Biggest Budget Movies of 2014: Cost vs Box Office
118 of the 5,956 films released in 2014 have a reported production budget. Transformers: Age Of Extinction cost the most at $210M, and earned $1.1B worldwide. X-Men: Days of Future Past is next at $200M. The 20 most expensive cost $3B together.
- films with a budget
- 118
- most expensive
- $210M
- top 20 combined
- $3B
- median budget
- $38M
The 20 Most Expensive Movies of 2014: Budget vs Box Office
Transformers: Age Of Extinction cost $210M and earned $1.1B worldwide (5.3× its budget). 15 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.
Which 2014 Movies Made the Most, and Least, for Their Budget?
The Fault in Our Stars earned 26× its $12M budget, the best return of any 2014 film that cost $10M or more. At the other end, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return took $21.8M on a $70M budget (0.3×). Worldwide cinema gross only; home video, streaming and marketing are not included.
Biggest hits for their cost
| Film | Budget | Worldwide | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fault in Our Stars $12M budget | $12M | $307.2M | 26× |
| Neighbors $18M budget | $18M | $270.7M | 15× |
| Lucy $40M budget | $40M | $469.1M | 12× |
| The Maze Runner $34M budget | $34M | $348.3M | 10× |
| American Sniper $58.8M budget | $58.8M | $547.7M | 9.3× |
| Heaven Is for Real $12M budget | $12M | $102M | 8.5× |
| The Theory of Everything $15M budget | $15M | $123.7M | 8.2× |
| Let's Be Cops $17M budget | $17M | $138.2M | 8.1× |
Biggest flops for their cost
| Film | Budget | Worldwide | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return $70M budget | $70M | $21.8M | 0.3× |
| Winter's Tale $60M budget | $60M | $30.8M | 0.5× |
| The Legend of Hercules $70M budget | $70M | $61.3M | 0.9× |
How Much Did 2014 Movies Cost to Make?
118 films released in 2014 have a reported budget, 2% of all 5,956. The biggest group cost between $10M and $50M (42%); the median is $38M, and 23 films cost $100M or more.
- Under $10M 19 films · 16%
- $10M–$50M 50 films · 42%
- $50M–$100M 26 films · 22%
- $100M–$200M 21 films · 18%
- $200M and up 2 films · 2%
Are Movie Budgets Growing? Top-10 Average by Year
The ten most expensive films of 2014 cost $178.1M on average, rank 17 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
- 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
Which Genres Got the Biggest Budgets in 2014?
Action films account for the most spending in 2014: $4B across 47 films, $86.1M on average. Adventure follows with $3.1B. A film with several genres counts in each.
-
Action $4B47 films · $86.1M average -
Adventure $3.1B29 films · $106.3M average -
Drama $2.6B60 films · $43M average -
Sci-Fi $2.5B23 films · $108.7M average -
Thriller $2.2B33 films · $65.6M average -
Comedy $1.9B40 films · $48.2M average -
Fantasy $1.5B16 films · $91.8M average -
Family $1.4B19 films · $75.2M average -
Animation $1B11 films · $91.1M average -
Romance $732.5M17 films · $43.1M average
Biggest Budget Movies of 2014: Questions & Answers
Quick answers about what 2014's films cost and earned, from the lists above.
What was the most expensive movie of 2014?
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014), with a reported production budget of $210M. X-Men: Days of Future Past is second at $200M.
About Transformers: Age Of Extinction Which 2014 movie made the most money for its budget?
Among 2014 films that cost $10M or more, The Fault in Our Stars (2014) earned $307.2M worldwide on a $12M budget, 26× what it cost.
What was the biggest box office flop of 2014?
Measured by worldwide gross against budget, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014) took $21.8M on a $70M budget (0.3×), the weakest return of any 2014 film that cost $30M or more.
How much did a 2014 movie cost to make?
The median reported budget of the 118 films released in 2014 with one is $38M. The 20 most expensive cost $3B together, and 23 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.