Budgets · 2017

Biggest Budget Movies of 2017: Cost vs Box Office

334 of the 7,599 films released in 2017 have a reported production budget. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi cost the most at $317M, and earned $1.3B worldwide. Justice League is next at $300M. The 20 most expensive cost $3.8B together.

films with a budget: 334
most expensive: $317M
top 20 combined: $3.8B
median budget: $10M

Cost vs earnings

The 20 Most Expensive Movies of 2017: Budget vs Box Office

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi cost $317M and earned $1.3B 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.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi 4.2×
Budget $317M Worldwide $1.3B
Justice League 2.2×
Budget $300M Worldwide $661.3M
The Fate of the Furious 4.9×
Budget $250M Worldwide $1.2B
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 3.5×
Budget $230M Worldwide $795.9M
Transformers: The Last Knight 2.8×
Budget $217M Worldwide $605.4M
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 4.3×
Budget $200M Worldwide $863.8M
Kong: Skull Island 3.1×
Budget $185M Worldwide $568.7M
Thor: Ragnarok 4.8×
Budget $180M Worldwide $855.3M
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 1.3×
Budget $177.2M Worldwide $226M
Spider-Man: Homecoming 5.0×
Budget $175M Worldwide $881M
Coco 4.7×
Budget $175M Worldwide $814.6M
Cars 3 2.2×
Budget $175M Worldwide $383.9M
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 0.9×
Budget $175M Worldwide $149.2M
Beauty and the Beast 7.9×
Budget $160M Worldwide $1.3B
Blade Runner 2049 1.9×
Budget $150M Worldwide $277.9M
The Great Wall 2.2×
Budget $150M Worldwide $334.9M
War for the Planet of the Apes 3.3×
Budget $150M Worldwide $490.7M
Wonder Woman 5.5×
Budget $149M Worldwide $824M
The Mummy 3.3×
Budget $125M Worldwide $409.2M
Geostorm 1.8×
Budget $120M Worldwide $221.9M

Return on budget

Which 2017 Movies Made the Most, and Least, for Their Budget?

Wolf Warrior 2 earned 29× its $30.1M budget, the best return of any 2017 film that cost $10M or more. At the other end, Okja took $2M on a $50M budget (0.0×). Worldwide cinema gross only; home video, streaming and marketing are not included.

Biggest hits for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Wolf Warrior 2 $30.1M budget	$30.1M	$870.3M	29×
Annabelle: Creation $15M budget	$15M	$306.6M	20×
It $35M budget	$35M	$704.2M	20×
Youth $12.3M budget	$12.3M	$227.1M	18×
Wonder $20M budget	$20M	$315M	16×
Despicable Me 3 $80M budget	$80M	$1B	13×
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri $15M budget	$15M	$162.7M	11×
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle $90M budget	$90M	$962.5M	11×

Biggest flops for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Okja $50M budget	$50M	$2M	0.0×
The Lovers $50M budget	$50M	$2.2M	0.0×
The Promise $90M budget	$90M	$12.4M	0.1×
Birth of the Dragon $31M budget	$31M	$7.2M	0.2×
Stronger $30M budget	$30M	$8.5M	0.3×
The Space Between Us $30M budget	$30M	$16.1M	0.5×
A Cure for Wellness $40M budget	$40M	$26.6M	0.7×
Detroit $34M budget	$34M	$23.4M	0.7×

Budget spread

How Much Did 2017 Movies Cost to Make?

334 films released in 2017 have a reported budget, 4% of all 7,599. The biggest group cost under $10M (47%); the median is $10M, and 25 films cost $100M or more.

Under $10M 156 films · 47%
$10M–$50M 125 films · 37%
$50M–$100M 28 films · 8%
$100M–$200M 19 films · 6%
$200M and up 6 films · 2%

Since 2000

Are Movie Budgets Growing? Top-10 Average by Year

The ten most expensive films of 2017 cost $223.1M on average, rank 5 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 2017?

Action films account for the most spending in 2017: $5.5B across 88 films, $62.6M on average. Adventure follows with $4.9B. A film with several genres counts in each.

Action $5.5B
88 films · $62.6M average
Adventure $4.9B
56 films · $88.1M average
Drama $3.8B
182 films · $20.7M average
Sci-Fi $3.5B
45 films · $77.3M average
Fantasy $3.4B
35 films · $96.3M average
Thriller $3.1B
103 films · $30M average
Comedy $3B
89 films · $33.4M average
Family $1.4B
25 films · $57.4M average
Mystery $1.2B
38 films · $31.9M average
Crime $1.2B
40 films · $29.3M average

FAQ

Biggest Budget Movies of 2017: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about what 2017's films cost and earned, from the lists above.

What was the most expensive movie of 2017?

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017), with a reported production budget of $317M. Justice League is second at $300M.

About Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi

Which 2017 movie made the most money for its budget?

Among 2017 films that cost $10M or more, Wolf Warrior 2 (2017) earned $870.3M worldwide on a $30.1M budget, 29× what it cost.

What was the biggest box office flop of 2017?

Measured by worldwide gross against budget, Okja (2017) took $2M on a $50M budget (0.0×), the weakest return of any 2017 film that cost $30M or more.

How much did a 2017 movie cost to make?

The median reported budget of the 334 films released in 2017 with one is $10M. The 20 most expensive cost $3.8B together, and 25 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.