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Films are one of the foremost forms of entertainment that we seek in our everyday lives. Contrary to what some people believe, entertainment is a must-have in any society, without which the masses would not be able to perform optimally. Over the years, the movie industry has flourished and become one of the biggest industries, facilitating an immense amount of cash flow.
With the advancement of technology and the ever-increasing demand for good cinema, the money going into the industry has been huge. In this article, we list some of the most expensive and well-made films of all time. Since production budgets are generally well-kept secrets, the numbers may not be completely accurate in each case, but more of an educated speculation.
Top 7 best films with the biggest budgets of all time
1) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Budget - $379 million
Budget adjusted due to inflation - $498 million
The Pirates of the Caribbean movie series is one of the most popular movie franchises to ever be released before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took over the world of cinema. The series made headlines for its whopping budget and the incredible returns it made at the box office, which went on to show the popularity it had garnered. The title of the most expensive movie ever made is held by the fourth installation of the series - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
The fantasy swashbuckler film was released in May 2011 and broke numerous box-office records during its screening period. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the title had a star studded cast which included Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane and Geoffrey Rush among others. The production had a mind-boggling gross budget of $410 million, and a net budget of $379 million with a $32 million credit from the UK tax authorities.
On Stranger Tides follows the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow as he enters into a loose alliance with his former lover Angelica. They set off on a journey to find the Fountain of Youth, a legendary location whose magic makes it possible for somebody to live an eternal life. Sparrow needs to outrun Barbossa, who is also dead set to locate the fountain, to save Angelica from the hands of her father, the pirate Blackbeard.
2) Avengers: Age of Ultron
Budget - $365 million
Budget adjusted due to inflation - $458 million
The Avengers series could be considered to be Marvel Studios' flagship banner, which has earned billions of dollars in revenue. Marvel is known to spend an extravagant amount of money on their projects. Avengers: Age of Ultron is till date, their most expensive venture with a production budget of $365 million. Although it was relatively less liked than the other three Avengers titles, the film still managed to earn close to $1.4 billion in box-office revenues.
Age of Ultron is set some time after the events of The Avengers. With the team now established as Earth's mightiest heroes, they raid a Hydra operations base in Sokovia to retrieve Loki's scepter. They also meet the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, two enhanced individuals. On discovering the advanced AI running within the Mind Stone in Loki's scepter, Tony and Bruce use it to activate Ultron, a global defense program.
When Ultron turns on humanity itself, with his distorted sense of saving the world, the Avengers along with Wanda and Pietro must come together and fight the monster they helped create.
3) Cleopatra
Budget - $44 million
Budget adjusted due to inflation - $426 million
Cleopatra is a 1963 epic historical drama that made headlines in the 60s due to multiple reasons. Produced by Walter Wanger in partnership with 20th Century Fox, the film initially had Rouben Mamoulian as the director to be later replaced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The film featured a star studded cast with Elizabeth Taylor in the titular role alongside Richard Burton, Roddy McDowall, Rex Harrison and Martin Landau.
Cleopatra chronicled the life of the the young and beautiful queen of Egypt as she tried to resist the Roman Empire. The film was adapted from the 1957 book by Carlo Maria Franzero, The Life and Times of Cleopatra. The film starts from the aftermath of the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, with Julius Caesar's arrival in Egypt in the midst of a civil war between Cleopatra and Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII.
The film first made headlines due to scandalous news of an adulterous affair between actors Taylor and Burton. Production was also halted initially due to budget restraints after only 10 minutes of footage. The final film cost a record-breaking $44 million and became the most expensive production of its time.
It is epic in its true terms and is still one of the best made historical dramas till date. The extravagant sets and costumes along with the star studded cast justified the exorbitant cost. However, the film did make up for it, grossing $57 million in the worldwide box office.
4) Avengers: Endgame
Budget - $356 million
Budget adjusted due to inflation - $413 million
The Avengers banner created a worldwide hype since it was first released in 2012. The previous Avengers movies set the stage and hype for Earth's mightiest heroes to come together in an epic showdown to save the world, after they lost the battle to The Mad Titan, Thanos. Endgame truly deserved the budget it received and was one of the most anticipated and highest grossing titles from the studio.
After the Blip that Thanos caused in Infinity War, the remaining Avengers have been desperately trying to find Thanos and somehow reverse the damage he caused. With Carol Danvers joining their ranks, they successfully locate Thanos but find out that he had destroyed the Infinity Stones. But with the help of Scott Lang, they time travel and gather stones from different points in the timeline to reverse the Blip.
5) Titanic
Budget - $200 million
Budget adjusted due to inflation - $368 million
Titanic is one of the most popular epic romances of all time. The 1997 film, directed, written, and produced by James Cameron, portrayed an ill-fated romance which ended with the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The movie starred Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead roles and had a whopping $200 million budget. However, it very easily earned back, grossing $1.8 billion in the worldwide box office, the highest till then.
Titanic follows a group of explorers who search aboard the wreckage of the RMS Titanic when they come across a drawing of a woman. The woman, Rose Dawson Calvert is called upon to recount her experience. The film tells the story of two different social classes, the rich and the poor, aboard the Titanic on its maiden voyage.
Jack is a poor young artist while Rose is from the upper class society. The film draws a beautiful tale aboard the majestic ship, as the two grow close to each other until the sinking of the ship finally rips them apart. Titanic received widespread praise and numerous accolades, making it one of the most memorable films of the last century.
6) Tangled
Budget - $260 million
Budget adjusted due to inflation - $352 million
Tangled is a 3D animated musical from the house of Walt Disney Animation Studios released in 2010. Loosely based on the fairytale of Rapunzel, the film was directed by the Nathan Greno and Byron Howard. The lead characters were voiced by Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Donna Murphy. Marking the 50th animated feature by Disney, the film had a whopping budget of $260 million, making it the most expensive animated film ever made.
Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel, a girl living in a tower all her life who wants to go out and see the world. She was originally a princess, born with magical healing powers, but she was kidnapped in her infancy by Mother Gothel who wanted to monopolize her powers. She has since lived a lonely life in the tower, until one day, Flynn Rider, a thief, takes refuge in her tower from his pursuers.
Rapunzel convinces him to take her out into the world to see the lanterns that adorn the sky every year on the night of her birthday. The two travel together to the kingdom to fulfill her dream and fall in love with each other during. But Gothel steals Rapunzel back and tries to force her away to a new spot when Flynn cuts off her hair. This makes her lose the magical power and turns Gothel into dust, thus setting her free.
7) Avatar
Budget - $237 million
Budget adjusted due to inflation - $325 million
Avatar is a landmark movie for commercial 3D technology in cinema. The 2009 epic science fiction is the brainchild of veteran filmmaker James Cameron Starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in lead roles alongside Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang.
The movie was visually stunning, with the extensive use of the latest motion capture filming techniques, and cost a mind-blowing $237 million. However, the budget wouldn't matter since it soon became one of the highest grossing movie ever, with a gross worldwide revenue clocking in over $2.5 billion.
Avatar is set on the planet of Pandora, in the Alpha Centauri solar system, where miners have reached to harvest some of the rich minerals available. With the expansion of the mining colony threatening the habitat of the native species, the Na'vi, try to interact and negotiate with them through remotely controlled avatars.
