"King Kong", "Avatar" and other films that used the most expensive special effects in cinema history

“King Kong”, “Avatar” and other films in cinema history that used the most expensive special effects

Without special effects, it would have been impossible to create many of the famous films that millions of viewers love to watch. Through computer graphics, it is possible to see other worlds, meet extraordinary characters, and travel to a completely different era. And the events on the screen seem truly real.

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019) — $356 million

Considered one of the most expensive franchises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe today, “Avengers: Endgame” is a massive ensemble film. A great many of its locations and episodes were created using computer graphics. Of course, special effects were also necessary to depict the large-scale battles between the superheroes.

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (2018) — $170 million

The remade version of the famous dinosaur film shot by Steven Spielberg in the early 90s differs from its predecessor, first and foremost, by its special effects. The events take place not only on a wild island, but the species of dinosaurs have also multiplied several times. Of course, all of them were created in computer graphics.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) — $245 million

After Lucasfilm was sold to the Disney corporation, millions of fans around the world eagerly awaited the return of George Lucas's legendary franchise. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” takes place 30 years after the events of Episode VI, in which a new generation of heroes and villains stirs up the forces in a galaxy far, far away. Naturally, viewers expected scenes of large-scale space battles taking place on many planets. All of this required a major investment in the film.

“The Avengers” (2012) — $220 million

Marvel's next ensemble film amazed viewers. Many find it hard to believe that in previous films, the defenders of Earth generated separate revenues, fully justifying the ambitions of the studio executives. In “The Avengers” film, too, with the help of special effects, many heroes unite against global evil forces that want to take over planet Earth.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011) — $250 million

The fourth installment of the franchise tells the story of the new adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. In the fourth film, Jack's adventures take place in several locations. The authors decided to introduce the viewer to the cultural and architectural features of different parts of the world and their pirate customs. Along with the abundance of sea battles, special effects were also used for several supporting characters at a great expense.

“Alice in Wonderland” (2010) — $150-200 million

The work “Alice in Wonderland” by the genius of surrealism Tim Burton tells of unbelievable adventures. Although his version of “Alice” is quite dark, it is still based on the famous book. The mysterious and unusual atmosphere was naturally created with the help of special effects.

“Avatar” (2009) — $237 million

The main film of the new millennium remained forever as one of the highest-grossing films in cinema history. For obvious reasons, a significant part of the budget was spent on special effects: the battles between humans and the local inhabitants living on the mysterious and distant planet Pandora take place amidst exotic nature.

“Transformers” (2007) — $150 million

Michael Bay's film is about the confrontation between Autobots and Decepticons. They have been at war for thousands of years, and Earth has become the new battlefield between them. Surprisingly, both the preservation of the confrontation and the chance to end it lie in the hands of a young and inexperienced teenager, Sam Witwicky. The robots and their transformations were created using computer graphics. Most of the events in the film were shot on a green screen.

“Spider-Man 3” (2007) — $258 million

The third part of Sam Raimi's small franchise is also about the adventures of the superhero Spider-Man. In this chapter, the battles with antagonists are shown in high quality thanks to special effects. With the help of the magical web, sand, explosions, and destroyed buildings, it is difficult to find a flaw in the clash; everything was executed as perfectly as possible.

“King Kong” (2005) — $207 million

Skilled director Peter Jackson decided to remake the famous film about King Kong in the mid-2000s. At that time, the film was very expensive because the giant gorilla had to be created entirely using computer graphics, rather than using a puppet as in the films of the 40s and 50s. A large part of the budget was spent on creating King Kong, as well as on other episodes of the film. Due to the good investment, the film managed to recoup its costs.