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?
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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;
- 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
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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
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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.
Are you interested in information about famous films that landed their directors in prison? Yen.com.gh published an in-depth article about a list of movies that cost its directors their freedom.
Movie crew end up on the wrong side of the law because of negligence during filming that may lead to injury or fatality. So, what famous film landed its director in prison?
Source: YEN.com.gh
