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 (nearly $700 million accounting for inflation) were circulated in the American press during its showing there. However, its financial records reveal it cost $9,213,013 (about $67 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 about $1.3 million at the time of its production, which would be about $25 million at today's prices according to the German Consumer Price Index.
| Rank | Title | Year | Cost (est.) (millions) | Refs & notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted | Nominal | ||||
| 1 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | 2007 | $336 | $300 | |
| 2 | Titanic | 1997 | $290 | $200* | |
| 3 | Spider-Man 3 | 2007 | $289 | $258* | |
| 4 | Tangled | 2010 | $277 | $260 | |
| 5 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | 2009 | $271 | $250 | |
| 6 | Waterworld | 1995 | $262 | $172 | |
| 7 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | 2006 | $259 | $225 | |
| 8 | Avatar | 2009 | $257 | $237* | |
| 9 | John Carter | 2012 | $250 | $250* | |
| 10 | King Kong | 2005 | $246 | $207 | |
| Spider-Man 2 | 2004 | $246 | $200 | ||
| 12 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | 2008 | $243 | $225* | |
| 13 | X-Men: The Last Stand | 2006 | $242 | $210 | |
| 14 | Superman Returns | 2006 | $241 | $209* | |
| 15 | Wild Wild West | 1999 | $237 | $170 | |
| 16 | Cleopatra | 1963 | $236 | $31.115 | |
| 17 | The Dark Knight Rises | 2012 | $230 | $230 | |
| 18 | The Avengers | 2012 | $220 | $220 | |
| 19 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 2009 | $217 | $200* | |
| 2012 | 2009 | $217 | $200* | ||
| Terminator Salvation | 2009 | $217 | $200 | ||
| 22 | Quantum of Solace | 2008 | $216 | $200 | |
| 23 | Troy | 2004 | $215 | $175* | |
| Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | 2003 | $215 | $170 | ||
| Men in Black 3 | 2012 | $215 | $215* | ||
| 26 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | 2005 | $214 | $180 | |
| 27 | Toy Story 3 | 2010 | $213 | $200 | |
| 28 | Battleship | 2012 | $209 | $209* | |
| 29 | Green Lantern | 2011 | $207 | $200 | |
| Cars 2 | 2011 | $207 | $200 | ||
| 31 | The Golden Compass | 2007 | $202 | $180* | |
| 32 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | 2011 | $201 | $195 | |
| 33 | Armageddon | 1998 | $200 | $140 | |
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | 2008 | $200 | $185 | ||
| The Dark Knight | 2008 | $200 | $185 | ||
| The Amazing Spider-Man | 2012 | $200 | $200 | ||
| 37 | Van Helsing | 2004 | $197 | $160 | |
| 38 | Evan Almighty | 2007 | $196 | $175 | |
| 39 | WALL-E | 2008 | $194 | $180 | |
| n/a | Superman | 1978 | $194–198 | $55 | |
* Officially acknowledged figure.
Read more about this topic: List Of Most Expensive Films
Famous quotes containing the words expensive and/or films:
“Avoid shame but do not seek glory—nothing so expensive as glory.”
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845)
“Television does not dominate or insist, as movies do. It is not sensational, but taken for granted. Insistence would destroy it, for its message is so dire that it relies on being the background drone that counters silence. For most of us, it is something turned on and off as we would the light. It is a service, not a luxury or a thing of choice.”
—David Thomson, U.S. film historian. America in the Dark: The Impact of Hollywood Films on American Culture, ch. 8, William Morrow (1977)