Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a huge deal for the superhero movie genre. Not only is it the first live action pairing of Batman and Superman, but it’s also helping to kick off the DC Extended Universe, Warner Bros.' own big screen superhero world that will compete against the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Obviously the studio was going to pour a lot of money into the project, but it appears they may have spent more green on it than previously thought.
According to Latino-Review, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s budget has risen to $410 million. Currently, 2011’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the record holder for most expensive movie, with total production costs adding up to $410.6 million. So it’s quite possible that DC’s next movie could surpass that figure. This news comes two weeks after it was reported that Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War movies might come with a $1 billion price tag. While that number sounds way too high to be real, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s total cost at least seems plausible.
There are a number of factors that could account for this massive budget. For one thing, the movie has a lot of big name actors, like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, and Jesse Eisenberg, and no doubt their salaries were quite high. Then there was the extended principal photography, which lasted from May 2014 to December 2014 and saw various location shoots around the United States. Finally, we can’t forget all the visual effects work, from Superman and Wonder Woman’s powers to Batman fighting in his massive armor to whatever mystery powerhouse the heroes have to fight. That part of post-production finished only a few days ago, so clearly there’s going to be a lot of visually stimulating content. Even if the $410 million figure isn’t accurate, it wouldn’t be surprising if Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice still ranks near the top of the list of most expensive movies.
The article also notes that Zack Snyder won’t have as much free reign with the budget for Justice League Part One and Part Two, which are about to begin a 16-month production run. Instead, those movies will be budgeted at a combined $500 million. That amount is certainly nothing to sneeze at for a blockbuster, but it does indicate that Warner Bros. isn’t willing to go extremely high on all their DC big screen productions. All this being said, with all the hype surrounding Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the enormous popularity of the leading characters, it’s likely that the movie will make back its budget, and then some…or should I say, and then A LOT!
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, 2016.
