When making a movie, there are many factors to consider in terms of its budget; the actors’ multi-million dollar salaries, the cost of hiring thousands of crew members, marketing, special effects if needed and so much more. With the amount of effort that goes into filmmaking, it is no surprise that they have such substantial budgets.
It is only natural to assume that if a film has a higher budget, it would more likely to do better at the box office but this is not always the case. Capital is not however the only aspect to a successful movie. Disney, for example, invests millions in all of their projects, but they also experience flops every now and then. This further brings about the question of which movies were the most expensive to be made, unadjusted for inflation.
Avengers: Infinity War
The 2018 movie, Avengers: Infinity War was one of the most memorable movies in cinema in recent times. The movie brought together the stories of nearly 20 movies and so many different characters into a climax that has been long awaited. The movie ended on a note that left fans feeling speechless and confused by the ending of it waiting for what comes next.
The movie quickly became a fan favorite, Earning over $2 billion, after having a hefty budget of $325 million for uniting these heroes, the movie was the first Marvel movie to bag such a big success.
Avatar: The Way of Water
The 2022 sequel of the highest-grossing movie ever, Avatar, was an eagerly awaited movie. Similar to the first movie, this follows as Jake Sully and his family, under renewed human threat, seek refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan of Pandora, a habitable exomoon on which they live. The movie was directed by James Cameron, the director of many other blockbuster movies like Titanic (1997) and The Terminator (1984).
Avatar: The Way of Water made a total of over $2 billion with a budget of $350 million. The sequel did not manage to outdo the original but the movie performed incredibly well, becoming the 3rd highest-grossing movie ever.
Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame (2018) was the finale for the Infinity Saga which consisted of 21 movies. The movie tied up a lot of storylines, was filled with cameos, and also had one of the most memorable battle sequences. The movie was also the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War, which already broke many records, so it was expected that this movie would perform outstandingly well.
The critically acclaimed film grossed $2.798 billion worldwide after having a budget of $356 million. The movie broke many records like highest grossing movie ever, the fastest to $500 million, the fastest to $1 billion and so many more.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
A surprising movie on the list would definitely be 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. The movie was the second Avengers movie with debuted the beloved villain from the comics, Ultron. Even though it quickly became one of the highest-grossing films of all time at the time, the film was not as well received by its fans as its predecessor.
Avengers: Age of Ultron made $1.4 billion with a budget of $365 million, $9 million more than Avengers: Endgame.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the most expensive movie ever made. It is the fourth movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The reason the film cost so much was because of the multitude of filming locations, the number of companies that worked on the visual effects, and the use of the same type of 3D cameras used in Avatar
The movie had a budget of $378 million and managed to gross over $1 billion, being another film in the franchise to do so.
