Most Expensive Films

Below are lists of the most expensive released film productions of all time, both unadjusted and adjusted for inflation. They contain only films already released to the general public and not films that are still in production, post-production or just announced films, as costs can change during the production process.
Due to the secretive nature of Hollywood accounting, it is not clear which film is the most expensive film ever made. Officially, Star Wars: The Force Awakens holds the record with a net budget of $447 million (although it is possible that Avatar: The Way of Water may cost more if its price tag is towards the upper-end of its reported $350–460 million production cost), while The Hobbit trilogy stands as the most expensive back-to-back film production, with combined costs of $623 million after tax credits.
Inflation, filming techniques and external market forces affect the economics of film production. Costs rose steadily during the silent era with 1925's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ setting 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, culminating in 1963 with Cleopatra; despite being the highest earning film of the year, Cleopatra did not earn back its costs on its original release. The 1990s saw two thresholds crossed, with James Cameron's True Lies costing $100 million in 1994 and Titanic costing $200 million in 1997. Since then, it has become more normal for a tent-pole feature from a major film studio to cost over $100 million and an increasing number of films are costing $200 million or more.
Listed below is the net negative cost of each film: 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 officially acknowledged by the production companies where they are known; most companies will not give a statement on the actual production costs, only estimates by professional researchers and movie industry writers are available. Where budget estimates conflict, the productions are charted by lower-bound estimates.
== Unadjusted for inflation ($200+ million) ==
=== $447 million ===
Star Wars - The Force Awakens 2015 Poster.jpg|link=Star Wars: The Force Awakens|Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015; acknowledged)
=== $432 million ===
JurassicWorldFallenKingdomPoster.jpg|link=Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom|Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018; acknowledged)
=== $416 million ===
Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker 2019 Poster.jpg|link=Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019; acknowledged)
=== $379 million ===
220px-On Stranger Tides Poster.jpg|link=Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides|Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011; acknowledged)
=== $365 million ===
Moviepedia Avengers Age of Ultron-poster 003.jpg|link=Avengers: Age of Ultron|Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015; acknowledged)
=== $356 million ===
AvengersEndgameTR.jpg|link=Avengers: Endgame|Avengers: Endgame (2019)
=== $350 million ===
Avatar The Way of Water Main Poster.jpeg|link=Avatar: The Way of Water|Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
=== $340 million ===
Fast X main poster.jpeg|link=Fast X|Fast X (2023)
=== $325 million ===
AvengersInfinityWar2018Poster.jpg|link=Avengers: Infinity War|Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
=== $300 million ===
Pirates3Jack.jpg|link=Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End|Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
EifGNCSDuxJeS1loAXil5bIGgvC.jpg|link=Justice League|Justice League (2017)
StarWarsTheLastJedi.jpg|link=Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)|Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
=== $295 million ===
DoctorStrangeITMOM Theatrical Poster.jpg|link=Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness|Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022; acknowledged)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny main poster.jpeg|link=Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny|Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023; acknowledged)
=== $291 million ===
Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 theatrical release poster.jpeg|link=Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One|Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
=== $271 million ===
Solo - A Star Wars Story 2018 Poster.png|link=Solo: A Star Wars Story|Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018; acknowledged)
=== $265 million ===
Jurassic World Dominion Theatrical Poster.jpg|link=Jurassic World: Dominion|Jurassic World: Dominion (2022; acknowledged)
=== $264 million ===
John Carter final poster.jpeg|link=John Carter|John Carter (2012; acknowledged)
=== $263 million ===
