Budgets · 2010

Biggest Budget Movies of 2010: Cost vs Box Office

198 of the 4,879 films released in 2010 have a reported production budget. Tangled cost the most at $260M, and earned $591.8M worldwide. Iron Man 2 is next at $200M. The 20 most expensive cost $3B together.

films with a budget: 198
most expensive: $260M
top 20 combined: $3B
median budget: $21.5M

Cost vs earnings

The 20 Most Expensive Movies of 2010: Budget vs Box Office

Tangled cost $260M and earned $591.8M worldwide (2.3× its budget). 9 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; 2 films took less than their budget.

Tangled 2.3×
Budget $260M Worldwide $591.8M
Iron Man 2 3.1×
Budget $200M Worldwide $623.9M
Toy Story 3 5.3×
Budget $200M Worldwide $1.1B
Alice in Wonderland 5.1×
Budget $200M Worldwide $1B
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 1.7×
Budget $200M Worldwide $336.4M
TRON: Legacy 2.4×
Budget $170M Worldwide $400.1M
Shrek Forever After 4.6×
Budget $165M Worldwide $752.6M
Inception 5.2×
Budget $160M Worldwide $839.4M
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 2.7×
Budget $155M Worldwide $415.7M
The Wolfman 0.9×
Budget $150M Worldwide $139.8M
The Last Airbender 2.1×
Budget $150M Worldwide $319.7M
Megamind 2.5×
Budget $130M Worldwide $321.9M
Clash of the Titans 3.9×
Budget $125M Worldwide $493.2M
How Do You Know 0.4×
Budget $120M Worldwide $48.7M
Knight and Day 2.2×
Budget $117M Worldwide $262M
Gulliver's Travels 2.1×
Budget $112M Worldwide $237.4M
The A-Team 1.6×
Budget $110M Worldwide $177.2M
Salt 2.7×
Budget $110M Worldwide $293.5M
Little Fockers 3.1×
Budget $100M Worldwide $310.7M
Green Zone 1.1×
Budget $100M Worldwide $113.4M

Return on budget

Which 2010 Movies Made the Most, and Least, for Their Budget?

The King's Speech earned 28× its $15M budget, the best return of any 2010 film that cost $10M or more. At the other end, The Nutcracker took $17.2M on a $90M budget (0.2×). Worldwide cinema gross only; home video, streaming and marketing are not included.

Biggest hits for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
The King's Speech $15M budget	$15M	$414.5M	28×
Black Swan $13M budget	$13M	$329.4M	25×
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse $68M budget	$68M	$698.5M	10×
The Karate Kid $40M budget	$40M	$359.1M	9.0×
Jackass 3-D $20M budget	$20M	$178.1M	8.9×
Despicable Me $69M budget	$69M	$544.2M	7.9×
Saw 3D $20M budget	$20M	$136.2M	6.8×
Skyline $10M budget	$10M	$67M	6.7×

Biggest flops for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
The Nutcracker $90M budget	$90M	$17.2M	0.2×
Jonah Hex $47M budget	$47M	$10.9M	0.2×
The Warrior's Way $42M budget	$42M	$11.1M	0.3×
Micmacs $42M budget	$42M	$17M	0.4×
How Do You Know $120M budget	$120M	$48.7M	0.4×
Extraordinary Measures $31M budget	$31M	$15.1M	0.5×
Agora $70M budget	$70M	$39.5M	0.6×
Repo Men $32M budget	$32M	$18.4M	0.6×

Budget spread

How Much Did 2010 Movies Cost to Make?

198 films released in 2010 have a reported budget, 4% of all 4,879. The biggest group cost between $10M and $50M (49%); the median is $21.5M, and 24 films cost $100M or more.

Under $10M 47 films · 24%
$10M–$50M 98 films · 49%
$50M–$100M 29 films · 15%
$100M–$200M 19 films · 10%
$200M and up 5 films · 3%

Since 2000

Are Movie Budgets Growing? Top-10 Average by Year

The ten most expensive films of 2010 cost $186M on average, rank 15 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 2010?

Comedy films account for the most spending in 2010: $3.3B across 77 films, $42.4M on average. Action follows with $3B. A film with several genres counts in each.

Comedy $3.3B
77 films · $42.4M average
Action $3B
44 films · $68M average
Thriller $3B
69 films · $43.1M average
Drama $2.8B
100 films · $28.4M average
Adventure $2.5B
27 films · $91.5M average
Fantasy $1.9B
24 films · $80.2M average
Family $1.9B
22 films · $86.2M average
Romance $1.5B
43 films · $35.6M average
Animation $1B
9 films · $112.1M average
Sci-Fi $992.5M
16 films · $62M average

FAQ

Biggest Budget Movies of 2010: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about what 2010's films cost and earned, from the lists above.

What was the most expensive movie of 2010?

Tangled (2010), with a reported production budget of $260M. Iron Man 2 is second at $200M.

About Tangled

Which 2010 movie made the most money for its budget?

Among 2010 films that cost $10M or more, The King's Speech (2010) earned $414.5M worldwide on a $15M budget, 28× what it cost.

What was the biggest box office flop of 2010?

Measured by worldwide gross against budget, The Nutcracker (2010) took $17.2M on a $90M budget (0.2×), the weakest return of any 2010 film that cost $30M or more.

How much did a 2010 movie cost to make?

The median reported budget of the 198 films released in 2010 with one is $21.5M. The 20 most expensive cost $3B together, and 24 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.