Budgets · 2023

Biggest Budget Movies of 2023: Cost vs Box Office

Q: What was the most expensive movie of 2023?

Fast X (2023), with a reported production budget of $340M. The Little Mermaid is second at $297M.

Q: Which 2023 movie made the most money for its budget?

Among 2023 films that cost $10M or more, Sound of Freedom (2023) earned $250.6M worldwide on a $14.6M budget, 17× what it cost.

Q: What was the biggest box office flop of 2023?

Measured by worldwide gross against budget, Hidden Strike (2023) took $2.2M on a $80M budget (0.0×), the weakest return of any 2023 film that cost $30M or more.

Q: How much did a 2023 movie cost to make?

The median reported budget of the 1,605 films released in 2023 with one is $130K. The 20 most expensive cost $4B together, and 28 films cost $100M or more.

Q: 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.

1,605 of the 8,942 films released in 2023 have a reported production budget. Fast X cost the most at $340M, and earned $704.9M worldwide. The Little Mermaid is next at $297M. The 20 most expensive cost $4B together.

films with a budget: 1,605
most expensive: $340M
top 20 combined: $4B
median budget: $130K

Cost vs earnings

The 20 Most Expensive Movies of 2023: Budget vs Box Office

Fast X cost $340M and earned $704.9M worldwide (2.1× its budget). 4 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; 4 films took less than their budget.

Fast X 2.1×
Budget $340M Worldwide $704.9M
The Little Mermaid 1.9×
Budget $297M Worldwide $569.6M
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 1.3×
Budget $294.7M Worldwide $384M
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 2.0×
Budget $291M Worldwide $571.1M
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 3.4×
Budget $250M Worldwide $845.6M
The Flash 1.2×
Budget $220M Worldwide $271.4M
The Marvels 0.9×
Budget $220M Worldwide $206.1M
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom 2.1×
Budget $205M Worldwide $440.2M
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 2.2×
Budget $200M Worldwide $441.7M
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2.4×
Budget $200M Worldwide $476.1M
Killers of the Flower Moon 0.8×
Budget $200M Worldwide $158.8M
Napoleon 1.1×
Budget $200M Worldwide $222.4M
Wish 1.3×
Budget $200M Worldwide $255M
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 1.4×
Budget $150M Worldwide $205.5M
Haunted Mansion 0.8×
Budget $150M Worldwide $117.4M
Meg 2: The Trench 3.1×
Budget $129M Worldwide $398.5M
Barbie 11×
Budget $128M Worldwide $1.4B
Shazam! Fury of the Gods 1.1×
Budget $125M Worldwide $134.1M
Wonka 5.1×
Budget $125M Worldwide $634.5M
Ferrari 0.4×
Budget $110M Worldwide $43.6M

Return on budget

Which 2023 Movies Made the Most, and Least, for Their Budget?

Sound of Freedom earned 17× its $14.6M budget, the best return of any 2023 film that cost $10M or more. At the other end, Hidden Strike took $2.2M on a $80M budget (0.0×). Worldwide cinema gross only; home video, streaming and marketing are not included.

Biggest hits for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Sound of Freedom $14.6M budget	$14.6M	$250.6M	17×
Suzume $13M budget	$13M	$221.3M	17×
Five Nights at Freddy's $20M budget	$20M	$291.6M	15×
The Super Mario Bros. Movie $100M budget	$100M	$1.4B	14×
Evil Dead Rise $12M budget	$12M	$147.1M	12×
Insidious: The Red Door $16M budget	$16M	$189.1M	12×
Barbie $128M budget	$128M	$1.4B	11×
Everything, Everywhere $14.3M budget	$14.3M	$147.9M	10×

Biggest flops for their cost

Film	Budget	Worldwide	Return
Hidden Strike $80M budget	$80M	$2.2M	0.0×
The Killer $30M budget	$30M	$3.1M	0.1×
Knights of the Zodiac $60M budget	$60M	$7M	0.1×
Chevalier $35M budget	$35M	$4.2M	0.1×
Origin $38M budget	$38M	$4.8M	0.1×
Ozi: Voice of the Forest $37.5M budget	$37.5M	$5.6M	0.1×
Mafia Mamma $41M budget	$41M	$6.1M	0.1×
Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World $32M budget	$32M	$6M	0.2×

Budget spread

How Much Did 2023 Movies Cost to Make?

1,605 films released in 2023 have a reported budget, 18% of all 8,942. Most cost under $10M (86%); the median is $130K, and 28 films cost $100M or more.

Under $10M 1,381 films · 86%
$10M–$50M 164 films · 10%
$50M–$100M 32 films · 2%
$100M–$200M 15 films · <1%
$200M and up 13 films · <1%

Since 2000

Are Movie Budgets Growing? Top-10 Average by Year

The ten most expensive films of 2023 cost $251.8M on average, rank 3 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 2023?

Adventure films account for the most spending in 2023: $5.7B across 91 films, $62.9M on average. Action follows with $5.6B. A film with several genres counts in each.

Adventure $5.7B
91 films · $62.9M average
Action $5.6B
126 films · $44.6M average
Drama $5B
707 films · $7.1M average
Comedy $4.1B
404 films · $10.1M average
Thriller $4.1B
250 films · $16.3M average
Fantasy $3.4B
98 films · $34.9M average
Sci-Fi $2.4B
105 films · $22.8M average
Mystery $1.9B
70 films · $26.8M average
Crime $1.8B
80 films · $22.2M average
Family $1.7B
60 films · $28.6M average

FAQ

Biggest Budget Movies of 2023: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about what 2023's films cost and earned, from the lists above.

What was the most expensive movie of 2023?

Fast X (2023), with a reported production budget of $340M. The Little Mermaid is second at $297M.

About Fast X

Which 2023 movie made the most money for its budget?

Among 2023 films that cost $10M or more, Sound of Freedom (2023) earned $250.6M worldwide on a $14.6M budget, 17× what it cost.

What was the biggest box office flop of 2023?

Measured by worldwide gross against budget, Hidden Strike (2023) took $2.2M on a $80M budget (0.0×), the weakest return of any 2023 film that cost $30M or more.

How much did a 2023 movie cost to make?

The median reported budget of the 1,605 films released in 2023 with one is $130K. The 20 most expensive cost $4B together, and 28 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.