The most expensive film ever made is costing the studio so much that even a $1 billion box office haul might not be enough to avoid it being a flop
When James Cameron was making Titanic in the mid-1990s, Hollywood was stunned by reports of its ballooning budget. The film cost $200 million to produce, with millions more poured into marketing and publicity. It took a record-breaking box office haul to ensure Titanic didn’t sink—pun very much intended. Now, imagine a film costing several times more, with a staggering $250 million allocated just for cast salaries. This new contender for the title of the most expensive film ever made is a cinematic behemoth—an undertaking so vast it could rival large-scale infrastructure projects.
The World’s Most Expensive Film
Marvel Studios is gearing up to break records with its upcoming crossover event, Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to become the most expensive film ever made. According to Collider, Marvel has already spent $8 million on pre-production alone—over three times the amount spent on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which ultimately cost $388 million. Forbes adds that Doomsday’s weekly production expenses are double that of Quantumania, prompting industry experts to estimate the film’s total budget could land between $500–600 million. This would easily surpass the current record held by Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, which cost $447 million to produce.
But That’s Just the Beginning
And that estimated $500–600 million? That’s only the production cost. Marvel is expected to spend hundreds of millions more on marketing and global publicity campaigns. Multiple reports suggest that each of the two upcoming Avengers films—Doomsday and Secret Wars—could end up costing Disney and Marvel as much as $1 billion apiece. Until Secret Wars begins production, Avengers: Doomsday holds the title of the most expensive movie ever made.
A significant portion of Doomsday’s budget is tied up in visual effects, but what really drives up the cost is its star-studded ensemble. According to Variety, the film will feature as many as 35 A-list actors in roles of varying length, pushing the total cast salaries north of $250 million.
Can Avengers: Doomsday Be a Hit?
If Doomsday does indeed cost $1 billion to bring to market, it will need to deliver an extraordinary box office performance just to break even. Factor in distribution and other backend costs, and the film may have to earn well beyond $1 billion globally to turn a profit. That means even if Doomsday outgrosses iconic blockbusters like Jurassic Park ($912 million) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (average gross of $987 million per film), it could still be considered a box office failure.
About Avengers: Doomsday
Directed by the Russo Brothers, Avengers: Doomsday marks the fifth installment in the Avengers franchise and the 39th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film boasts an all-star ensemble cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Wyatt Russell, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Simu Liu, Florence Pugh, Kelsey Grammer, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Joseph Quinn, David Harbour, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, and Robert Downey Jr.
In this massive crossover event, the Avengers join forces with the Wakandans, the Fantastic Four, the New Avengers, and the X-Men to face off against a formidable new threat—Doctor Doom, portrayed by Downey. The film is scheduled for release on December 18, 2026, as a centerpiece of Phase Six of the MCU.