Batman v Superman - Dawn of Justice 2016 Poster.jpg|link=Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice|Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
=== $260 million ===
Tangled poster.jpg|link=Tangled|Tangled (2010)
The Lion King 2019.jpg|link=The Lion King (2019)|The Lion King (2019)
=== $258 million ===
Spider-Man 3 poster.jpg|link=Spider-Man 3|Spider-Man 3 (2007; acknowledged)
=== $255 million ===
Beauty and the Beast 2017 poster.jpg|link=Beauty and the Beast (2017)|Beauty and the Beast (2017; acknowledged)
=== $250 million ===
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince poster.jpg|link=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
FF7_officialposter.jpg|link=Furious 7|Furious 7 (2015)
Fate of the Furious poster.jpeg|link=The Fate of the Furious|The Fate of the Furious (2017)
No Time To Die Release Poster.jpg|link=No Time to Die|No Time to Die (2021)
Thor Love and Thunder Official Poster.jpeg|link=Thor: Love and Thunder|Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Black Panther Wakanda Forever official poster.jpeg|link=Black Panther: Wakanda Forever|Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 main poster.jpeg|link=Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3|Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
=== $248 million ===
Black Widow White Poster.jpg|link=Black Widow (film)|Black Widow (2021; acknowledged)
=== $245 million ===
Spectre-Spectre-Onesheet rgb.jpg|link=Spectre|Spectre (2015)
=== $240 million ===
The Little Mermaid (2023 film).jpg|link=The Little Mermaid (2023)|The Little Mermaid (2023; acknowledged)
=== $237 million ===
Avatar 2009 Film Poster.jpg|link=Avatar (2009)|Avatar (2009; acknowledged)
=== $236 million ===
Eternals Main Poster.jpeg|link=Eternals|Eternals (2021)
=== $232 million ===
Rogue One - A Star Wars Story 2016 Poster.png|link=Rogue One: A Star Wars Story|Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016; acknowledged)
=== $230 million ===
525053-409160295791253-225034700870481-1173780-96595717-n-jpg 235849.jpg|link=The Dark Knight Rises|The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Captain America Civil War poster.jpg|link=Captain America: Civil War|Captain America: Civil War (2016)
220px-Dead Men Tell No Tales Poster.jpg|link=Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales|Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
=== $226 million ===
Malificent posterofficial2.jpg|link=Maleficent (film)|Maleficent (2014)
=== $225 million ===
302px-PotC DMC poster b.jpg|link=Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest|Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Narnia Prince Caspian poster.jpeg|link=The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian|The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008; acknowledged)
Manofsteelposter01.jpg|link=Man of Steel|Man of Steel (2013)
TheLoneRanger2013Poster.jpg|link=The Lone Ranger|The Lone Ranger (2013; acknowledged)
=== $220 million ===
Avengers-movie-poster-1.jpg|link=The Avengers (2012)|The Avengers (2012)
The Marvels main poster.jpeg|link=The Marvels|The Marvels (2023)
=== $217 million ===
The Hobbit- Desolation.jpg|link=The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug|The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013; acknowledged)
Transformers 5 Poster 5.jpg|link=Transformers: The Last Knight|Transformers: The Last Knight (2017; acknowledged)
=== $215 million ===
Men in black iii ver3.jpg|link=Men in Black 3|Men in Black 3 (2012; acknowledged)
OzGreat 011.jpg|link=Oz the Great and Powerful|Oz the Great and Powerful (2013; acknowledged)
=== $210 million ===
XMenThree.jpg|link=X-Men: The Last Stand|X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Transformersageofextinctionver3xlg.jpg|link=Transformers: Age of Extinction|Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
=== $209 million ===
Battleship-Poster.jpg|link=Battleship|Battleship (2012; acknowledged)
DPA Group Bridge VER C SRGB-610x903.jpg|link=Dawn of the Planet of the Apes|Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Hobbit BOTFA Intl poster.jpg|link=The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies|The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
=== $207 million ===
King kong ver4 xlg.jpg|link=King Kong (2005)|King Kong (2005)
=== $205 million ===
X-men-days-of-future-past-has-an-incredible-new-trailer.jpg|link=X-Men: Days of Future Past|X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Tenet (2020) poster.jpg|link=Tenet|Tenet (2020)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom official poster.jpeg|link=Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom|Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
=== $204 million ===
Superman Returns.jpg|link=Superman Returna|Superman Returns (2006; acknowledged)
== Adjusted for inflation ==