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Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
$2 billion, 12 years, arrests: How world's most expensive video game cost more than Avatar, Avengers, Star Wars combined
The most expensive film ever made is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The seventh instalment of the Skywalker saga cost a staggering $447 million to make, and eventually paid back Disney all that and more with a billion-dollar run at the box office. Big numbers, right? But what if we told you that a video game cost more to make. Don't be surprised; it's not exactly Super Mario or Donkey Kong we are talking about, but the most ambitious game ever made. One that took a dozen years and over a billion dollars to make, and even a few arrests along the way. GTA VI (in full Grand Theft Auto VI) is the most expensive video game made in history. The eighth Grand Theft Auto main series game (and the 16th overall), GTA VI, is scheduled for release on May 26 next year (2026). But it has been in development since 2014. The Independent reported that the film has cost its makers, Rockstar Games, $1-2 billion, making it the biggest entertainment project in history. Just how big is that number? Even the conservative estimate - $1 billion - is more than the combined production budgets of Avatar, Avengers, and Star Wars. The three films cost $700 million together. GTA VI has broken the record for most expensive video game, beating Scopely's Monopoly Go, which cost just under a billion dollars, largely all on marketing, though. Genshin Impact ($900 million), Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War ($700 million), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ($640 million) round up the top 5. Rockstar first began work on GTA VI after the release of GTA V in 2014. But the preliminary work took over three years. Actual production only began in 2018 once Red Dead Redemption 2 - another big game from Rockstar - was released. The development was clouded in secrecy, and no release date was announced. Fans and journalists noted that the game was taking longer than usual when there was no update till 2020. After COVID-19 struck, Rockstar allowed employees to work remotely, which slowed the development further. For the first time, Rockstar gave a release date of 2025. But soon, it became clear that the game would overshoot the target. The reason was leaks. The first leak to hit the game was in 2022, when a social media user known as "teapotuberhacker" published 90 videos to the website GTAForums showing 50 minutes of work-in-progress game footage. Described as one of the biggest leaks in video game history, the incident sparked a legal war from Rockstar against the hacker, eventually leading to their arrest. In January 2025, another leak showed gameplay on PlayStation 5. The video, posted on Reddit, was later deleted. Eventually, a trailer came out in May 2025, and the release date of May 26, 2026, was announced. The delays GTA VI faced and Rockstar's refusal to address them frustrated many fans. Over the years, this resulted in an internet meme - 'before GTA 6'. In this, social media users would unlikely things taking place, noting that even such a bizarre thing happened before GTA 6 was released. Ironically, this increased the anticipation for the game even more. Like its predecessors, GTA VI is an open-world game set in the fictional U.S. state of Leonida, which is based on Florida. The game features multiple cities and two protagonists, a change from the previous GTA games. The story follows a criminal duo: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, the latter being the series' first non-optional female protagonist. Like other GTA games in the past, the game parodies modern pop culture, with the trailer including pot shots at social media and influencer culture in particular.
What's On
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- What's On
5 big movies that were filmed in Abu Dhabi
And the popular UAE attractions you can catch in them… Did you know the UAE capital was a winning choice for some of the biggest filmmakers and productions in the business? News to you? Here are 5 big movies that were filmed in Abu Dhabi. Furious 7 (2015) The movie that started the whole trend of filming Hollywood blockbusters in Abu Dhabi (sort of). You'll catch prominent landmarks such as the Etihad Towers and Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in some of the most jaw-dropping scenes of the franchise. @thefastsaga Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) JJ Abrams knew exactly what he wanted, and he sure got it by filming in the Abu Dhabi desert. Check out the UAE's sprawling dunes that were featured so prominently in this film from one of the world's top entertainment and media franchises. @starwars Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) Hollywood action superstar Tom Cruise was in town to film key scenes of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One at the Midfield Terminal (as it was called back then), and what we now know as Zayed International Airport (AUH). @missionimpossible Dune: Part Two (2024) The golden dunes of Liwa were showcased in all their glory in Dune: Part Two, and the cast and crew even set up shop at the majestic Anantara Qasr Al Sarab during production. Catch a glimpse here. @dunemovie F1 (2025) Mean machine-themed F1 is due to hit the silver screen next month, and the big news is, you'll also be able to catch Abu Dhabi's own roaring Yas Marina Circuit in the film. When did that happen? Well, some of us spotted William Bradley Pitt during the Abu Dhabi GP last December, some of us thought we'd spotted him, and the rest of us, well, we went home and watched Moneyball. @f1movie The great rebate… But it gets better. As of January 1, 2025, Abu Dhabi Film Commission announced that the existing film rebate of 35 per cent, which has proved a huge hit with film studios from around the world, would increase to a full 50 per cent rebate. Read all about it here. > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
India.com
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
World's most expensive web series, one episode cost Rs 480 crore, whole series is worth Rs..., name is...
