New Delhi: After two years in lockdown, filmmakers spent an astonishing sum of money on their movies this year. From the actors’ and crews’ salaries and production costs to marketing for the film, millions of dollars are invested until the movie is finally showcased on the silver screen. By now, this multi-million dollar budget has been normalized; however, the figures put into some of the movies this year will still make you blink twice.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Following “Avatar,” which had a budget of a whopping US$237 million, its sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water” made certain that it would compete on that front with a budget of US$350-400 million. “The Way of Water,” one of the most anticipated films of 2022, will be released in December and will need to gross more than $2 billion to break even. It is the most expensive Hollywood movie of 2022 and the fourth most expensive Hollywood movie of all time. The plotline is set around the Sully family, fast-forwarding time to a decade after the original.
Brahmastra: Part One: Shiva
The most expensive Hindi film of all time, not only this year, was ‘Brahmastra’, which had a production budget of over ₹410 crores (US$51 million). The movie had been in production as early as 2018 and was also jokingly called by the public the advent of India’s own MCU.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
As part of MCU phase four and after the passing away of Chadwick Boseman, the original Black Panther, fans really looked forward to how the storyline of Black Panther would unfold further, and they were not disappointed at all. With a total budget of US$250 million – making ‘Wakanda Forever’ the second most expensive Hollywood film of 2022 and the 18th most expensive of all time, the movie grossed a total of US$738.2 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2022.
RRR
The South Indian film industry is well-known for spending enormous amounts of money on outdoor shoots and high-level VFX, and RRR is not lacking at all with a budget of ₹550 crores (US$72 million). The most expensive film in Indian cinema history has so far grossed ₹1144 crores worldwide.
Thor: Love and Thunder
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is popular for spending millions on each movie, and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is no exception. With the same budget as ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ US$250 million, the movie became instantly popular amongst fans and the general public too, grossing a total of US$761 million at the box office worldwide.
Ponniyin Selvan: I
Adapted from Kalki Krishnamurthy’s historical fiction novel with Aishwarya Rai Bachan as the lead, ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is supposed to be made on an overall budget of ₹500 crores (US$31 million), with ₹250 crores going into each part. This film is said to be the magnum opus for Mani Ratnam and one of the biggest blockbusters this year.
Top Gun: Maverick
A hubristic quest for Maverick, wherein he confronts his past while training Top Gun graduates, the movie had a budget of US$170 million, and, to say the least, the audience was glued to their seats the entire duration. ‘Maverick’ has grossed over US$1.4 billion at the global box office.
Samrat Prithviraj
Indian historical movies and dramas invest a huge amount of money into creating phenomenal sets, exceptional outfits, and VFX, which made the budget of ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ amount to a hefty ₹220 crores (US$30 million). However, the Akshay Kumar-starrer only made about 60 crores at the box office, which was insufficient to cover the production costs.