After spending over $4 billion to acquire Lucasfilm, Disney needed a surefire hit, and the studio threw the kitchen sink at the production in hopes of guaranteeing success. The Force Awakens was conceived and produced on the grandest of scales, marrying the look and feel of the original trilogy with groundbreaking visual effects.

Millions were spent on physical sets, including a full-scale Millennium Falcon, with huge action sequences, extensive location shooting and the salaries of the original trilogy’s returning stars all adding to the staggering $536 million budget – making it the most expensive movie ever made.

The gamble paid off handsomely, with The Force Awakens rocketing to a worldwide gross of $1 billion in just 12 days, before earning close to $2.1 billion by the end of its original theatrical run. Even after accounting for the significant marketing budget and other costs, Deadline Hollywood estimated the movie’s total profit at an out-of-this-world $780 million.

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