From computer-generated imagery (CGI) to expensive acting talent, creating movie magic doesn't come cheap. 

From Oscar nominee Avatar: The Way of Water to the Star Wars saga, read on to discover the most expensive films of all time, why they cost so much to make, and whether their box office gross made them worth the money.

All dollar amounts in US dollars. Please note the cost figures only include production costs, not marketing and other post-production costs.

According to Forbes, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny cost a staggering $387.2 million (£305m) to produce. Everything from costly CGI to the salary of leading man Harrison Ford contributed to the mammoth budget. 

However, the film was a huge flop, grossing $384 million (£303m) globally, meaning Disney actually lost $3.2 million (£2.5m). However, when factoring in additional costs such as marketing, Forbes estimates Disney lost closer to $134.2 million (£106m).

John Carter, starring Taylor Kitsch in the title role, turned out to be a painful flop. Its massive budget of $263.7 million ($362m/£286m in today's money) funded over 2,000 visual effects shots and, allegedly, more than one extensive reshoot.

The film only grossed $284.1 million worldwide, the equivalent of $390 million (£308m) today. While that may appear to be a modest profit, after factoring in other post-production costs, Disney ended up with a loss-making movie.

Although this is one of the most expensive films ever made, Solo: A Star Wars Story became the lowest-grossing Star Wars film on release. Despite a stellar cast including Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke and Donald Glover, the film only grossed $392.9 million worldwide, the equivalent of $493 million (£389m) in today's money.

The firing of the original directors halfway through filming, leading to a three-month reshoot, has been cited as the reason for its overspend. Its lack of success led Disney to focus its efforts on developing TV shows for its streaming platform instead. 

Tipped to be the next big blockbuster, Superman Returns had an eye-watering budget of $270 million, or $422 million (£333m) today. Brandon Routh stepped into the shoes of Clark Kent, with Kate Bosworth playing Lois Lane.

Despite opening to positive reviews, the superhero saga failed to make an impact at the box office, grossing just $391 million ($612m/£483m today) globally. Needless to say, plans for a sequel were quickly scrapped.

Disney spared no expense when it came to the live-action reboot of The Little Mermaid. The movie had an estimated budget of $355.1 million (£280m). According to Forbes, the original budget was closer to the $250 million (£198m) mark, but production delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic caused this figure to swell.

To make matters worse, the film failed to make a big splash at the box office, grossing $569.6 million (£450m) globally.

On its release, this Disney version of the Rapunzel fairy tale was the most expensive 3D animated film ever made due to its combined use of hand-drawn animation and CGI. The final bill for the film was $260 million, the equivalent of $376 million (£297m) today.

The production of Tangled lasted six years, and the software used to animate Rapuzel’s hair was first created in 2005. While it wasn’t anywhere near as successful as some of the other films on this list, it still grossed $592.5 million ($857m/£677m today).

Justice League assembled some of DC Comics’ biggest stars, including Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jason Momoa as Aquaman. Director Zack Synder was originally at the helm but stepped down during post-production. 

Variety reported that the change of hands between Snyder and Joss Whedon led to expensive reshoots and rewrites, which added an additional $25 million to the film’s initial budget. The superhero flick ultimately cost $300 million ($386m/£305m today) to make and grossed $657.9 million ($846m/£668m today) worldwide.

The latest entry in the Fast and Furious series, Fast X, boasted an eye-watering $340 million (£268m) budget, making it the most expensive movie in the franchise. An all-star cast including Vin Diesel, Jason Statham and Jason Momoa, plus pulse-racing action sequences, contributed to the staggering cost.

Despite its gigantic budget, the film underperformed at the box office, grossing just $704.9 million (£555m) worldwide. 

Thor: Love and Thunder is the most expensive Thor instalment to date. A star-studded cast including Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale, eye-popping special effects, and epic battle scenes all contributed to the mammoth budget. 

Despite mixed reviews, the superhero saga was a box-office success, grossing a respectable $760.9 million (£600m).

No Time to Die marked Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as 007 – and no expense was spared to ensure he had a proper send-off. The movie boasted an estimated production budget of at least $250 million (£198m), with Craig alone reportedly banking a cool $25 million (£20m) to reprise his role one last time.

Following several delays due to the pandemic, the spy thriller finally hit cinemas in October 2021, grossing just over $774 million (£611m) –a respectable profit given the COVID-19 headwinds it faced.

Star Wars veterans Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford returned for the beginning of a hugely anticipated new Star Wars franchise in 2015. 

Recent filings have revealed that the movie is the most expensive ever made, with a total budget of $533.2 million (£421m). Special effects and salaries for the all-star cast accounted for the sky-high costs. As expected from the franchise, it did well at the box office, grossing $1.1 billion (£870m) worldwide.

In 2008, one of the Spider-Man franchise's producers confirmed that the series’ visual effects budget had increased by 30% for the third installment, mainly because there were more action sequences.

It was also confirmed that the cast, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco, were paid more for each successive film. And with a worldwide gross of $849.9 million (£670m), it’s fair to say the pay rise was well-deserved.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 boasted a $250 million (£198m) production budget, with everything from CGI and an all-star cast featuring the likes of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Vin Diesel contributing to the high costs.

The huge investment was evidently worth it as the space epic grossed a stellar $845.5 million (£667m) globally.

Fronted by Letitia Wright, Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the most expensive film of all time featuring a Black lead. Pulse-racing action sequences and expensive CGI contributed to the superhero saga’s astronomical $250 million (£198m) budget.

