It is with that in mind that I decided to make a list of movies this year's biggest and hotly anticipated movies, along with their respective budgets. This list is rather long, so to avoid making an unreasonable extensive post, it will be split into two, possibly three separate write-ups.
Over the years of studying the box office, I've learned that many people think that a film has to simply make back its budget to be written off as a success. This is a common misconception, and is simply not true. When a movie studio releases a film, it has to share the revenue that film generates with the theater that released it. For example, a movie that costs $100 million produce needs to make a very minimum of $200 million before that respective studio begins to make a profit.
Still, that would only be true if no money was spent on advertising and marketing this given film. Tack on another $50 million to the film's budget to promote the movie, along with $5 million for prints, and you've got a total product cost of $155 million. That means that this film would have to take in more $340 million before the studio that produced and distributed the movie sees a single dime of profit.
That said, let go ahead and get started with this list of movie budgets for 2010's most anticipated and biggest films.
Shrek: The Final Chapter (Shrek Forever After)
Budget: $200 million (estimated)
The second film proved to be an even bigger hit for the studio, taking in $919 million worldwide, including $441 million domestically becoming the fifth highest grossing movie of all-time. The third Shrek filmed found much success, albeit considerably less than the second film, earning $798 million worldwide, but just $322 million domestically. The third Shrek movie marked the first without founding director, Andrew Adamson, and he didn't return to direct the fourth chapter in the series.
The original Shrek cost Dreamworks a modest $60 million to make, which represented a huge success for the studio. Since then, costs have ballooned, with Shrek the Third costing $160 million just to produce, and Shrek: The Final Chapter has a budget estimated a $200 million. While DreamWorks Animation SKG will still make a considerable amount of profit on their fourth Shrek film, I really don't seeing it posting as numbers as large as some are expecting.
The thing that might be able to change this is the fact that the latest Shrek will be released in 3D, and well as IMAX 3D, so it will benefit from significantly higher ticket prices than the past films in the franchise. But I wouldn't expect the same attendance levels.
The Twilight Saga Eclipse a.k.a Twilight 3
Budget: $65-$70 million
The success for the newly formed movie studio, Summit Entertainment (who released the film), didn't stop there. The movie took in over $150 million in revenue just from DVD/Blu-Ray sales. The sequel proved to be even more successful, taking in almost $300 million more than the first at the box office, and it has already taken in excess of $100 million since it's release to the Home Entertainment Market.
What makes the Twilight franchise such a unique phenomenon is the fact that it has such modestly small budgets. Twilight New Moon cost only $50 million to produce, making it one of the biggest financial blockbuster success of the decade, and turning the now flush with cash Summit Entertainment into a big industry player. The third film, Twilight Eclipse, has a budget estimated at $70 million, a figured that it should have absolutely no trouble multiplying by at lest ten.
It will be interesting to see how this one opens on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The past two films were released in November, and on Friday. There is a potential record to be broken with the third Twilight film. The movies are some of the most front-loaded films in the history of recorded box office numbers, and could very well set an opening day box office record.
Toy Story 3
Budget: $190 million
The film went onto become a major critical and financial success, grossing more than $191 million at the box office, which adjusted for inflation would amount to $360 million, and it had a very modest budget of $30 million.
Fast forward 15 years later, Pixar has been nominated for numerous Academy Awards and has become one of the most respected and valuable name's in the business. In 2010 they return to original form with Toy Story 3, which is set for release in 3D, and although it cost more than eight times what the original cost to produce, it seems destined for box office success.
Inception
Budget: $170 million
It's far too early to make an Iception box office prediction, but I have a strong suspicion that this could very well become one of 2010's top 4 grossing films. It's budget makes it one of the highest for a movie not based on any other previous written or sold material, since the screenplay is completely original, and is considered Christoper Nolan's brain child project.
While $170 million is an extremely hefty sum, it makes perfect sense that Warner Bros. would pay this much for a film that doesn't have a strong foundation in the public's eye. Christopher Nolan directed The Dark Knight, a movie that went onto become one of only five films to ever gross more than $1 billion from worldwide box office territories, which was a first for the major movie studio.
Price of Persia: The Sands of Time
$150 million
I already did an extensive write-up on Prince of Persia's box office potential and budget, which you can read here. Walt Disney is undoubtedly taking a considerable amount of risk making a big-budget film based on a video game, since video game adaptions have generally performed rather poorly at the box office. Sex and the City 2
Unlike the first film, Warner Brothers is releasing Sex and the City 2 on a Wednesday, and I wouldn't be surprised if it opened to $30 million come opening day.
Well, that sums up this post of this year's most anticipated upcoming films, and their budgets. Thanks for reading, and please be sure to check back for the next two parts to Box Office Spy's budget and box office analysis.
