How big is that budget?
Film budgets range over five orders of magnitude, and the correlation with box office is weaker than the industry pretends.
50% of Titanic
100,000,000 USD is more than 5 of the 8 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paranormal Activity | 15,000 USD | 6,667× | Grossed $193 million |
| Clerks | 27,575 USD | 3,626× | |
| The Blair Witch Project | 60,000 USD | 1,667× | |
| Get Out | 4,500,000 USD | 22.2× | |
| Jaws | 9,000,000 USD | 11.1× | |
| Titanic | 200,000,000 USD | 0.5× | |
| Avengers: Endgame | 356,000,000 USD | 0.281× | |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | 447,000,000 USD | 0.224× | The most expensive film made |
Worth knowing
- Paranormal Activity cost $15 000 and grossed $193 million — a 12 800× return, the highest of any wide-release film.
- A studio film typically needs to gross about 2.5 times its production budget to break even, once marketing and exhibitor splits are counted.
Frequently asked
What is the most expensive movie ever made?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, at a reported $447 million including reshoots. Several Marvel and Pirates films sit just behind it.
Do budgets include marketing?
No. The quoted figure is the negative cost — making the film. Marketing often adds another 50–100% and is rarely disclosed.