The most expensive commercial ever made is still Chanel No. 5 “Le Film” from 2004, which cost about $33 million to produce. Amazon’s Alexa spots now sit near the top, because Super Bowl airtime has pushed the all-in price of a modern ad past anything a production crew can spend on its own.
The figures below mix two kinds of cost. We flag each entry that includes airtime and rank by the reported total, so the comparison is not perfectly even.
| Rank | Commercial | Reported cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chanel No. 5 “Le Film” (2004) | $33 million |
| 2 | Amazon Alexa “Mind Reader” (2022) | About $26 million |
| 3 | Guinness “Tipping Point” (2007) | About $16 million |
| 4 | Amazon “Alexa Loses Her Voice” (2018) | Just under $15 million |
| 5 | Toyota Prius “The Longest Chase” (2016) | About $14.4 million |
| 6 | Aviva “Names” (2008) | $13.4 million |
| 7 | Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” (2011) | $10 million to $12 million |
| 8 | Bud Light “Up for Whatever” (2014) | About $12 million |
| 9 | Fiat Super Bowl spot (2015) | About $10 million |
| 10 | Pepsi “Britney Spears” (2002) | $8.1 million |
| 11 | Kia “Matrix” (2014) | $8 million |
| 12 | Microsoft “Empowering” (2014) | $8 million |
| 13 | Honda “The Cog” (2003) | About $6.2 million |
| 14 | Ferrari and Shell “Circuit” (2007) | $4.5 million |
| 15 | GoDaddy.com “The Hearing” (2005) | $2.4 million |
1. Chanel No. 5 “Le Film” (2004): $33 million
Baz Luhrmann shot a short film with Nicole Kidman as a film star chased by paparazzi, dressed by Karl Lagerfeld, set to Debussy. Kidman’s fee alone was reported at £2 million, or $3.7 million.
The record books list it as the most expensive TV commercial, at £18 million or $33 million. Adjusted for inflation, that is roughly $50 million or more today.
2. Amazon Alexa “Mind Reader” (2022): About $26 million
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost starred in a Super Bowl spot about what happens if Alexa could read your mind. Reports put the cost, production and airtime together, at about $26 million.
Of all the entries here it leans hardest on airtime, so the production budget alone was far smaller.
3. Guinness “Tipping Point” (2007): About $16 million
A chain-reaction ad for the Irish stout, and a step up in scale from most beer spots. Reports put the production cost around $16 million, and the figure we saw earlier at $20 million did not hold up against other tallies.
4. Amazon “Alexa Loses Her Voice” (2018): Just under $15 million
A Super Bowl spot that cast Anthony Hopkins, Cardi B, Gordon Ramsay and Rebel Wilson as stand-ins for the voice assistant. Reported spend was just shy of $15 million, roughly $17.7 million once inflation is added.
5. Toyota Prius “The Longest Chase” (2016): About $14.4 million
A slapstick police chase aired during Super Bowl 50. The reported cost was $14.4 million, and the sources do not say how much was production and how much airtime.
6. Aviva “Names” (2008): $13.4 million
The British insurer, previously known as Norwich Union, is reported to have spent about $13.4 million on the ad. We could not confirm how much of that was production and how much was media.
7. Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” (2011): $10 million to $12 million
Two minutes of Eminem driving through Detroit, aired during the Super Bowl. Estimates range from about $10 million to $12.4 million, and the spot is still the one the Chrysler brand is known for.
8. Bud Light “Up for Whatever” (2014): About $12 million
A Super Bowl spot reported at around $12 million, and among the dearest beer ads of its time.
9. Fiat Super Bowl spot (2015): About $10 million
Fiat’s 2015 Super Bowl spot was reported at roughly $10 million, a number that includes production.
10. Pepsi “Britney Spears” (2002): $8.1 million
Pepsi’s pop-star ad of 2002, with Britney Spears in the lead, was reported at $8.1 million, production and airtime together. Eight million dollars was a lot of money for a soda ad in 2002.
11. Kia “Matrix” (2014): $8 million
Laurence Fishburne reprised his Matrix role in this Super Bowl ad for the Kia K900. The reported production cost matches the one below.
12. Microsoft “Empowering” (2014): $8 million
Microsoft’s Super Bowl ad ran at the same reported cost as Kia’s, $8 million.
13. Honda “The Cog” (2003): About $6.2 million
Honda’s chain-reaction ad built from Accord parts cost a reported $6.2 million to make. Earlier sources rounded it to $6.5 million. People still talk about it for the craft, since it had no star.
14. Ferrari and Shell “Circuit” (2007): $4.5 million
A production reported at $4.5 million for a pairing of the two brands. If you like that sport, our list of the highest paid F1 drivers will fill the evening.
15. GoDaddy.com “The Hearing” (2005): $2.4 million
A parody of a congressional hearing that aired in the Super Bowl. The reported cost was $2.4 million, which in this company is the bargain.
FAQ
What is the most expensive commercial ever made?
Chanel No. 5 “Le Film” (2004), at about $33 million to produce. The record books list it as the record holder.
How much did the Chanel No. 5 commercial cost?
Chanel spent £18 million, roughly $33 million, on the film directed by Baz Luhrmann. Kidman’s fee was about $3.7 million of that.
Which commercials are new on the list?
Amazon’s two Alexa Super Bowl spots, the Toyota Prius ad, and Fiat’s 2015 Super Bowl ad are new.
Does airtime count?
Yes for some entries. Super Bowl ads often report production and airtime together, so we flag them.
Which ads left the list?
Carlton Draught, Coca-Cola, Jaguar and Taco Bell dropped out because we could not match their costs to a second source.
How much does a Super Bowl ad cost in 2026?
Airtime for a Super Bowl spot costs several million dollars for 30 seconds on top of production, so ads in the game routinely cost more than most film shoots.
How we put this list together
We ranked commercials by their reported cost, with production-only figures preferred and the cases that include airtime flagged in the entry. Where sources disagreed we show the range, and anything that appeared in only one place was left out.
The inputs were record-book entries, advertising trade reporting and Super Bowl cost coverage. No entry here comes from a company’s own accounts.
Last updated: October 2026.
