Marvel bets big: THIS Avengers movie is world's costliest film at $1 billion; cast alone gets $250 million

Mint

3 days ago

Marvel Studios is going all in—and then some for what is the world's costliest movie being made at a budget of a jaw-dropping $1 billion, with at least a quarter of it spent on just its all-star cast.
The studio is making this monumental bet on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) upcoming crossover event film, Avengers: Doomsday.
From returning heroes like Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki to surprise additions like Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, the film spares no expense in packing in star power.
In a surprising twist, Robert Downey Jr is all set for a return to the MCU, but not as Iron Man; he will be seen as the iconic villain Doctor Doom.
While a massive chunk of Doomsday's budget goes into VFX, but what truly inflates the cost is its star-studded cast. With as many as 35 A-listers appearing in roles big and small, Variety reported that talent salaries alone may exceed $250 million.
Directed by the Russo Brothers, who previously helmed Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Doomsday is shaping up to be Marvel's most ambitious—and riskiest—bet yet.
However, with such an unprecedented budget, the movie, slated for release on 18 December 2026, faces immense pressure to perform at the box office.
According to Collider, Marvel shelled out $8 million on pre-production alone—more than three times what it spent on the entire Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which eventually cost $388 million.
Forbes also revealed that Doomsday is racking up production costs at twice the weekly rate of Quantumania, prompting industry experts to estimate Marvel's final bill could hit between $500 and $600 million. That would far surpass Star Wars: Episode IX—the current record-holder for the most expensive production, with its $447 million price tag.
But these are just the production costs.
Marvel is expected to pour in millions more in marketing and global publicity. Industry estimates suggest that Avengers: Doomsday and its follow-up, Secret Wars, could each cost Disney and Marvel upwards of $1 billion.
Until Secret Wars begins rolling, Doomsday holds the crown as the most expensive movie ever made.
Avengers: Doomsday and its massive budget come with high stakes; If the movie does manage to touch the landing cost of $1 billion, it will need to be more than just a massive success at the box office to be profitable.
Just to break even, the MCU film would need to earn substantially more than $1 billion.
Industry analysts suggest that even surpassing the earnings of Jurassic Park ($912 million) or The Lord of the Rings (average gross of $987 million for the three films) may not guarantee profitability.