The ten most expensive films ever made, ranked by net production cost in US dollars, mostly from audited UK company filings.
Quick answer: 1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), 2. Jurassic World Dominion (2022), 3. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), 4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), 5. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), 6. Fast X (2023), 7. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), 8. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), 9. Avengers: Endgame (2019), 10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).
Hollywood rarely publishes what its films cost. The budgets quoted at release are usually rough estimates from the trade press. The clearest numbers come from the UK, where productions filmed there must file audited accounts, which show the full cost and the tax rebate each production received. This list ranks the ten most expensive films by net production cost, the amount spent after government rebates. Star Wars and Jurassic World take the top four places. Nine of the ten costs come from UK filings, which is why these films' true costs are public.
UK filings for its production company show an audited net cost of about 536 million dollars. That makes it the most expensive film ever made. Disney's first Star Wars film after buying Lucasfilm was shot mainly at Pinewood Studios near London.
UK filings put production spending at 658.8 million dollars, offset by a 127.8 million dollar tax rebate, for a net cost of about 531 million. That is the highest net cost of any non-Star Wars film. Much of it was shot at Pinewood during COVID-19 restrictions.
The final film in the Skywalker saga had an audited net cost of about 490 million dollars. Forbes has reported that its gross cost before rebates was approaching 600 million.
Filings show 555.4 million dollars of production spending, less a 90.9 million dollar rebate, for a net cost of about 465 million. With Dominion, that gives Jurassic World two of the top four places, as Star Wars has.
Marvel's R-rated team-up cost 533.7 million dollars to make, less a 104.7 million dollar UK rebate, for a net cost of about 429 million. It is the highest-ranked Marvel Studios film on this list.
The tenth Fast & Furious film spent 453.6 million dollars, less a 74.8 million dollar rebate, for a net cost of about 379 million. Its costs rose after director Justin Lin left the film early in production.
Filings show 410.6 million dollars of spending less a 32.1 million dollar rebate, for a net cost of about 379 million. It is the oldest film on this list.
Disney spent 444 million dollars on the second Avengers film. UK tax credits offset 79 million of that, leaving a net cost of about 365 million.
Endgame was shot back-to-back with Avengers: Infinity War, and industry sources estimate its cost at about 356 million dollars. It is the only entry here without a figure from a company filing.
UK filings show 419 million dollars spent on the fifth Indiana Jones film, with 66.7 million returned by the UK government, for a net cost of about 352 million.
| # | Name | Year | Studio | Net budget | Budget basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) | 2015 | Lucasfilm / Disney | $536M | UK filing, audited net cost |
| 2 | Jurassic World Dominion (2022) | 2022 | Universal | $531M | UK filing, net of tax rebate |
| 3 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) | 2019 | Lucasfilm / Disney | $490M | UK filing, audited net cost |
| 4 | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) | 2018 | Universal | $465M | UK filing, net of tax rebate |
| 5 | Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) | 2024 | Marvel Studios / Disney | $429M | UK filing, net of tax rebate |
| 6 | Fast X (2023) | 2023 | Universal | $379M | UK filing, net of tax rebate |
| 7 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) | 2011 | Disney | $379M | UK filing, net of tax rebate |
| 8 | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) | 2015 | Marvel Studios / Disney | $365M | UK filing, net of tax rebate |
| 9 | Avengers: Endgame (2019) | 2019 | Marvel Studios / Disney | $356M | Industry estimate |
| 10 | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) | 2023 | Lucasfilm / Disney | $352M | UK filing, net of tax rebate |
Ranked by net production budget in nominal US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, as compiled by Wikipedia's List of most expensive films. Nine of the ten figures come from UK company filings. For those films, net cost is gross production spending minus the UK film tax rebate. For the two Star Wars sequels, the filings report the audited net cost directly. Avengers: Endgame is the only figure based on industry estimates rather than filings, and it is less certain than the rest. Fast X and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides are tied at 379 million dollars after rounding, and Fast X is placed first because its unrounded net cost is higher. Figures converted from pounds depend on exchange rates, so other sources may differ by a few million dollars. Gross cost before rebates is higher for every film, and some reporting quotes those gross figures. This list does not mix gross and net figures. Marketing costs are excluded.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Audited UK filings put its net production cost at about 536 million dollars, just ahead of Jurassic World Dominion at about 531 million.
Studios rarely publish budgets. The figures quoted at release are usually trade-press estimates and are often low. UK-filmed productions must file audited accounts, and those accounts have shown much higher real costs for many blockbusters.
Gross budget is everything spent making the film. Net budget subtracts government incentives such as the UK's film tax rebate, which returned between about 32 million and 128 million dollars to the films on this list whose filings itemise it. This list ranks by net budget.
No. Figures are in nominal US dollars. Adjusting for inflation would move older films such as On Stranger Tides (2011) up, but the list would need a single inflation method applied to every film.
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