Biggest Budget Movies of 2016: Cost vs Box Office
116 of the 6,819 films released in 2016 have a reported production budget. Captain America: Civil War cost the most at $250M, and earned $1.2B worldwide. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is next at $250M. The 20 most expensive cost $3.5B together.
- films with a budget
- 116
- most expensive
- $250M
- top 20 combined
- $3.5B
- median budget
- $38M
The 20 Most Expensive Movies of 2016: Budget vs Box Office
Captain America: Civil War cost $250M and earned $1.2B worldwide (4.6× its budget). 11 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 has no box office record here.
Which 2016 Movies Made the Most, and Least, for Their Budget?
La La Land earned 17× its $30M budget, the best return of any 2016 film that cost $10M or more. At the other end, Free State of Jones took $25M on a $50M budget (0.5×). Worldwide cinema gross only; home video, streaming and marketing are not included.
Biggest hits for their cost
| Film | Budget | Worldwide | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| La La Land $30M budget | $30M | $509.2M | 17× |
| Deadpool $58M budget | $58M | $782.8M | 13× |
| The Purge: Election Year $10M budget | $10M | $118.6M | 12× |
| Lion $12M budget | $12M | $140.9M | 12× |
| The Secret Life of Pets $75M budget | $75M | $875.7M | 12× |
| Me Before You $20M budget | $20M | $208.4M | 10× |
| Hidden Figures $25M budget | $25M | $236M | 9.4× |
| Bad Moms $20M budget | $20M | $183.9M | 9.2× |
Biggest flops for their cost
| Film | Budget | Worldwide | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free State of Jones $50M budget | $50M | $25M | 0.5× |
| Whiskey Tango Foxtrot $35M budget | $35M | $25M | 0.7× |
| Keeping Up with the Joneses $40M budget | $40M | $29.9M | 0.7× |
| Snowden $40M budget | $40M | $37.4M | 0.9× |
| Ben-Hur $100M budget | $100M | $94.1M | 0.9× |
How Much Did 2016 Movies Cost to Make?
116 films released in 2016 have a reported budget, 2% of all 6,819. The biggest group cost between $10M and $50M (48%); the median is $38M, and 29 films cost $100M or more.
- Under $10M 15 films · 13%
- $10M–$50M 56 films · 48%
- $50M–$100M 16 films · 14%
- $100M–$200M 26 films · 22%
- $200M and up 3 films · 3%
Are Movie Budgets Growing? Top-10 Average by Year
The ten most expensive films of 2016 cost $194.8M on average, rank 13 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 2016?
Adventure films account for the most spending in 2016: $4.6B across 38 films, $122.1M on average. Action follows with $4.3B. A film with several genres counts in each.
-
Adventure $4.6B38 films · $122.1M average -
Action $4.3B42 films · $101.8M average -
Fantasy $3.3B27 films · $123.6M average -
Sci-Fi $2.4B20 films · $122.1M average -
Drama $2.4B56 films · $42.8M average -
Comedy $2B40 films · $49.9M average -
Thriller $1.9B36 films · $53.2M average -
Family $1.8B17 films · $104.8M average -
Romance $940.4M17 films · $55.3M average -
Animation $930.5M11 films · $84.6M average
Biggest Budget Movies of 2016: Questions & Answers
Quick answers about what 2016's films cost and earned, from the lists above.
What was the most expensive movie of 2016?
Captain America: Civil War (2016), with a reported production budget of $250M. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is second at $250M.
About Captain America: Civil War Which 2016 movie made the most money for its budget?
Among 2016 films that cost $10M or more, La La Land (2016) earned $509.2M worldwide on a $30M budget, 17× what it cost.
What was the biggest box office flop of 2016?
Measured by worldwide gross against budget, Free State of Jones (2016) took $25M on a $50M budget (0.5×), the weakest return of any 2016 film that cost $30M or more.
How much did a 2016 movie cost to make?
The median reported budget of the 116 films released in 2016 with one is $38M. The 20 most expensive cost $3.5B together, and 29 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.