Top 10 most expensive movie ever made are 1. Avatar: The Way of Water 2. Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Avengers: Age of Ultron. Titanic also makes it to the list.
Watching movies have become an unavoidable part of our daily life. Whether it's a hectic day at work or a stressful day at college, movies are always there as a stress buster.
Also, there are wide film genres like action, romance, comedy, adventure, history, drama, horror, etc. Cinema caters to audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities.
One is not limited to films of one language; there are facilities for subtitles and audio translation.
With the growth of science and technology, ways to make movies have also progressed a lot. Millions of dollars, time, and effort are invested in producing magic onscreen.
Here is a list of the top 10 Hollywood movies with the highest budget.
Top 10 Most Expensive Movie Ever Made And Their Budget
10. Waterworld | $175 million |
9. John Carter | $263.7 million |
8. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince | $250 million |
7. Tangled | $260 million |
6. Justice League | $300 million |
5. Spider-Man 3 | 350 million |
4. Titanic | $200 million |
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron | $365 million |
2. Pirates of the Caribbean | $410.6 million |
1. Avatar: The Way of Water | $460 million |
10. Waterworld
Waterworld is one of the top 10 most expensive movie ever made in Hollywood with a budget of $175 million. The movie was released in 1995 in the science fiction action genre.
To make the movie realistic, they shot in an ocean without foreseeing what troubles would arise.
Health issues, mishaps on the boat, accidents, and even misunderstandings between the creators lengthened the shooting time from a 96-day schedule to 157 days, automatically increasing expenses.
In today's time, $175 million from the 1990s is equivalent to around $300 million. It was a pretty bold decision to invest such a small amount. Unfortunately, Waterworld was the most expensive movie flops of the 90s.
The Oscar-winning director Kevin Costner not only directed this film but starred in it. Waterworld is the story of survival that began due to climate change and global warming.
9. John Carter
The 2012 Disney movie John Carter is one of the Top 10 most expensive movie ever made in Hollywood. The movie production coast was $263.7 million
John Carter became the most expensive movie flop after incurring a loss of $200 million.
There were high hopes for this animated film directed by Andrew Stanton, known for superhit projects like 'Finding Nemo' and 'WALL-E'. It was a shocker that John Carter became a massive flop, leading to the nullification of the upcoming installments.
Many blamed Stanton for the negative response, mainly because it was his first directing a live-action.
This film was based on a book called A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, starring amazing actors like Taylor Kitsch, Samantha Morton, Lynn Collins, and others.
The story revolves around the titular character John Carter who has marked his name in history as the first person to reach Mars. John goes on an adventurous journey but soon becomes entangled in a huge conflict.
8. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is also on the list of the top 10 most expensive movie ever made. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince is the 6th installment of the Harry Potter series.
Also, this 6th franchise is the most expensive among all the Harry Potter films with a total expenditure of $250 million. The 2009 film is based on the book of the same name by J.K Rowling.
What made it extravagant was the addition of new sets and the incorporation of the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) to a high extent.
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince focuses on how Harry and other students of Hogwarts School deal with uncertainties that occur due to their nemesis Voldemort.
The movie did justice to its budget and collected $934.5 million at the box office. Within five days of release, it collected $394 million. It has also been ranked as the second highest-grossing film of 2009.
In 2010, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince movie was nominated for the Academy Awards and BAFTA.
7. Tangled
Tangled is one of the top 10 most expensive movie ever made 2010 Disney movie. Tangled did exceptionally well at the box office with a collection of $592.4 million.
It was created with a capital worth $260 million, making it one of the movies with the highest budget. The traditional approach of animation like hand-drawn animation and CGI was fused together to create such a masterpiece.
The story of this animated movie revolves around Rapunzel who is blessed with magical hair and lives in a castle far away from human settlement. The journey of how she falls in love with Flynn Rider and how she discovers her true identity is beautifully portrayed in the movie.
Tangled was listed as the 8th highest-grossing film that year and also earned a nomination for the Oscars.
Following the unprecedented success at the box office, its 6-minute-long sequel, Tangled Ever After was broadcasted two years later.
6. Justice League
Justice League also makes it to the list of the Top 10 most expensive movie ever made in Hollywood. A large budget of $300 million was utilized to make the 2017 superhero film.
