Budgets · 2011

Biggest Budget Movies of 2011: Cost vs Box Office

165 of the 4,735 films released in 2011 have a reported production budget. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cost the most at $250M, and earned $1B worldwide. Green Lantern is next at $200M. The 20 most expensive cost $2.9B together.

films with a budget: 165
most expensive: $250M
top 20 combined: $2.9B
median budget: $30M

Cost vs earnings

The 20 Most Expensive Movies of 2011: Budget vs Box Office

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cost $250M and earned $1B worldwide (4.2× its budget). 13 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; 1 film took less than its budget. 1 film has no box office record here.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 4.2×
Budget $250M Worldwide $1B
Green Lantern 1.2×
Budget $200M Worldwide $237.2M
Cars 2 2.8×
Budget $200M Worldwide $559.9M
Transformers: Dark of the Moon 5.8×
Budget $195M Worldwide $1.1B
Cowboys & Aliens 1.1×
Budget $163M Worldwide $174.8M
X-Men: First Class 2.2×
Budget $160M Worldwide $352.6M
Thor 3.0×
Budget $150M Worldwide $449.3M
Mars Needs Moms 0.3×
Budget $150M Worldwide $39.2M
Kung Fu Panda 2 4.4×
Budget $150M Worldwide $665.7M
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol 4.8×
Budget $145M Worldwide $694.7M
Captain America: The First Avenger 2.6×
Budget $140M Worldwide $370.6M
Rango 1.8×
Budget $135M Worldwide $245.7M
Puss in Boots 4.3×
Budget $130M Worldwide $555M
Fast Five 5.0×
Budget $125M Worldwide $626.1M
The Green Hornet 1.9×
Budget $120M Worldwide $227.8M
The Smurfs 5.1×
Budget $110M Worldwide $563.9M
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 6.5×
Budget $110M Worldwide $712.2M
Rise of the Planet of the Apes 5.2×
Budget $93M Worldwide $481.8M
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo no gross
Budget $90M Worldwide —
Rio 5.4×
Budget $90M Worldwide $483.9M

Return on budget

Which 2011 Movies Made the Most, and Least, for Their Budget?

Bad Teacher earned 11× its $20M budget, the best return of any 2011 film that cost $10M or more. At the other end, Machine Gun Preacher took $3.3M on a $30M budget (0.1×). Worldwide cinema gross only; home video, streaming and marketing are not included.

Biggest hits for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Bad Teacher $20M budget	$20M	$216.2M	11×
Bridesmaids $32.5M budget	$32.5M	$324.8M	10.0×
Midnight in Paris $17M budget	$17M	$151.5M	8.9×
The Artist $15M budget	$15M	$133.5M	8.9×
The Help $25M budget	$25M	$221.8M	8.9×
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never $13M budget	$13M	$99M	7.6×
The Hangover Part II $80M budget	$80M	$586.8M	7.3×
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 $110M budget	$110M	$712.2M	6.5×

Biggest flops for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Machine Gun Preacher $30M budget	$30M	$3.3M	0.1×
There Be Dragons $36M budget	$36M	$4.4M	0.1×
The Big Year $41M budget	$41M	$8.2M	0.2×
Mars Needs Moms $150M budget	$150M	$39.2M	0.3×
Barney's Version $30M budget	$30M	$12.1M	0.4×
Anonymous $30M budget	$30M	$15.4M	0.5×
Your Highness $49.9M budget	$49.9M	$28M	0.6×
The Rum Diary $45M budget	$45M	$30.1M	0.7×

Budget spread

How Much Did 2011 Movies Cost to Make?

165 films released in 2011 have a reported budget, 3% of all 4,735. Most cost between $10M and $50M (52%); the median is $30M, and 17 films cost $100M or more.

Under $10M 34 films · 21%
$10M–$50M 85 films · 52%
$50M–$100M 29 films · 18%
$100M–$200M 14 films · 8%
$200M and up 3 films · 2%

Since 2000

Are Movie Budgets Growing? Top-10 Average by Year

The ten most expensive films of 2011 cost $176.3M on average, rank 18 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 2011?

Action films account for the most spending in 2011: $3.1B across 39 films, $80.4M on average. Comedy follows with $2.6B. A film with several genres counts in each.

Action $3.1B
39 films · $80.4M average
Comedy $2.6B
62 films · $41.9M average
Drama $2.1B
74 films · $28.5M average
Adventure $2B
21 films · $93.2M average
Thriller $1.8B
38 films · $47.7M average
Sci-Fi $1.6B
20 films · $80.3M average
Fantasy $1.1B
14 films · $82.1M average
Animation $1.1B
9 films · $118.9M average
Family $892M
10 films · $89.2M average
Romance $594.2M
14 films · $42.4M average

FAQ

Biggest Budget Movies of 2011: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about what 2011's films cost and earned, from the lists above.

What was the most expensive movie of 2011?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), with a reported production budget of $250M. Green Lantern is second at $200M.

About Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Which 2011 movie made the most money for its budget?

Among 2011 films that cost $10M or more, Bad Teacher (2011) earned $216.2M worldwide on a $20M budget, 11× what it cost.

What was the biggest box office flop of 2011?

Measured by worldwide gross against budget, Machine Gun Preacher (2011) took $3.3M on a $30M budget (0.1×), the weakest return of any 2011 film that cost $30M or more.

How much did a 2011 movie cost to make?

The median reported budget of the 165 films released in 2011 with one is $30M. The 20 most expensive cost $2.9B together, and 17 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.