Most Expensive Movie Ever Made

With three or four multi-million dollar blockbusters popping up every summer, it’s clear that film is important to American culture. In fact, the top three movies of 2006 grossed nearly $1 billion altogether. At its peak, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the highest grossing movie of 2006, was shown in over 4,000 different theaters. You have to spend money to make money, though, and that’s no different in Hollywood. That said, here are the most expensive movies of all time.

With a budget of $258 million, Spider-Man 3 (2007) cost more to produce than any movie before or after its release. With its amazing special effects, top dollar stars and devoted fan base, it’s little wonder that the movie merited such a high budget. Yet this expensive film is only the third most expensive movie when you take inflation into account.

Cleopatra (1963) was produced at a total cost of $44 million, which is over $295 million in today’s currency. Starring Elizabeth Taylor in the titular role, this film chronicles Cleopatra’s life from the advent of Caesar’s reign to her own death. With its original budget being a mere $2 million, it nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. While Cleopatra is the most expensive movie ever made in the US, it’s only the second most expensive movie ever made.

The Soviet-produced film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” was produced in 1968 for over $100 million. Originally released in 4 parts, War and Peace has a running time of just over 8 hours. Even with its phenomenal budget, it took 7 years to produce. The film was also featured in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for the Battle of Borodino scene which, with its 120,000 soldiers, is one of the largest battles ever filmed. At an estimated adjusted cost of over $500 million, it’s not likely the most expensive movie ever made will be unseated anytime soon.