8. Avatar (2009)
Director: James Cameron
Cost of production: $237 million USD
It’s a well-known fact that movie studios like being creative with their accountancy, to limit the amount of tax they have to pay – the bigger the costs, the lower the tax bill. Avatar was no different. After a directorial run-up lasting 12 years, Cameron took an almighty leap into the third-dimension with his digitally-created new world, hiring WETA for special effects and using super-sleek 3D which took the medium of cinema to the next level. No surprise then, that this movie didn’t come cheap. Ninety hours went into the production of every single frame for the movie, of which there were a whopping 24 per second, creating cutting-edge CGI like none ever seen before.
What else could you buy for that: 15,810,540 gallons of blue body paint at $14.99 USD a pot
7. Spectre (2015)
Director: Sam Mendes
Cost of production: $245 million USD
Apparently, James Bond not only likes his martini shaken, not stirred, but also a colossal film budget. Due to the very nature of the series, filmmakers need to become more elaborate with their set pieces. In turn, producers reportedly had to make $650 million USD at the box office (after marketing expenses) just to break even. At the time, only one Bond film, Skyfall, had ever achieved such a feat.
What else could you buy for that: 1,225 Aston Martin’s at $200,000 a piece.