6. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, The Dark Knight Rises
Directors: Joss Wheldon, David Yates, Zach Snyder, Peter Jackson, Christopher Nolan
Cost of production: $250 million USD
Avengers: Age of Ultron, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies and The Dark Knight Rises share the title at number five. As we learned from all six huge spectacles, they don’t come cheap. The budget of of Age Of Ultron ballooned after the cast threatened to quit if their contractual demands (read: money) weren’t met, so Marvel had some serious work cut out for them if they wanted all the big names back on board for the Avengers sequel – all of whom were reportedly looking for $5 million on the table and a cut of the post-release profits.
What else could you buy for that: 280,000 drone cameras at $1000 USD each.
5. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Director: Sam Raimi
Cost of production: $258 million USD
When Spider-Man was released in 2002, it almost singlehandedly laid the groundwork for the current superhero boom. But, then they just started throwing money at the franchise…And unfortunately, making expensive, flagship superhero sequels is no small or simple feat. Production for the movie dragged on into late summer where it had been scheduled to conclude in June, pushing up the costs dramatically. On top of that, there was the huge cost of CGI, the web-slinging set pieces, the star salaries and – of course – the marketing and promotion campaign costs.
What else could you buy for that: 7,325,000 bungee ropes, at $40 USD a go.