Some movies are made on a shoestring budget and end up becoming huge successes. That’s reason bang for your buck. On the other hand, some movies have massive budgets. You can usually see that on the screen, but not always. Having a huge budget isn’t a terrible thing. Many movies that spent a ton of cash still end up turning a big-time profit. However, the stakes are definitely higher.
“Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017)
You would think there might be franchise fatigue by the fifth entry in Michael Bay’s “Transformers” series. They was definitely budget bloat, as this is the most-expensive film in the franchise, costing $239 million. Despite being the fifth movie in a not-exactly-beloved series, “The Last Knight” still made plenty of money worldwide.
“The Lion King” (2019)
No, not the original animated film from 1994. We’re talking about the 2019 remake with a lot of uncanny valley potential. It also had bigger names in the cast, including Beyonce. That probably went a long way to putting together its $250 budget. Of course, Disney is still making remakes of its old animated films, so they are plenty happy with the results so far.
“The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)
“The Dark Knight” was huge. It won Heath Ledger an Oscar. It largely is responsible for expanding the Best Picture nominations at the Academy Awards. It also probably helped “The Dark Knight Rises” garner a $230 million budget. Well, that and the fact it was the third and final film in a massive trilogy. Some complain about “The Dark Knight Rises,” and not just Bane’s incomprehensibility, but overall it’s a successful film, and it made plenty of cash.
“Superman Returns” (2006)
It’s way easier to get Batman movies going than Superman movies, for whatever reason. Think of how many successful Batman films there have been. Now think of how many successful Superman films there have been. After years without a Superman movie, we got “Superman Returns,” with Brandon Routh as the alien from Krypton. The movie cost $204 million, a ton for the time. It was not critically or commercially acclaimed, there were no sequels, and Routh’s potential for stardom came crashing down.
“Cleopatra” (1963)
For years, “Cleopatra” was the pinnacle of excessive budgets. It’s the only movie on this list that came out before 1995. It cost $31.1 million at the time, but that’s $260 million in modern times. While he making of “Cleopatra” was a fascination for many at the time, the film did make back its budget – it’s the highest-grossing movie of 1963 – and it was nominated for nine Academy Awards. None of that works with the narrative, though.
“Wild Wild West” (1999)
It seemed like Will Smith could do no wrong. “Independence Day” and “Men in Black” were incredibly successful. “Wild Wild West” could have been the next massive blockbuster from the Fresh Prince. Smith’s reputation probably helped with the $170 million budget. Then, “Wild Wild West” was a total flop. Technically, making $222.1 million in the box office meant it made its budget back, but nobody was happy with that…or the five Razzie wins.
“Beauty and the Beast” (2017)
Disney has a ton of money on hand, which is why they can dip into the vault for some remakes. “Beauty and the Beast” is live action and stars Emma Watson, aka Hermoine Granger. It cost more than “The Lion King” remake, specifically it cost $255 million, but somehow this is the 10th highest-grossing movie of all time. It made over a billion bucks worldwide. No wonder they keep making remakes.
“X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006)
It seems like “X-Men” series always peter out. Just look at “Dark Phoenix.” Speaking of which, Phoenix is also a character in “The Last Stand,” the third film in the original X-Men movie series. “The Last Stand” cost $210 million back in 2006, and while this is the highest-grossing film of the original trilogy, critics kind of found it wanting, and we don’t disagree.
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (2008)
We’ll be honest, we forgot that “Prince Caspian” even existed. We remembered “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” the first film in this trilogy, but the trilogy quickly dissipated from our memory. The budget of “Prince Caspian” did not dissipate, though, as the film cost $225 million. Apparently they were happy enough with the results to finish out the trilogy, but with a movie that cost considerably less money.
“Spider-Man 2” (2004)
Until the Marvel Cinematic Universe came around, to many “Spider-Man 2” was considered the pinnacle of superhero movie making. It still has quite a lot of respect, even though “Spider-Man 3” was kind of a bummer. Too much dancing Peter Parker. Spidey’s battle with Doctor Octopus cost $200 million, but it was a smash success.