World's most expensive web series, one episode cost Rs 480 crore, whole series is worth Rs..., name is... Television has historically been viewed as a poor cousin of cinema, often blurred by the grand scale of big-budget films on the silver screen. Even with the most popular TV shows, this perception was held true both in India and West. However, the scenario shifted with the rise of OTT platforms, which introduced shows made on a grand-scale. Today, we will talk about the most expensive OTT show that even surpassed the most lavish films produced globally. According to reports, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is considered to be the most expensive web shows in the history. The show's first season premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2022 reported to have cost an astonishing $1 billion (Rs 8300 crore). The cost encompasses the overall rights and promotional expenses of season 1. Reports claim that the production costs alone reached around 465 million dollars (over Rs 3800 crore), making each episode of the season cost a jaw-dropping $58 million ( Rs 480 crore). Star Wars: The Force Awakens , which is considered the most expensive film ever made, made on a production budget of $447 million, is still less than that of The Rings of Power. In comparison, the original Lord of the Rings trilogy is reportedly made on a production budget of only 260 million dollars for all the three films. The spinoff show has set a benchmark, outshining its predecessors with a notable margin. Indian films still trail behind. Kalki 2898 AD, RRR, and Adipurush , that are considered one of the most expensive Indian films, are still just 1/15th of the production budget, in comparison to what the Rings of Power's season 1 cost.
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Cost Of Latest ‘Jurassic World' Movies Roars Past $1 Billion
The cost of making the two latest Jurassic World movies has surged to $1.1 billion (£885.6 million) according to documents recently filed by Universal Pictures. The monster spending spree includes $583.9 million (£453.6 million) on Jurassic World: Dominion making it the most expensive movie of all time. The 2022 film narrowly beat previous record holder, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which cost £452 million to make. Dominion closed out Universal's Jurassic World trilogy and reunited the trio of stars who kicked off the franchise about reanimated dinosaurs in 1993. Lara Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill returned to join Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt who headlined the Jurassic World movies. The reunion didn't come cheap. In addition to blockbuster pay packets, Dominion had a hefty visual effects bill. It was also filmed at the height of the pandemic in 2020, causing the cast to quarantine for five months at the opulent Langley hotel while they filmed at nearby Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. The Langley is the former manor home of the third Duke of Marlborough and rooms cost more than $600 per night. It all added up. No other single movie has had higher costs disclosed in publicly-available filings. Marvel's Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War together cost more at a total of $1.3 billion (£1 billion) but were made by the same Disney subsidiary so it isn't possible to tell how much was spent on each one. In contrast, Dominion and its prequel, 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, were made by separate companies owned by Universal which shines a spotlight on the precise cost of both of them. 'Jurassic World Dominion' came with monster costs © 2022 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. The price tag of movies made in the United States is usually a closely-guarded secret as studios combine their spending on all of their productions in their overall expenses and their filings don't itemize the cost of individual movies. It is a different story for movies made in the U.K. Its government offers studios a reimbursement of up to 25.5% of the costs they incur in the country provided that they spend at least 10% of the total there. In order to demonstrate this to the government, studios set up separate subsidiaries in the U.K. for each movie they make there. These companies are obliged to file financial statements which lift the curtain on everything from their headcount, salaries and social security payments to the total cost of the production. Universal did not respond to an opportunity to comment but its financial statements do the talking. It takes a bit of detective work to get the information from them as the companies usually have code names so that they don't raise attention with fans when filing permits to film on location. Dominion was made by Universal's subsidiary Arcadia Pictures which is named after a rescue ship that carries the dinosaurs to safety in Fallen Kingdom. The company behind that movie is called Ancient Futures in a nod to the cloning process which created the dinos. The financial statements are filed in stages which starts during pre-production and goes on long after the premiere to give the company time to ensure it has collected all of its bills and received the money for them. It explains why Arcadia Pictures only lodged its 2023 financial statements at the end of last year. They show that the company's costs increased by $96.1 million (£75.5 million) in 2023 bringing the total to $583.9 million (£453.6 million). Ancient Futures too is still incurring costs and its latest financial statements show they come to $555.4 million (£432 million) giving total expenses of $1.1 billion across both movies. However, it doesn't stop there. 