Budgets · 2001

Biggest Budget Movies of 2001: Cost vs Box Office

145 of the 2,627 films released in 2001 have a reported production budget. Pearl Harbor cost the most at $140M, and earned $449.2M worldwide. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is next at $137M. The 20 most expensive cost $2.1B together.

films with a budget: 145
most expensive: $140M
top 20 combined: $2.1B
median budget: $35M

Cost vs earnings

The 20 Most Expensive Movies of 2001: Budget vs Box Office

Pearl Harbor cost $140M and earned $449.2M worldwide (3.2× its budget). 8 of the 20 earned at least 2.5 times their budget, a common rule of thumb for breaking even once marketing and cinema shares are paid; 3 films took less than their budget. 3 films have no box office record here.

Pearl Harbor 3.2×
Budget $140M Worldwide $449.2M
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 0.6×
Budget $137M Worldwide $85.1M
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 8.2×
Budget $125M Worldwide $1B
Atlantis: The Lost Empire no gross
Budget $120M Worldwide —
Blood: The Last Vampire 1.6×
Budget $120M Worldwide $186.1M
Monsters, Inc. 5.0×
Budget $115M Worldwide $579.8M
Spy Game 1.2×
Budget $115M Worldwide $143M
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2.4×
Budget $115M Worldwide $274.7M
Swordfish 1.4×
Budget $102M Worldwide $147.1M
A.I. Artificial Intelligence 2.4×
Budget $100M Worldwide $235.9M
Planet of the Apes 3.6×
Budget $100M Worldwide $362.2M
The Mummy Returns 4.5×
Budget $98M Worldwide $443.3M
The Road Home no gross
Budget $95M Worldwide —
Driven 0.6×
Budget $94M Worldwide $54.7M
Jurassic Park III 4.0×
Budget $93M Worldwide $368.8M
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 9.6×
Budget $93M Worldwide $888.5M
The End of the Road no gross
Budget $93M Worldwide —
Black Hawk Down 1.9×
Budget $92M Worldwide $173M
Town & Country 0.1×
Budget $90M Worldwide $10.4M
Rush Hour 2 3.9×
Budget $90M Worldwide $347.3M

Return on budget

Which 2001 Movies Made the Most, and Least, for Their Budget?

Amélie earned 18× its $10M budget, the best return of any 2001 film that cost $10M or more. At the other end, Monkeybone took $7.6M on a $75M budget (0.1×). Worldwide cinema gross only; home video, streaming and marketing are not included.

Biggest hits for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Amélie $10M budget	$10M	$175.2M	18×
The Others $17M budget	$17M	$210M	12×
Bridget Jones's Diary $25M budget	$25M	$282M	11×
American Pie 2 $30M budget	$30M	$287.6M	9.6×
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring $93M budget	$93M	$888.5M	9.6×
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone $125M budget	$125M	$1B	8.2×
Shrek $60M budget	$60M	$489M	8.1×
Legally Blonde $18M budget	$18M	$141.8M	7.9×

Biggest flops for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Monkeybone $75M budget	$75M	$7.6M	0.1×
Town & Country $90M budget	$90M	$10.4M	0.1×
3000 Miles to Graceland $62M budget	$62M	$18.7M	0.3×
Rock Star $57M budget	$57M	$19.3M	0.3×
Josie and the Pussycats $39M budget	$39M	$14.9M	0.4×
The Last Castle $72M budget	$72M	$27.6M	0.4×
Just Visiting $35M budget	$35M	$16.2M	0.5×
The Majestic $72M budget	$72M	$37.3M	0.5×

Budget spread

How Much Did 2001 Movies Cost to Make?

145 films released in 2001 have a reported budget, 6% of all 2,627. Most cost between $10M and $50M (54%); the median is $35M, and 11 films cost $100M or more.

Under $10M 16 films · 11%
$10M–$50M 78 films · 54%
$50M–$100M 40 films · 28%
$100M–$200M 11 films · 8%

Since 2000

Are Movie Budgets Growing? Top-10 Average by Year

The ten most expensive films of 2001 cost $118.9M on average, rank 26 of 27 years since 2000; 2022 is the peak at $259.5M. Each year links to its own list.

2000 #1: The Perfect Storm
$112.4M
2001 #1: Pearl Harbor
$118.9M
2002 #1: Die Another Day
$121.3M
2003 #1: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
$142.7M
2004 #1: Spider-Man 2
$147.5M
2005 #1: King Kong
$151M
2006 #1: Superman Returns
$169.4M
2007 #1: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
$182.3M
2008 #1: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
$172.5M
2009 #1: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
$196.2M
2010 #1: Tangled
$186M
2011 #1: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
$176.3M
2012 #1: The Dark Knight Rises
$210.4M
2013 #1: Man of Steel
$196.5M
2014 #1: Transformers: Age Of Extinction
$178.1M
2015 #1: Avengers: Age of Ultron
$186.6M
2016 #1: Captain America: Civil War
$194.8M
2017 #1: Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
$223.1M
2018 #1: Avengers: Infinity War
$203.1M
2019 #1: Avengers: Endgame
$234.4M
2020 #1: Tenet
$155.5M
2021 #1: Zack Snyder's Justice League
$215M
2022 #1: Avatar: The Way of Water
$259.5M
2023 #1: Fast X
$251.8M
2024 #1: Red One
$200.8M
2025 #1: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
$255.5M
2026 #1: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
$207M

By genre

Which Genres Got the Biggest Budgets in 2001?

Comedy films account for the most spending in 2001: $2.3B across 71 films, $32.9M on average. Drama follows with $2.3B. A film with several genres counts in each.

Comedy $2.3B
71 films · $32.9M average
Drama $2.3B
61 films · $37.8M average
Thriller $2.2B
46 films · $47.9M average
Action $2.2B
32 films · $68.3M average
Romance $1.7B
45 films · $38.3M average
Adventure $1.6B
24 films · $66.9M average
Crime $1.5B
34 films · $44.5M average
Fantasy $1B
14 films · $73.6M average
Sci-Fi $1B
15 films · $67.3M average
Mystery $786M
24 films · $32.8M average

FAQ

Biggest Budget Movies of 2001: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about what 2001's films cost and earned, from the lists above.

What was the most expensive movie of 2001?

Pearl Harbor (2001), with a reported production budget of $140M. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is second at $137M.

About Pearl Harbor

Which 2001 movie made the most money for its budget?

Among 2001 films that cost $10M or more, Amélie (2001) earned $175.2M worldwide on a $10M budget, 18× what it cost.

What was the biggest box office flop of 2001?

Measured by worldwide gross against budget, Monkeybone (2001) took $7.6M on a $75M budget (0.1×), the weakest return of any 2001 film that cost $30M or more.

How much did a 2001 movie cost to make?

The median reported budget of the 145 films released in 2001 with one is $35M. The 20 most expensive cost $2.1B together, and 11 films cost $100M or more.

Which budgets are counted?

Reported production budgets up to $500M. A budget of $30M or more also needs a box office record, a Metascore or an award nomination, and a budget of $100M or more that earned back less than 15% of it only counts for a widely seen English-language film. These checks filter out budgets stored in another currency. Marketing costs are not included.