Avengers: Endgame budget: How does the movie's budget compare to other big productions?
Are you a movie lover? If so, you might be familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers: Endgame. The film is among the highest-grossing sci-fi flicks of the 21st century, and its success is due to its storyline, cast and special visual effects used. But with such success, how much was the Avengers: Endgame budget, and how does it compare to other big movies?
In the movie-making business, you have to spend money to make it. The same notion applies to Avengers: Endgame, one of the highest-ranking superhero films ever. The movie broke the record for being among the highest-budget films of all time. But why was it so expensive to make? And how does it compare to other big productions?
Avengers: Endgame budget
What was the budget for Avengers: Endgame? According to Box Office Mojo, the film's budget was $356 million, the fifth highest-budget movie as of 2023. The other top-budget movies include;
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- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $447 million
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – $416 million
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) – $379 million
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – $365 million
Why was Avengers: Endgame expensive to make?
It is no secret that films with special effects cost a lot of money to make. Coupling that with the cast being A-listers with high paychecks, you get a high-budget movie. But what else made Avengers: Endgame so expensive to produce?
1. Cast salaries
Actors from the Avengers series have been in the franchise for quite a while, giving them an edge when negotiating salaries. According to IGN, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Chris Evans (Captain America), and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) earned between $15 million and $20 million from the film.
Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark) earned at least $75 million from the film due to the special deal that saw him receive backends. Downey Jr. received a base salary of $20 million, an additional $55 million from ticket sales.
2. Costs of production
Being a sci-fi movie, Avengers: Endgame has a lot of CGI and special effects. According to the Academy of Animated Arts, the cost of CGI in the Avengers movies cost an estimated $350 million per release. In addition, production costs include paying the writers and the directors.
Per the Observer, Marvel allegedly set aside $400 million in compensation for the screenwriters, directors, producers, and lead actors.
3. Promoting and advertising the film
According to the Independent magazine, Marvel spent a record $200 million marketing the film. The amount is the most Marvel Studios has ever spent promoting its movies. Previously, Marvel had spent $150 million on Avengers: Infinity War, $140 million on Spider-Man: Homecoming and $80 million on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
How does Avengers: Endgame compare to other big productions?
Avengers: Endgame is one of the highest-selling movies in cinema history. But how does it compare to other big productions? Below is a comparison of various big-budget films against it.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $447 million
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the franchise's fourth movie and the world's most expensive, with a net expenditure of $447 million. According to Forbes, the 2015 film had a total budget of $533.2 million.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the first in the franchise to be done by Disney, who acquired the franchise from Lucasfilm in 2012.
2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – $416 million
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the eighth film in the franchise and the world's second most expensive, with a net spend of $416 million. Most of the expenses resulted from the movie sets put up by the filmmaker to conclude the franchise on a high. Additionally, the series changed the creative team after director Colin Trevorrow exited the film.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) – $379 million
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the franchise's fourth instalment and the most expensive film ever made, costing $379 million. Production costs include filming in England plus filming some sequences in 3D.
However, the film grossed $1.04 billion at the box office compared to Avengers: Endgame, which grossed $2.7 billion.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – $365 million
Avengers: Age of Ultron is a 2015 production with a net budget of $365 million. It is the most expensive film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Why was the Avengers: Endgame budget controversial?
It was controversial because the net budget of $356 million made the film among the world's top most expensive films. However, the hefty budget justified itself after the film grossed over $2.7 billion at the box office.
What was the Avengers: Infinity War budget?
The Infinity War budget was reportedly $321.2 million. The 2018 film was the prequel to Endgame, and its production lasted until July 2017. Furthermore, the film was shot concurrently with the direct sequel, Avengers: Endgame (2019).
The Avengers: Endgame budget ranks the film fifth among the most expensive worldwide. However, in the franchise, the film ranks second after Avengers: Age of Ultron, which cost $365 million to make. Some of its budget expenses comprised high cast salaries, production costs and advertisements.
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Source: YEN.com.gh