The 8 Most Expensive Movies Per Minute of Screen Time

Reported budget divided by runtime, priciest minute last. Then the real question: can you see the money on screen, or did it vanish somewhere off camera?

Number one spent a reported $638.9 million, and for once you can see every dollar.

1. 8
   Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)6.0

   Every expensive minute is hiding in the dark.

   A reported $365.7 million for 135 minutes, and half of it is lit like a power outage. Alden Ehrenreich tried his best. The movie.guru score is a 6.3.
2. 7
   Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)7.8

   Best-looking movie on this list, and it isn't close.

   A reported $414.6 million for 152 minutes, and you can see it: red salt, throne rooms, huge fleets. $1.33 billion worldwide. IMDb voters still stop at 6.8.
3. 6
   Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)3.9

   So murky you can't find the money, or the plot.

   A reported $410.6 million for 137 minutes. $1.05 billion worldwide said yes. Critics ranked it above 21% of notable movies and said no. Jack Sparrow is out of tricks.
4. 5
   Disney's Snow White (2025)3.3

   You can see the money. You'll wish you couldn't.

   A reported $336.5 million for 109 minutes, and it all went into CGI companions nobody asked for. IMDb voters gave it a 2.2 from 398,917 votes, the lowest on this list.
5. 4
   Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)6.0

   One dizzy multiverse tumble is worth the price. The rest isn't.

   A reported $414.9 million for 126 minutes, and one trip through a paint universe looks like every penny. The rest is people standing near portals explaining things. IMDb says 6.8.
6. 3
   Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)7.4

   Every dollar is on screen. Too many of them at once.

   A reported $444 to $495.2 million for 141 minutes, and a floating city to show for it. $1.41 billion worldwide. Audiences rank it above 85% of notable movies, critics 60%.
7. 2
   Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)4.4

   Looks like a fortune, plays like a rough cut.

   A reported $593.7 million for 141 minutes, and every frame is shiny. Opening crowds gave it a C minus, and the movie.guru score is a 3.8. Expensive and somehow unfinished.
8. 1
   Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)8.9

   Real sets, real sand, real Harrison Ford. Money well spent.

   A reported $638.9 million for 138 minutes and $2.07 billion worldwide. Critics rank it above 90% of notable movies, and the movie.guru score is a 9.0, the best here.

$275.32 says you tried the per-minute math in your head and gave up at Ultron.

Share it: X | Facebook | Copy link

Current mood: ready to fight about it