
“Avatar,” the biggest grossing movie ever, made an incredible $2.8 billion at the box office, more than 10 times its production budget of $237 million. “Avengers: Infinity War,” the No. 1 movie on our list, had a production budget of $300 million and made almost seven times that. (For contrast, here are the movies that made the most money with the fewest dollars.)
Our list includes some movies that were regarded as duds, although they at least made more than their production budgets. These include 2012’s “John Carter,” starring Taylor Kitsch, which had a budget of $264 million and worldwide box office of $283 million. This was followed in 2013 by “The Lone Ranger,” which starred Johnny Depp. It cost $225 million and made $260 million.
In fact, there’s only one movie on our list that made less than its production budget — “Onward.” It had a strong cast, including Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, and received generally positive reviews. However, it had the misfortune to open in March 2020, just as the COVID pandemic was closing movie theaters around the world.
Click here to see the 50 most expensive movies ever made
To determine the 50 most expensive movies ever made, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from movie business information database The Numbers on the films with the highest production budgets of all time. Supplemental data also came from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
50. Onward (2020)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $127.9 million (Domestic: $61.6 million)
> Starring: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 95%; Critics: 88%
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49. Terminator Salvation (2009)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $365.5 million (Domestic: $125.3 million)
> Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 54%; Critics: 33%
48. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $747.9 million (Domestic: $233.9 million)
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 91%; Critics: 90%
47. Skyfall (2012)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $304.4 million)
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 86%; Critics: 92%
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46. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $415.0 million)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 90%; Critics: 98%
45. Toy Story 4 (2019)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $434.0 million)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 94%; Critics: 97%
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44. Finding Dory (2016)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion (Domestic: $486.3 million)
> Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 84%; Critics: 94%
43. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $532.2 million)
> Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 86%; Critics: 84%
42. Incredibles 2 (2018)
> Production budget: $200 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion (Domestic: $608.6 million)
> Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 84%; Critics: 93%
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41. Tenet (2020)
> Production budget: $205 million
> Worldwide box office: $362.0 million (Domestic: $57.9 million)
> Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Juhan Ulfsak
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 76%; Critics: 70%
40. The Golden Compass (2007)
> Production budget: $205 million
> Worldwide box office: $367.3 million (Domestic: $70.1 million)
> Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 51%; Critics: 42%
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39. King Kong (2005)
> Production budget: $207 million
> Worldwide box office: $550.5 million (Domestic: $218.1 million)
> Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 50%; Critics: 84%
38. Robin Hood (2010)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Worldwide box office: $322.5 million (Domestic: $105.5 million)
> Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen, Max von Sydow
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 58%; Critics: 43%
37. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Worldwide box office: $459.3 million (Domestic: $234.4 million)
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 61%; Critics: 57%
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36. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $245.4 million)
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 50%; Critics: 17%
35. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
> Production budget: $210 million
> Worldwide box office: $836.5 million (Domestic: $402.1 million)
> Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 57%; Critics: 20%
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34. Men in Black 3 (2012)
> Production budget: $215 million
> Worldwide box office: $654.2 million (Domestic: $179.0 million)
> Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 70%; Critics: 68%
33. Jurassic World (2015)
> Production budget: $215 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.7 billion (Domestic: $652.3 million)
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 78%; Critics: 71%
32. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
> Production budget: $217 million
> Worldwide box office: $602.9 million (Domestic: $130.2 million)
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Laura Haddock
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 43%; Critics: 15%
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31. Battleship (2012)
> Production budget: $220 million
> Worldwide box office: $313.5 million (Domestic: $65.2 million)
> Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Rihanna
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 54%; Critics: 34%
30. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
> Production budget: $220 million
> Worldwide box office: $757.9 million (Domestic: $262.0 million)
> Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 77%; Critics: 72%
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29. The Lone Ranger (2013)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Worldwide box office: $260.0 million (Domestic: $89.3 million)
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 51%; Critics: 30%
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28. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Worldwide box office: $417.3 million (Domestic: $141.6 million)
> Starring: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 73%; Critics: 66%
27. Man of Steel (2013)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Worldwide box office: $668.0 million (Domestic: $291.0 million)
> Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 75%; Critics: 56%
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26. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $423.3 million)
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 72%; Critics: 53%
25. The Avengers (2012)
> Production budget: $225 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.5 billion (Domestic: $623.4 million)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 91%; Critics: 91%
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24. Quantum of Solace (2008)
> Production budget: $230 million
> Worldwide box office: $591.7 million (Domestic: $169.4 million)
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 58%; Critics: 64%
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
> Production budget: $230 million
> Worldwide box office: $794.9 million (Domestic: $172.6 million)
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Orlando Bloom
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 61%; Critics: 29%
22. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
> Production budget: $230 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $448.1 million)
> Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 90%; Critics: 87%
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21. Superman Returns (2006)
> Production budget: $232 million
> Worldwide box office: $391.1 million (Domestic: $200.1 million)
> Starring: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 61%; Critics: 75%
20. Avatar (2009)
> Production budget: $237 million
> Worldwide box office: $2.8 billion (Domestic: $760.5 million)
> Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 82%; Critics: 82%
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19. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion (Domestic: $225.8 million)
> Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 72%; Critics: 67%
18. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Worldwide box office: $943.3 million (Domestic: $255.1 million)
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 74%; Critics: 59%
17. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Worldwide box office: $960.2 million (Domestic: $258.2 million)
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 85%; Critics: 74%
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16. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
> Production budget: $250 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion (Domestic: $408.1 million)
> Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 89%; Critics: 90%
15. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
> Production budget: $258 million
> Worldwide box office: $894.9 million (Domestic: $336.5 million)
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 51%; Critics: 63%
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14. Tangled (2010)
> Production budget: $260 million
> Worldwide box office: $585.6 million (Domestic: $200.8 million)
> Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 87%; Critics: 89%
13. The Lion King (2019)
> Production budget: $260 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.7 billion (Domestic: $543.6 million)
> Starring: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 88%; Critics: 52%
12. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
> Production budget: $263 million
> Worldwide box office: $872.4 million (Domestic: $330.4 million)
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 63%; Critics: 29%
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11. John Carter (2012)
> Production budget: $263.7 million
> Worldwide box office: $282.8 million (Domestic: $73.1 million)
> Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 60%; Critics: 52%
10. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
> Production budget: $275 million
> Worldwide box office: $393.2 million (Domestic: $213.8 million)
> Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 64%; Critics: 69%
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9. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
> Production budget: $275 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (Domestic: $515.2 million)
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 86%; Critics: 51%
8. Spectre (2015)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Worldwide box office: $879.5 million (Domestic: $200.1 million)
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 61%; Critics: 63%
7. Justice League (2017)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Worldwide box office: $655.9 million (Domestic: $229.0 million)
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 71%; Critics: 40%
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6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Worldwide box office: $961.0 million (Domestic: $309.4 million)
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 72%; Critics: 44%
5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
> Production budget: $300 million
> Worldwide box office: $2.0 billion (Domestic: $678.8 million)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 91%; Critics: 85%
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4. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
> Production budget: $306 million
> Worldwide box office: $2.1 billion (Domestic: $936.7 million)
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 86%; Critics: 93%
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
> Production budget: $365 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.4 billion (Domestic: $459.0 million)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 83%; Critics: 76%
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
> Production budget: $379 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion (Domestic: $241.1 million)
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 54%; Critics: 33%
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1. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
> Production budget: $400 million
> Worldwide box office: $2.8 billion (Domestic: $858.4 million)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
> Rotten Tomatoes score: Audience: 90%; Critics: 94%
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