The most expensive movie ever made is Jurassic World Dominion, with a production cost of about $659 million gross (about $531 million after a UK rebate), according to company filings reported in June 2026. This list ranks the ten costliest films by gross production spend, drawing on filed accounts and tax returns where they exist and clearly labelled reports where they do not. Marketing costs are excluded.
| Rank | Item | Production cost (USD) | Date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jurassic World Dominion | about $659 million gross (about $531 million net) | Film 2022; filing reported 2026 | Universal Pictures, UK company filings |
| 2 | Deadpool & Wolverine | $533.7 million gross ($429 million net) | Film 2024; tax returns 2025 | Marvel Studios and Disney, US tax returns |
| 3 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | $533 million gross ($447 million net) | Film 2015; accounts revealed 2023 | Lucasfilm and Disney, UK accounts |
| 4 | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | up to about $465 million | Film 2018 | Universal Pictures |
| 5 | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | about $419 million gross ($352 million net) | Film 2023 | Lucasfilm and Disney, UK filings |
| 6 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | over $400 million (reported) | Film 2025 | 20th Century Studios and Disney |
| 7 | Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | $388.4 million gross | Film 2023 | Marvel Studios and Disney |
| 8 | The Marvels | about $374 million gross | Film 2023 | Marvel Studios and Disney |
| 9 | The Electric State | $320 million (reported) | Film 2025 | Netflix |
| 10 | Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | $300 million to $400 million (reported range) | Film 2025 | Paramount Pictures |
1. Jurassic World Dominion: about $659 million gross (about $531 million net)
Universal’s sixth dinosaur outing was shot in the UK and Malta during the pandemic, and the bills kept arriving after release. Company filings for the production entity, as reported in June 2026, put the total at about $658.8 million, with $74.9 million added in 2024 alone.
The cost drivers were pandemic safety rules, months of delay, soundstages and leased equipment sitting idle, and a five-month stay for the cast at a Buckinghamshire hotel used as a quarantine bubble. A UK tax rebate of about $127.8 million brings the net figure down to roughly $531 million.
How we valued it: the latest UK filings reported in 2026, with the rebate shown separately. Earlier filings gave lower totals, so this number has moved up over time.
2. Deadpool & Wolverine: $533.7 million gross ($429 million net)
The film was first reported at about $200 million. Tax returns filed by Disney and reported in 2025 showed the final cost ran far past that, at $533.7 million gross, or $429 million after tax credits.
The extra spend followed disruptions from the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which stretched the schedule. The movie still grossed about $1.34 billion worldwide.
How we valued it: filed tax returns, with the net figure after credits beside it.
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: $533 million gross ($447 million net)
For years the budget was quoted at $259 million to $306 million. Financial accounts that surfaced in 2023 showed a gross spend of $533 million and a net cost of $447 million once tax breaks were counted.
Shooting began in Abu Dhabi in May 2014 and moved through the UK, with large practical sets. It held the title of costliest film for much of the 2010s.
How we valued it: the 2023 accounts, with the net figure after tax breaks beside it.
4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: up to about $465 million
Fallen Kingdom was shot between February and July 2017 in the UK and Hawaii. Filings reported at the time put the production cost at up to about $464.5 million.
It grossed about $1.31 billion worldwide, so the film earned its money back many times over.
How we valued it: reported production budget, the high end of the range given in public filings.
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: about $419 million gross ($352 million net)
The studio first cited a budget of about $295 million. UK filings later showed a gross cost of around $419 million, reduced to about $352.3 million by a $66.7 million UK reimbursement.
The film grossed about $384 million worldwide, a heavy loss against that cost.
How we valued it: later UK filings. The early $295 million figure is not used.
6. Avatar: Fire and Ash: over $400 million (reported)
The third Avatar film was shot back to back with its predecessor and leans on underwater performance capture. Trade reports put the budget above $400 million.
Neither the studio nor James Cameron has confirmed a figure, so treat this as a reported number rather than a filed one.
How we valued it: our estimate from repeated trade reports, since no filing has been published.
7. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: $388.4 million gross
Initial reports said about $200 million. Later filings showed a gross production budget of $388.4 million.
The film grossed about $476 million, short of its reported break-even of around $600 million.
How we valued it: filings reported after release (gross production budget).
8. The Marvels: about $374 million gross
Reshoots and heavy effects work pushed the cost of this sequel well past most Marvel projects. Filings put the gross production budget at about $374 million.
It grossed about $206 million worldwide, one of the weakest results in the franchise.
How we valued it: filings reported after release, gross production budget.
9. The Electric State: $320 million (reported)
This streaming film from the Russo brothers was shot in Atlanta in 2022 after Netflix took over from Universal. Reported budget: $320 million.
Netflix does not publish budgets, so this figure rests on press reports.
How we valued it: reported budget, hedged because the studio has not filed accounts.
10. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: $300 million to $400 million (reported range)
Shot back to back with the previous film and delayed by the 2023 strikes, the eighth film in the series was widely reported at $300 million or more. Some outlets put it closer to $400 million.
It grossed about $599 million and was seen as a disappointment against its cost.
How we valued it: our labelled estimate from a reported range; Paramount has not released a figure.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
The biggest shift is accounting, not filming. Disney tax returns reported in 2025 revealed Deadpool & Wolverine cost $533.7 million gross, far above the $200 million first reported. In June 2026 the latest UK filings pushed Jurassic World Dominion to about $659 million, which put it ahead of the Star Wars film that held the crown for years. Avatar: Fire and Ash arrived in December 2025 with a reported budget above $400 million, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) is reported at about $225 million, well below this list.
What drives these prices
- Delay costs more than effects. Pandemic and strike stoppages show up in the top entries. Crews and sets cost money while idle.
- Tax rebates hide the real spend. UK and other credits can cut a film’s net cost by $65 million to $130 million, so headline budgets differ by source.
- First budgets are low. Several films here were reported at $200 million to $300 million before filings showed far more.
- Sequels shot back to back. Avatar and Mission: Impossible share sets and casts, which makes each film’s cost hard to isolate.
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What is the most expensive movie ever made?
Jurassic World Dominion, at about $659 million gross and about $531 million net of a UK rebate, based on filings reported in June 2026.
Why do budgets for the same film differ?
Studios announce a net or early figure. Later filings and tax returns show the gross spend, and tax credits are counted separately.
Does the budget include marketing?
No. Marketing can add $150 million to $300 million on top, but this list covers production cost only.
Is Avatar: Fire and Ash the most expensive film?
Not on current evidence. It is reported above $400 million, below the filed figures for the top three.
Are older films like Titanic on the list?
Not when costs are shown in nominal dollars. Titanic and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End appear in inflation-adjusted lists, but we rank the figures as reported without adjusting them.
How we put this list together
We rank films by gross production spend as shown in company filings, tax returns and dated reports, then list net cost where a rebate is known. Figures are approximate, change as new accounts are filed, and reported numbers are labelled as such.
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Last updated: October 2026.
