The most expensive movies ever created – let’s talk about money. A lot of money.
Everyone knows that the seventh art requires a lot of investment. But some productions exceed even our wildest expectations, spending hundreds of millions of dollars. What are the most expensive films made by 2020, and does the revenue justify the cost? See the answer in the ranking. We at The Dope Lists are here to help.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Budget: $262 million
Income: $1.3 billion
The second-best production in the Star Wars saga in the Box Office was well received by critics and was nominated for four Oscars. The film premiered in 2017. It is the most profitable movie of the year and the ninth in history.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Budget: $263 million
Income: $873.6 million
The superhero movie is the first live-action one based on both comic characters and Wonder Woman. Despite the big budget and the gathering of superheroes in a joint film, critics are ruthless, branded as a box office disappointment.
John Carter
Budget: $263.7 million
Income: $284.1 million
The sci-fi film describes the first interplanetary adventure of John Carter. However, the budget failed to save the production, and it received mixed reviews from critics. The planned sequel was canceled because John Carter barely managed to recoup the investment of its creators.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Budget: $275 million
Income: $1.1 billion
Many people think it is a disappointing finale to the saga. Critics praise the acting, visual effects and music, but disapprove of the story and the contradictions with the plot in the previous parts. Despite the unsatisfactory rating, the film received three Oscar nominations.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Budget: $275 million
Income: $392.9 million
Unlike the other Star Wars movies included in the list, this one received positive reviews. Solo is the most unprofitable live-action film in the series. Critics are impressed with the cast and visual effects for which it was nominated for an Oscar.
Justice League
Budget: $300 million
Income: $657.9 million
Experts have heavily criticized the plot, direction, and humor. Only acting is praised. It was considered a failure despite being one of the most expensive movies in history. A more extended version of the film was released earlier this year, based on the director’s original script – Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Budget: $300 million
Income: $961 million
It is the highest-grossing movie of 2007, nominated for two Oscars. The special effects, the directing, the acting, the action scenes, and the music impress the critics, but they don’t like the plot and the length of the film (168 minutes).
Avengers: Infinity War
Budget: $316 million
Income: $2 billion
The production has been criticized for relying on the plot of previous parts. Yet, it is the first superhero movie to gross more than $2 billion and the fourth ever. Needless to say, it is the highest-grossing film of 2018, and it surpassed many box office records.
Avengers: Endgame
Budget: $350 million
Income: $2.8 billion
It is an extremely rare phenomenon for a film to be received so enthusiastically by critics that there are practically no remarks. Avengers: Endgame achieves it. Moreover, it became the highest-grossing film in history leaving James Cameron’s Avatar at second place.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Budget: $376.5 million
Income: $1 billion
Here we come to the end of the rankings, and expectedly or not, it is headed by Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. It was released in 2011, and although productions with a close budget appeared in the following years, it continues to hold the championship for a decade.
We learned which are the most expensive movies ever made. But the money invested in the output is not always a guarantee of success, and some of the films in the ranking prove this. It is unlikely that Hollywood will stop pouring hundreds of millions of dollars to produce a 120-minute story, and probably in 10 years, the ranking of the most expensive movies will have a completely different look.