It is not clear which film is the most expensive ever made, due to the secretive nature of Hollywood accounting. Star Wars: The Force Awakens holds the official record with a net budget of $536 million. The production of the third and fourth Avengers films—Infinity War and Endgame—stands as the most expensive back-to-back film production, with a cost of over $1 billion.
Inflation, filming techniques, and external market forces affect the cost of film production. Costs rose steadily during the silent era; 1925's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ set a record that lasted well into the sound era. Television had an impact on rising costs in the 1950s and early 1960s as cinema competed with it for audiences; 1963's highest-earning film, Cleopatra, did not recoup its costs on its original release. The 1990s saw two thresholds crossed: 1994's True Lies cost $100 million and 1997's Titanic cost $200 million, both directed by James Cameron. The 21st century has so far seen the $300 million and $400 million thresholds crossed and it has become normal for a tent-pole feature from a major film studio to cost over $200 million, and an increasing number of films now cost more than $300 million.
This list contains only films already released to the general public and not films that are still in production or post-production, as costs can change during the production process. Listed below is the net negative cost: the costs of the actual filming, not including promotional costs (i.e. advertisements, commercials, posters, etc.) and after accounting for tax subsidies. The charts are ordered by budgets that have been independently audited or officially acknowledged by the production companies where they are known; most companies will not give a statement on the actual production costs, so often only estimates by professional researchers and movie industry writers are available. Where budget estimates conflict, the productions are charted by lower-bound estimates.
Most expensive productions (unadjusted for inflation) Productions with a net budget of over $200 million in nominal U.S. dollars are listed here. Due to inflation, all of the films on the chart have been produced in the 21st century.
+Most expensive films Rank Title Year Cost (est.) Refs and notes 1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015 $536 2 Jurassic World Dominion 2022 $531 3 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 2019 $490 4 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 2018 $465 5 Deadpool & Wolverine 2024 $429 6 Fast X 2023 $379 7 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2011 $379 8 Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015 $365 9 Avengers: Endgame 2019 $356 10 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023 $352 11 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 2022 $351 12 Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 $350 Avatar: Fire and Ash 2025 $350 14 Star Wars: The Last Jedi 2017 $343 15 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2023 $330 16 Avengers: Infinity War 2018 $325 17 The Electric State 2025 $320 18 The Marvels 2023 $307 19Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2007 $300 Justice League 2017 $300 Solo: A Star Wars Story 2018 $300 Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning 2025 $300 23 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 2023 $291 24 Snow White 2025 $272 25 Rogue One 2016 $271 26 John Carter 2012 $264 27 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016 $263 28 Tangled 2010 $260 29 Spider-Man 3 2007 $258 30 Beauty and the Beast 2017 $255 31 Eternals 2021 $254 32 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009 $250 Furious 7 2015 $250 The Fate of the Furious 2017 $250 The Lion King 2019 $250 No Time to Die 2021 $250 Thor: Love and Thunder 2022 $250 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2022 $250 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 2023 $250 Toy Story 5 2026 $250 Moana 2026 $250 The Odyssey 2026 $250 43 Black Widow 2021 $248 44 Spectre 2015 $245 45 The Little Mermaid 2023 $240 46 Avatar 2009 $237 47 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 $230 Captain America: Civil War 2016 $230 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 2017 $230 50 Maleficent 2014 $226 51 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 2008 $225 The Lone Ranger 2013 $225 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 2006 $225 Man of Steel 2013 $225 Superman 2025 $225 Spider-Man: Brand New Day 2026 $225 57 The Avengers 2012 $220 58 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013 $217 Transformers: The Last Knight 2017 $217 60 Men in Black 3 2012 $215 Oz the Great and Powerful 2013 $215 62 X-Men: The Last Stand 2006 $210 Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014 $210 Gladiator II 2024 $210 65 Battleship 2012 $209 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 2014 $209 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 2014 $209 68 King Kong 2005 $207 69 X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014 $205 Tenet 2020 $205 Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 2023 $205 72 Superman Returns 2006 $204
+Most expensive back-to-back film productions Rank Titles Years Cost (est.) Refs and notes 1 Avengers: Infinity War Avengers: Endgame 2018–19 $1,000 2 The Hobbit trilogy 2012–14 $623 3 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2006–07 $450 4 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2 2014–15 $300 5 The Lord of the Rings trilogy 2001–03 $260 6 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2 2010–11 $250 7 The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Revolutions 2003 $237 8 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Part 2 2011–12 $230
Most expensive films (adjusted for inflation)
The productions listed here have their nominal budgets adjusted for inflation using the United States Consumer Price Index taking the year of release. Charts adjusted for inflation are usually ordered differently, because they are dependent on the inflation measure used and the original budget estimate.
The Soviet War and Peace, released in four parts across 1966 and 1967, is sometimes cited as the most expensive production ever: Soviet claims stating it cost $100 million (estimated at nearly $700 million accounting for inflation forty years after its release) were circulated in the American press during its showing there. However, its financial records reveal it cost slightly more than $9 million (about $60–70 million in today's money). Another notable omission is Metropolis, the 1927 German film directed by Fritz Lang, often erroneously reported as having cost $200 million at the value of modern money. Metropolis cost $1.2–1.3 million at the time of its production, which would be about $ million at 2021 prices, according to the German consumer price index.
