The 20 Most Expensive Movies Ever Made

By Kirsten Acuna

A big Hollywood blockbuster often requires a lot of cash.

While it doesn't always take a big production budget to make a break-out hit, the most successful movies are often the costliest.

We turned to IMDB and Box Office Mojo to gather the priciest films ever made, and consulted the consumer price index to adjust for inflation.?

We've also included the original reported and estimated budgets for comparison. A few franchises make the list twice.

While none of this year's movies are among the most expensive, many of the most successful films ever made cost more than $200 million.

20. "The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012): $236.7 million

AP Photo/Columbia - Sony Pictures, Jaimie Trueblood
AP Photo/Columbia - Sony Pictures, Jaimie Trueblood

Original estimated budget: $230 million
Worldwide gross: $752.2 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $779.9 million

19. "Wild Wild West" (1999): $241.1 million

Murray Close/Getty Images
Murray Close/Getty Images

Original estimated budget: $170 million
Worldwide gross: $222.1 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $315 million

18. "Superman Returns" (2006): $244.9 million

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Original estimated budget: $209 million
Worldwide gross: $391 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $458.3 million

17. "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006): $246.1 million

20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox

Original estimated budget: $210 million
Worldwide gross: $459.4 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $538.3 million

16. "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" (2008): $246.9 million

Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures

Original estimated budget: $225 million
Worldwide gross: $419.7 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $460.5 million

15. "Spider-Man 2" (2004): $250.1 million

Columbia Pictures / Marvel
Columbia Pictures / Marvel

Original estimated budget: $200 million
Worldwide gross: $783.8 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $980.3 million

14. "King Kong" (2005): $250.4 million

AP Photo/Universal Studios
AP Photo/Universal Studios

Original estimated budget: $207 million
Worldwide gross: $550.5 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $665.9 million

13. "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (2003): $256.8 million

Warner Brothers
Warner Brothers

Original estimated budget: $200 million
Worldwide gross: $433.4 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $556.5 million

11. "John Carter" (2012): $257.2 million

AP Photo/Disney
AP Photo/Disney

Original estimated budget: $250 million
Worldwide gross: $284.1 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $292.4 million

11. "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012): $257.2 million

AP Photo/Warner Bros.
AP Photo/Warner Bros.

Original estimated budget: $250 million
Worldwide gross: $1.08 billion
Worldwide adjusted gross: $1.1 billion

10. "The Hobbit" (2012): $257.2 million

AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Mark Pokorny
AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Mark Pokorny

Original estimated budget: $250 million
Worldwide gross: $1.02 billion
Worldwide adjusted gross: $1.05 billion

9. "Avatar" (2009): $261 million

AP Photo/20th Century Fox
AP Photo/20th Century Fox

Original estimated budget: $237 million
Worldwide gross: $2.8 billion
Worldwide adjusted gross: $3.1 billion

8. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006): $263.7 million

AP Photo/Disney Enterprises, Peter Mountain
AP Photo/Disney Enterprises, Peter Mountain

Original estimated budget: $225 million
Worldwide gross: $1 billion
Worldwide adjusted gross: $1.2 billion

7. "Waterworld" (1995): $271.3 million

Getty Images
Getty Images

Original estimated budget: $175 million
Worldwide gross: $264.2 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $409.6 million

6. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009): $275.3 million

AP Photo/Warner Bros., Jaap Buitendijk
AP Photo/Warner Bros., Jaap Buitendijk

Original estimated budget:? $250 million
Worldwide gross: $934.4 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $1 billion

5. "Tangled" (2010): $281.7 million

AP Photos
AP Photos

Original estimated budget: $260 million
Worldwide gross: $590.7 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $641.1 million

The film usually raises eyebrows as one of the most costly films to make since it's an animated film. The high cost for "Tangled" was due in part to the complex blend of traditional hand-drawn animation from older films ("Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King") with CGI to give the film the distinct feeling of one of the classics in the 21st century.

4. "Spider-Man 3" (2007): $293.9 million

AP Photo/Columbia Pictures

AP Photo/Columbia Pictures

Original estimated budget: $258 million
Worldwide gross: $890.9 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $1 billion

3. "Titanic" (1997): $294.3 million

AP Photo/Paramount Pictures
AP Photo/Paramount Pictures

Original estimated budget: $200 million
Worldwide gross: $2.2 billion
Worldwide adjusted gross: $3.2 billion*

*Includes tickets for 2012 "Titanic 3-D" re-release.

2. "Cleopatra" (1963): $339.5 million

AP Photo
AP Photo

Original estimated budget: $44 million
Gross in 1963: $57.8 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $445.8 million

1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007): $341.8 million

Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures

Original estimated budget: $300 million
Worldwide gross: $963.4 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $1.1 billion

(All budget estimates have been adjusted for inflation.)

Click here for the full list.

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