'Jurassic World Dominion' was filmed in the U.K. © 2022 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. As this author recently revealed in The Guardian newspaper, the filings show that Dominion banked a blockbuster $114.8 million (£89.1 million) reimbursement which is understood to be the largest payment to a single movie since the U.K. introduced its film fiscal incentive scheme in 2007. It was also handed $3.7 million (£2.8 million) under the U.K.'s Coronavirus job retention scheme which helped to drive the net cost of Dominion down to $465.4 million (£361.7 million). Fallen Kingdom's reimbursement was slightly lower but still came to $90.9 million (£70.7 million) which brought its net cost down to $464.5 million (£361.3 million). Then come the takings. According to industry analyst Box Office Mojo, Dominion grossed $1 billion with Fallen Kingdom's haul coming to $1.3 billion. Universal didn't pocket all of it. The amount that theaters pay to studios is known in the trade as a rental fee and an indication of the typical level comes from film industry consultant Stephen Follows who interviewed 1,235 film professionals in 2014 and concluded that, according to studios, theaters keep 49% of the takings on average. This research lends weight to the widely-established 50-50 split which would put Universal's share of Dominion's spoils at approximately $500 million with $650 million coming from Fallen Kingdom. Deducting the net costs off these sums would leave Universal with a $34.6 million profit on the box office of Dominion and $185.5 million from Fallen Kingdom. And that's only based on the theater takings without including merchandise or home entertainment revenue which goes directly to the studio. However, it also doesn't factor in the marketing costs of the movies which are paid by the studio. The Jurassic World movies have been a dream ticket for Universal but perhaps the biggest beneficiary is the U.K. itself. According to the latest data from the British Film Institute (BFI), every $1.33 (£1) of reimbursement handed to studios generated $11 (£8.30) of additional Gross Value Added (GVA) benefit for Britain's economy in 2019. It helped the film incentives to generate a total of $10.2 billion (£7.7 billion) of GVA in 2019 but that's not all. The BFI's data also shows that between 2017 and 2019, the fiscal incentives for film yielded a record $18 billion (£13.5 billion) of return on investment to the U.K. economy and created more jobs than ever before. In addition to hiring a production crew, studios spend on services such as security, equipment hire, transport and catering. In 2019, this led to the creation of 49,845 jobs in London and 19,085 throughout the rest of the U.K. It's a win-win for the studio and the U.K. which explains why Universal returned to the country to film Jurassic World Rebirth which will premiere in July. The production company behind it has yet to file any financial statements so it remains to be seen whether it will break its predecessor's record.
Irish Daily Star
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
‘Wednesday' season two trailer offers peek at scenes filmed in Irish countryside
The official teaser trailer for Wednesday's season two has been released, and fans are excited to see the beloved show's new backdrop. Netflix released the teaser today—on a Wednesday, of course—giving fans a glimpse into the highly anticipated second season. The show stars Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in the gothic-comedy hit, which broke the record for the most hours viewed in a single week for an English-language series on Netflix. The second season, which will be released in two installments, will debut on August 6. The season was filmed in Ireland, where Jenna Ortega and director Tim Burton were spotted hanging out last summer. Read More Related Articles Donald Trump branded 'dumbest President ever' after six-word comment about Congo Read More Related Articles White House branded 'narcissistic' after brief 5-word tribute to Pope In the trailer, Wednesday returns for a second year at Nevermore Academy, a private school for outcasts, set in the fictional town of Jericho, Vermont. However, despite stating in the trailer that she was 'returning to the scene of a crime,' the location is different this time around. Season one was filmed in Bucharest, Romania, but production was moved to Ireland due to logistical challenges. The country is believed to have been chosen because of its attractive film industry and tax incentives. But the lush foliage, vast landscapes , and beautiful scenery were the perfect choice, particularly in Co Wicklow , where most of the scenes were shot at Ardmore Studios. The trailer shows scenes filmed on easily recognizable rural Irish roads. It seems that Powerscourt House and Gardens, a large country estate in Wicklow, was also used for some scenes. The estate fits the show's aesthetic perfectly and has a reputation for being spooky, with stories of ghosts and paranormal activity linked to its history and architecture. According to Screen Ireland, which has welcomed major films and TV shows like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Wednesday marks the 'largest production to ever film in Ireland' regarding production spend. Filming took around seven months to complete. Last April, legendary filmmaker Tim Burton visited the Guinea Pig restaurant in Dalkey in south Dublin, where he posed for pictures with the chef and owner. Ortega also ventured further than Co Wicklow during her time in Ireland. Last October, she was pictured visiting a sheepdog farm in Co Kildare. The 22-year-old was also spotted attending a music festival and a Chappell Roan concert in Dublin . For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