The movie was built around the characters of DC comics of the same name. Well-known actors like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, and Amy Adams star in this action film.
In Justice League, Bruce Wayne, Wonder Woman, and their team collectively work to save mankind from possible dangers.
Zack Snyder, the director had to suffer the loss of the untimely demise of his daughter while filming. Zack could not continue to work, and Joss Whedon had to handle the project.
Consequently, a huge sum was spent on reshooting, increasing overhead costs. Also, it was completed in a hurry, with little consideration for its quality.
This Warner Bros. movie did not do as expected. It amassed $657.9 million at the box office with a loss of $60 million.
5. Spider-Man 3
The Spider-Man 3 movie is in the fifth position of the top 10 most expensive movie ever made. It was released in 2007 with a production cost of around $350 million.
Owing to delays in production, CGI, and the high cost of marketing, Spider-Man 3 became the most expensive movie ever made in the 2000s. It is the third installment of the Spiderman series.
Peter Parker, Spiderman, played by Tobey Maguire is the central character of this film. Parker's love life with Mary Jane Watson, his quest to find the murderer of his Uncle Ben, and his battle with villains is the main plotline of this movie.
In 2007, it was ranked third among the highest-grossing films of the year with a collection of $895 million and also earned more than its 2 prequels.
Sam Raimi directed and wrote the screenplay of Spider-Man 3, and was all set to release Spider-Man 4, but things did not go as planned and got canceled.
Later, in 2012, The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield was released, followed by Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
4. Titanic
Titanic holds fourth position in the top 10 most expensive movie ever made the list. The 1997 film had a budget of $200 million.
James Cameron movie Titanic featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet holds many records.
The story of Titanic movie was inspired by the real events of ship wreckage in 1912, although the lead characters Jack and Rose are entirely fictional. However, this film intrigues people of all generations equally even today.
Cameron left no stone unturned to make the movie a super hit. He spent a tremendous amount to capture the scenes of the real Titanic ship that was wrecked.
Could Jack have fit on that door with Rose and survived the disaster? Is still one of the biggest queries. DiCaprio and Winslet gained stardom overnight as Titanic made an exceptional profit corresponding to the $2.249 billion box office collection.
In addition, it made history by being the first ever film to collect billion. And it still holds the record as one of the biggest films ever.
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron is also on the list of the top 10 most expensive movie ever made. The Hollywood movie was made with a total cost of $365 million.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is a 2015 superhero film from Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Joss Whedon wrote and directed this movie, which features Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and many other stars.
Tony Stark played by Robert, the Incredible Hulk portrayed by Ruffalo, and Thor depicted by Hemsworth fights with Ultron and their crew to stop it from creating more devastation. Advanced CGI and costly special effects increased the cost, but it was worth it.
Avengers: Age of Ultron garnered $1.403 billion at the box office and became a chart-topping movie in 2015. Chris Evans was honored with Teen Choice Award that year for his spectacular performance in the movie.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides takes second place in the top 10 most expensive movie ever made list. The movie was released in 2011 with a production cost of $410.6 million.
It is the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, featuring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, and Geoffrey Rush in key roles. It received mixed reviews although it was able to break many records in Hollywood.
Making the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cost a lot because it was shot in places like the United Kingdom, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico and used 3D cameras for filming.
Another factor that made it one of the most expensive movies is the involvement of around ten companies in creating impeccable visual effects.
This movie written by Ted Elliott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer accumulated $1.046 billion at the box office by earning profit in a huge margin. In 2011, it was positioned third in the list of blockbuster movies.
1. Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water tops the list of the top 10 most expensive movie ever made. It is the highest budget movie in Hollywood.
How Much Did It Cost To Make Avatar 2? It cost $460 million to make Avatar 2.
This film is the sequel to the record-breaking movie 'Avatar,' which revolves around the Sully family. This is another James Cameron that has made it to the list.
One of the reasons why it costs so much to make this movie is the development of the latest technologies to film scenes underwater. Since 60% of the scenes are shot under the water, it consumed a lot of time to complete the project.
It took almost three years to complete the shooting. Avatar 1 was made within a budget of $237 million in 2009 and collected $2.923 billion.
On the other hand, Avatar: The Way of Water amassed $2.312 billion, making it one of the top 10 movies of 2022. Besides, it gained 4 nominations for the Oscars that year and bagged the award for Best Visual Effects.