+Most expensive films adjusted for inflation Rank Title Year Cost (est.) Refs and notes Adjusted Nominal 1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015 $ $536 2 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 2019 $ $490 3 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 2018 $ $465 4 Jurassic World Dominion 2022 $ $531 5 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2011 $ $379 6 Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015 $ $365 7 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2007 $ $300 8 Star Wars: The Last Jedi 2017 $ $343 9 Avengers: Endgame 2019 $ $356 10 Deadpool & Wolverine 2024 $ $429 11 Avengers: Infinity War 2018 $ $325 12 Titanic 1997 $ $200 Spider-Man 3 2007 $ $258 14 Fast X 2023 $ $379 15 Justice League 2017 $ $300 16 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 2022 $ $351 17 Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 $ $350 18 Tangled 2010 $ $260 Solo: A Star Wars Story 2018 $ $300 20 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009 $ $250 21 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023 $ $352 22 John Carter 2012 $ $264 23 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016 $ $271 24 Waterworld 1995 $ $172 25 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 2006 $ $225 26 Avatar 2009 $ $237 27 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016 $ $263 28 Avatar: Fire and Ash 2025 $ $350 29 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2023 $ $330 30 King Kong 2005 $ $207 Spider-Man 2 2004 $ $200 32 Furious 7 2015 $ $250 33 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 2008 $ $225 34 X-Men: The Last Stand 2006 $ $210 Beauty and the Beast 2017 $ $255 36 Spectre 2015 $ $245 37 Wild Wild West 1999 $ $170 38 The Fate of the Furious 2017 $ $250 39 Cleopatra 1963 $ $31 40 Superman Returns 2006 $ $204 41 The Marvels 2023 $ $307 42 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 $ $230 43 The Electric State 2025 $ $320 44 The Lion King 2019 $ $250 45 The Lone Ranger 2013 $ $225 Man of Steel 2013 $ $225 47 The Avengers 2012 $ $220 Captain America: Civil War 2016 $ $230 49 Maleficent 2014 $ $226 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 2023 $ $291 51 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 2017 $ $230 Men in Black 3 2012 $ $215 53 Eternals 2021 $ $254 54 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 2009 $ $200 2012 2009 $ $200 Terminator Salvation 2009 $ $200 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013 $ $217 Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning 2025 $ $300 59 Quantum of Solace 2008 $ $200 60 Troy 2004 $ $175 61 Oz the Great and Powerful 2013 $ $215 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2005 $ $180 No Time to Die 2021 $ $250 64 Toy Story 3 2010 $ $200 65 Black Widow 2021 $ $248 66 Battleship 2012 $ $209 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 2003 $ $167 Intolerance: p. 45 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: p. 832 68 Green Lantern 2011 $ $200 Cars 2 2011 $ $200 70 Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014 $ $210 71 Transformers: The Last Knight 2017 $ $217 72 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 2014 $ $209 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 2014 $ $209 74 The Amazing Spider-Man 2012 $ $200 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012 $ $200 76 The Golden Compass 2007 $ $180 Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 $ $195 X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014 $ $205 79 Armageddon 1998 $ $140 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2008 $ $185 The Dark Knight 2008 $ $185 82 Iron Man 3 2013 $ $200 Monsters University 2013 $ $200 84 Thor: Love and Thunder 2022 $ $250 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2022 $ $250 n/a Van Helsing 2004 $ $160 The Polar Express 2004 $ $160 n/a The Amazing Spider-Man 2 2014 $ $200 Exodus: Gods and Kings 2014 $ $200 Evan Almighty 2007 $ $175 Snow White 2025 $ $272 n/a WALL-E 2008 $ $180 n/a Superman 1978 $– $55
Officially acknowledged figure.
Record-holders
Throughout the silent era, the cost of film-making grew steadily as films became longer and more ambitious and the techniques and equipment became more sophisticated. It is not known for certain which was the first film to cost $1 million or more to produce, and several myths have grown over time: D. W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916) was reputed to have cost $2 million, but accounts show that it only cost $385,906.77; additionally, A Daughter of the Gods (1916) was advertised as costing a million dollars, but Variety estimated its true cost at $850,000. The first film that is confirmed to have had a $1 million budget is Foolish Wives (1922), with the studio advertising it as "The First Real Million Dollar Picture".
The most expensive film of the silent era was Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925), costing about $4 million—twenty-five times the $160,000 average cost of an MGM feature. It is unclear which sound-era production superseded it as the most expensive film, although this is commonly attributed to Hell's Angels (1930), directed by Howard Hughes; the accounts for Hell's Angels show it cost $2.8 million, but Hughes publicised it as costing $4 million, selling it to the media as the most expensive film ever made. The first film to seriously challenge the record was Gone with the Wind, reported to have cost about $3.9–4.25 million, although sources from the time state that Ben-Hur and—erroneously—Hell's Angels cost more. Ben-Hur was definitively displaced at the top of the chart by Duel in the Sun in 1946.