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The most expensive movie CGIs have been the main cause in skyrocketing the cost of production; however, in most cases, it also ends up generating maximum profits in box office sales. CGI stands for computer-generated imagery, and after the invention of photography and motion pictures, it could be seen as the next landmark invention in the world of production.
CGIs are created by using applications on a console that lead to the creation of graphical or visual imagery. CGIs are used in movies across genres; however, they are more prevalent in action, science fiction, and superhero movies. In such productions, the use of CGI is pivotal as it leads to the creation of fantastical effects that are not tangible in real life but are only imaginable.
Here are some of the movies that have spent an enormous chunk of their production budget on CGI.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy is a movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although it is not strictly tied to the Marvel franchise's other superheroes. The second volume of Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 2017, and once again, Marvel proved that it was the best in creating CGI.
Guardians of the Galaxy usually features unknown planets and alien characters, but the scene that stole the show in this second volume was that one that showed Ego's planet. This planet was a living creature in the storyline of MCU. To make a planet look like a living thing, the creators crossed all boundaries and created one of the most expensive CGIS in cinema history. The agreed budget for this masterpiece was about $232 million.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Although Alice's Journey in Wonderland was not on a bed of roses, as she had several antagonistic forces to deal with in the rabbit hole, this movie does not feature as much violence as other superhero movies. This movie nevertheless employs almost the same amount of CGI effects.
Thus, it does not come as a surprise that Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton, is one of the most expensive CGIs. Like Avatar, the characters and their costumes in this movie were part of CGI effects because the story was based on optical illusions and distortions. The budget for this movie was about $200 Million.
King Kong (2005)
The movie King Kong has had its share of sequels and remakes, but the one that still remains a classic is the King Kong that came out in 2005. This masterpiece by Peter Jackson also employed heavy CGI effects, which led to the increased budget for film production.
First and foremost, the main character of this movie was the gorilla named King Kong, and he himself was a result of a brilliant CGI effect. The scenes featuring dinosaurs, gigantic wild creatures, helicopter crashes, and explosions were also produced with CGIs. Altogether, it took $207 million to make this movie, but the box office returns were quite handsome - about $550 million.
Avatar (2009)
Avatar is the movie that is always used as an example for CGIs in a film studies class. In a sense, the employment of CGIs in this movie is also pretty meta because it is a narration of artificial intelligence and the effects of simulation. As such, 70 percent of the film was CGI.
James Cameron can possibly vouch for the fact that the film's high budget was because of the amazing CGI effects. The main characters do not look like normal humans because it portrays the story of an alien world called Pandora with blue creatures and their fantastical pets. The budget for this film was around $237 million, but it paid off when it became a blockbuster and earned a gross amount of about $760 million.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Every movie of the Marvel universe is heavily dependent on CGI, but some of them are so brilliant that they out top the others in terms of favorable reception and critical acclaim. One of the recent movies, Avengers: Endgame, that came out in 2019, is one such prime example.
Avengers: Age of Ultron featured an iconic end fight that had blown the minds of Marvel fans, but the Endgame changed made that iconic fight scene look childish. Firstly, it took a lot of money and effort to create Thanos - the ultimate villain against whom all Avengers fought. Secondly, almost the entire movie was a prolonged war scene between the heroes of earth and aliens from other planets. With a jaw-dropping budget of about $356 million, the movie ultimately pulled in about $3 billion in box office sales worldwide.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
All of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have memorable scenes that portray the most brilliant CGI effects. But the one that stands out among these is the one from the 2011 movie called Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Other than drooling over the fact that Johnny Depp starred in this movie as the infamous Jack Sparrow, fans went gaga over the insane cinematic effects used in it. Other than featuring period-centric pirates and their fancy boats, it also shows the famous Fountain of Youth. No wonder the movie cost $250 million to make.
These were not only the most expensive movie CGIs but also the most iconic. Marvel has probably created some of the most expensive CGIs in cinema history, followed by DC. Movie franchises like Avengers, King Kong, Jurassic World, and Star Wars have created such lofty standards for CGIs that now there is no turning back, and the benchmark is set way too high for other production houses.
Source: CBR, Screen Rant, Quirky Byte, Insider