‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Is No Longer the Most Expensive Movie Ever Made as New Budget-Breaker Is Revealed
Jurassic World: Dominion has officially become the most expensive movie ever made, surpassing Star Wars: The Force Awakens after new financial details revealed the massive cost behind the dinosaur blockbuster.
According to an analysis of recently filed financial records, Universal Pictures spent around $658.8 million on the 2022 film. That amount pushed it above Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which previously held the record with a reported production cost of $638.9 million.
Jurassic World: Dominion was the third movie in Universal’s Jurassic World series and brought together a huge cast. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard returned, while original Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill also appeared in the film.
The movie’s extremely high budget was largely connected to the challenges of filming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Production took place in 2020, when studios had to introduce strict safety rules, deal with delays, and keep expensive equipment and locations available for months longer than planned.
According to the financial details, Universal had to continue paying for soundstages, rented equipment, security teams, and key members of the production crew while waiting for filming to continue. The movie was eventually delayed by a year and was released in June 2022.
The cast also spent a long period in quarantine while filming in the United Kingdom. The actors stayed at the Langley Hotel near Pinewood Studios, where the production was based. The expensive accommodation added to the overall costs, with rooms reportedly costing more than $600 per night.
One reason the true cost of major Hollywood movies is difficult to track is that studios rarely reveal every detail about their budgets. However, films made in the United Kingdom must submit financial information to qualify for government tax incentives, making their production costs easier to investigate.
The UK’s Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit program allows film companies to receive a percentage of their spending back if they meet certain requirements. These include using British locations, workers, and talent. Jurassic World: Dominion qualified for the program because parts of the movie were filmed in the UK, including locations such as Oxford University’s Wolfson College.
The production company behind the film, Arcadia Pictures, reported its final costs in financial filings. Those documents showed that Universal spent millions on staff, transportation, equipment, security, and other production needs. At its busiest point, the film employed an average of 454 workers each month.
The UK reimbursement helped reduce Universal’s final cost. The company received around $127.8 million back, bringing its net spending down to approximately $531 million.
Despite the huge budget, Jurassic World: Dominion earned almost $1 billion worldwide at the box office. However, after theaters took their share of ticket sales, the movie did not make a major profit from cinemas alone. Like most big Hollywood releases, the film also earned money through streaming deals, home entertainment, and merchandise.
The financial records also revealed that other Jurassic World movies were extremely expensive. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom reportedly cost $606.3 million, while Jurassic World Rebirth had a much lower budget of around $254.2 million.
The success of the UK’s film incentives has made the country a major production hub for Hollywood studios. Companies such as Disney, Netflix, and Amazon have invested heavily in British studios and locations.
However, future productions could face uncertainty. Former U.S. President Donald Trump previously proposed placing a 100% tariff on movies made outside the United States, a move that could affect international filming plans.
For now, Jurassic World: Dominion holds the title of the most expensive movie ever made, proving just how costly modern blockbuster filmmaking has become.
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