Universal breaks Disney’s record of highest budget movie

Newly filed financial records revealed the scale of spending behind the 2022 dinosaur blockbuster

Jurassic World Dominion has officially become the most expensive film ever produced, according to newly analysed financial records that show Universal Pictures spent nearly $659m bringing the blockbuster to the screen.

The 2022 release has overtaken Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which previously held the record after costing approximately $639m to produce.

Recently filed financial statements examined by industry analysts revealed that NBCUniversal invested $658.8m in Jurassic World Dominion, making it the costliest production in Hollywood history. The figure surpasses the amount spent on Disney’s 2015 revival of the Star Wars franchise by almost $20m.

Released in 2022, Jurassic World Dominion marked the conclusion of Universal’s Jurassic World trilogy. The film reunited franchise stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard with original Jurassic Park cast members Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill, bringing together generations of characters from the long running dinosaur saga.

The production budget highlights the growing scale of modern blockbuster filmmaking. Rising visual effects costs, extensive location work and disruptions experienced across the industry in the early 2020s contributed to increasingly expensive productions.

Before the latest figures emerged, Star Wars: The Force Awakens had held the record for more than a decade. The Disney production played a crucial role in reviving the iconic science fiction franchise and generated enormous returns at the global box office following its December 2015 release.

Despite its extraordinary production costs, Jurassic World Dominion performed strongly commercially. The film became one of the highest grossing releases of 2022 and further cemented the enduring popularity of the franchise that began with Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park in 1993.

The original Jurassic Park revolutionised visual effects and became one of the defining films of the 1990s. Nearly three decades later, the franchise remains one of Universal’s most valuable properties, generating billions of dollars through cinema releases, merchandise and theme park attractions.

The latest record also highlights the ongoing rivalry between major Hollywood studios. Disney had previously dominated the list of the most expensive productions through large scale projects connected to Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Universal has now claimed the top position with its dinosaur epic.

Neither Universal nor Disney immediately commented on the findings.