The 12 most expensive movies ever made

The 12 most expensive movies ever made

(20th Century Fox)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Making a successful movie is no easy task. Though audiences and critics laud films with elaborate visual effects, stunning views and star-studded casts, all of those elements cost millions of dollars.

And movies are only getting more expensive. Back in 1991, "Terminator 2" garnered buzz by becoming the most expensive film ever produced, costing $178 million (inflation-adjusted). The following installment in 2003, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," cost over $250 million to produce (inflation-adjusted) — and it doesn't even crack the current top 10 most expensive films.

Using data from IMDb, PrettyFamous ranked the most costly movies ever made by their estimated inflation-adjusted budgets. The entertainment data site, part of the Graphiq network, used IMDb's estimated production budgets and then used Consumer Price Index data to adjust the values for inflation. PrettyFamous ranked the movies by estimated budget and used profit values to break ties.

#12. The Dark Knight Rises

[The Dark Knight Rises (2012) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/120327/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-2012)
*(2012)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $259,296,846
Profit: $203,289,154

#11. The Avengers

[Marvel's the Avengers (2012) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/121508/Marvel-s-the-Avengers-2012)
*(2012)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $259,296,846
Profit: $384,088,154

#10. Avatar

[Avatar (2009) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/70810/Avatar-2009)
*(2009)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $263,065,504
Profit: $577,068,496

#9. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

[Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/105626/Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-On-Stranger-Tides-2011)
*(2011)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $264,662,864
Loss: $10,673,864

#8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

[Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/35955/Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-Dead-Man-s-Chest-2006)
*(2006)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $265,772,321
Profit: $231,823,679

#7. Waterworld

[Waterworld (1995) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/41832/Waterworld-1995)
*(1995)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $273,445,538
Loss: $136,261,538

#6. John Carter

[John Carter (2012) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/119815/John-Carter-2012)
*(2012)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $273,506,313
Loss: $198,091,013

#5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/45111/Harry-Potter-and-the-Half-Blood-Prince-2009)
*(2009)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $277,495,257
Profit: $56,077,743

#4. Tangled

[Tangled (2010) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/106791/Tangled-2010)
*(2010)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $283,937,704
Loss: $65,684,704

#3. Spider-Man 3

[Spider-Man 3 (2007) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/35693/Spider-Man-3-2007)
*(2007)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $296,312,643
Profit: $88,432,357

#2. Titanic

[Titanic (1997) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/54023/Titanic-1997)
*(1997)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $296,737,695
Profit: $675,778,305

#1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

[Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) | PrettyFamous](http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/39304/Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-At-World-s-End-2007)
*(2007)*

Inflation-adjusted budget: $344,549,585
Profit: $9,183,415

Research More Movies on PrettyFamous

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Natalie Morin, Graphiq

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