The sequel hit the silver screen in November 2022 and grossed an impressive $859.2 million (£679m). 

With its star-studded cast, from Ben Affleck to Gal Gadot, it’s no surprise that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made it onto this list. The film reportedly cost a steep $263 million (£208m) to produce. 

Luckily, it turned out to be worth the money, as it brought in $873.6 million (£689m) from worldwide box office ticket sales.

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series cost an eye-watering $378.5 million (£299m) to produce. 

A huge factor in the cost was leading man Johnny Depp's salary, which reportedly clocked in at a steep $55 million. Shooting almost exclusively on 3D cameras also drove up costs. The film's $1 billion (£790m) box office gross was surely a very welcome result. 

Daniel Craig reprised his role as James Bond for the fourth time in Spectre, this time alongside the likes of Léa Seydoux and Christoph Waltz. The Bond movie made an incredible $880 million (£695m) globally at the box office, which is good news considering how much it cost to make.

The film boasted a staggering $250 million (£198m) budget, with factors such as pulse-racing stunts and Craig's salary contributing to costs.

At the time of its box office release, At World’s End was the most expensive film ever made, with a $300 million (£237m) budget. Special effects and an all-star cast contributed to the high costs. 

However, the investment paid off, and the pirate saga grossed an impressive $961 million (£759m) worldwide.

The sixth Harry Potter film boasted a budget of $250 million (£198), making it the most expensive in the franchise. However, it wasn't the highest-grossing, earning $934.3 million (£639.5m) globally. 

International Business Times reported that the face of the franchise, Daniel Radcliffe, made $24 million (£19m) playing Harry Potter in this film alone. Meanwhile, salaries of stars like Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, as well as special effects, contributed to the mammoth budget. 

Needless to say, bringing a behemoth fantasy battle to life on the silver screen isn’t cheap. Therefore, the budget for the final installment of the Hobbit trilogy was the biggest yet, clocking in at an eye-watering $250 million (£198m). 

Fortunately, like its predecessors, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was a huge hit, grossing $962.2 million (£759m) globally.

The final part of the latest Star Wars trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker, was released to mixed reviews but still managed to bring in $1.1 billion (£870m) at the box office.

The budget was a staggering $275 million (£218m). Actors' salaries reportedly weren’t very high, but, in addition to the expensive costume and set designs that Star Wars is known for, Forbes reported that the untimely passing of Carrie Fisher in 2016 resulted in reshoots and rewrites that would have impacted the budget.

Even though Civil War was officially the third Captain America film, it brought in several of the other Avengers. Assembling the Marvel superheroes makes for a very expensive production, and the movie boasted a budget of $250 million (£198m). 

Fronted by Chris Evans, stars including Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson were also part of a superhero film that grossed $1.15 billion (£910m) worldwide.

The eighth Fast & Furious movie boasted a $250 million (£198m) budget. The action franchise is known for its Hollywood lineup, including Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, who pocketed $20 million (£16m) for his appearance.

One of the biggest expenses was the infamous car crash scene filmed in New York City. Real cars were crashed, and others were dropped from a parking garage six stories up. Thankfully, the destruction was worth it as the film grossed $1.2 billion (£950m) worldwide.

The second installment in the latest Star Wars trilogy had a cast list featuring most of the regulars, including Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, and newer names such as John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran.

As ever, it was an expensive production with an estimated budget of $262 million (£208m). That said, it grossed $1.3 billion (£1bn) at the box office, beating its predecessor, The Force Awakens.

The live-action remake of this classic was considered a huge risk for Disney, but it was one that paid off handsomely, as it went on to gross $1.3 billion (£1bn) worldwide.

The movie boasted a $255 million (£202m) production budget and was praised for its intricate and expensive set design.

Age of Ultron earned an impressive $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) globally against an estimated production budget of $250 million (£198m).

The star-studded cast explains a huge portion of the expenditure. Robert Downey Jr. reportedly raked in $40 million (£32m) and Scarlett Johansson earned $20 million (£16m) for their roles. Production was also heavily reliant on CGI, and scenes were filmed in six different countries.

Although Disney remained tight-lipped about its remake of The Lion King’s official budget, The Hollywood Reporter claimed it roughly cost $250 million (£198m). Relatively small change compared to the $1.7 billion (£1.3bn) it grossed.

The film relied entirely on costly CGI and had an all-star cast, with Beyoncé as the voice behind Nala, alongside Seth Rogan and Donald Glover.

Reports suggest Avengers: Infinity War cost a staggering $325 million (£258m) to produce. 

Stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Chadwick Boseman did not come cheap, while special effects and CGI also contributed to the high budget. The investment paid off, however, and the film earned an impressive $2 billion (£1.6bn). 

James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water hit screens in December 2022, earning a sensational $2.3 billion (£1.8bn) at the box office. 

New technology was developed to capture the movie's cutting-edge underwater scenes, contributing to the hefty production budget, which was reportedly $250 million (£198m). However, other sources suggest it may have come with a far larger price tag.

Avengers: Endgame is famed for its epic final battle scene, which featured 30+ Marvel characters in combat all at once.

The movie cost a staggering $356 million (£282m) to make, partly owing to the costly CGI. Meanwhile, star Robert Downey Jr. took home $75 million (£59m) for his role as Iron Man. Producers were likely thrilled that the film grossed $2.8 billion (£2.2bn) at the box office.