The Most Expensive Film Ever: Why The New Budget Increase Is Concerning

CGI-intensive films such as “Avatar” and “Jurassic World” were once the most expensive films ever to be released. Well, a film in an entirely different genre has taken the cake as the costliest film of all time. 

The Background

Brad Pitt has been working on a Formula 1 movie for the last few years, bringing on world-renowned F1 driver Lewis Hamilton as a producer. After a brief shutdown in shooting due to the actor’s strike, the project is back on track. However, the revised budget and potential distribution problems are causing some headaches for the filmmakers. 

The F1 movie, which has not been named as of yet, will follow an older driver who’s been called back into the sport to support a younger star. Crews are filming actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris racing across famous F1 tracks and during the buildup to events such as the British and Hungarian Grand Prix. 

How Could the Budget Balloon to Over $300 Million? 

Well, the answer is pretty simple. 

Production delays, as well as putting actors into real race cars and capturing their every maneuver around the track and in the cockpit, are some of the reasons for the mounting budget. 

Producers have also decided to feature real F1 race car drivers in the film, adding another complexity to the budget. Modified Formula 2 machinery was also outfitted and reconstructed to model F1 cars for the movie alongside additional safety measures and production costs.

That's not to mention that while the film is being produced for Apple TV, it still does not have any theatrical distribution or release date, two major problems the film will need to decide and figure out in the coming months.

The Film’s Expensive Predecessors

The $300 million budget will put the movie alongside films such as “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” which put a particular emphasis on realism in its CGI, as well as the original “Avatar” movie known for its experimental and ground-breaking work in live animation.

Due to these sky-high costs, the movie will reportedly need to make more than $750 million at the box office to just break even after all things, such as marketing and distribution costs, are taken into account. If Brad Pitt is able to pull such a feat off, this will become one of his most ambitious and daring projects.

The Growing F1 Industry

F1 is a booming industry, bringing in $3.2 billion in 2023, and it is expected to only grow from here as US fans take interest. The Las Vegas race this year brought the city over $1.5 billion in economic impact. This movie will surely pique the interest of more new fans and will be a great move for the racing industry as a whole.