We now seemingly have the actual budget for Disney’s The Marvels, contradicting some earlier reports that had it at the low end for an MCU movie.
Forbes reports today that, per financial documents from Disney, the company spent $274.8 million on The Marvels, also banking a hefty $55 million subsidy from the U.K. government, bringing its total spend to $219.8 million. As the report notes, it’ll have to make approximately $439.6 million at the global box office to break even, as theaters take roughly half of the revenue from the studios.
Marvel movies don’t usually have a tough time hitting that half-billion mark, with some exceptions. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 got up to $845 million this past summer, per Box Office Mojo, although Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania struggled against mixed reviews to get to only $476 million. But before that, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness all grossed well over $700 million, with the Doctor Strange sequel getting close to the coveted $1 billion mark.
The Marvels’ budget was an issue of some debate earlier this week, when a Vanity Fair profile of director Nia DaCosta said the budget was apparently around $130 million, sounding pretty low for an MCU movie. However, the number has since apparently been deleted from the profile.
It is possible that $130 million was just the production budget for The Marvels, with the $270 million number also including promotion and marketing, which also ends up taking a hefty chunk out of studio budgets. But to be clear, even if the budget did come in under normal standards, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially in an uncertain market – The Flash, for example, will end up losing money for Warner Bros. with a reported budget of around $300 million.
The Marvels hits theaters Nov. 10. For more, check out everything we know about Marvel’s upcoming movies and shows.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
