The Hobbit trilogy of films is not cheap to make as a recent report claimed that it took around $745 million to get these films up and running. That number is three times the amount it took to create The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
We doubt Warner Bros. cares much about the cost of making this trilogy because the studio has already made a huge profit and the final film in the trilogy isn't even out yet. It must be a good feeling as the potential is there to make an extra billion dollars if the final film is accepted warmly.
We're not quite sure what the $745 million entails, but it does set a new high for movie production. However, we should bear in mind that on a per-film basis, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, is the most expensive movie of all time, as it took $300 million to make.
The film wasn't the best, but it still managed to more than double the cost.
Interestingly enough, the proposed budget of the first two films back in 2007 was around $150 million. That was at a time when Warner Bros. was interested in making a two-part movie, but things changed and the cost shot up, and a third movie was forced in.
Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies, was rumored to be the man behind the high expenses, as he wanted the best CGI for the Hobbit films. It all paid off, though, as Smaug is the best looking dragon on the big screen, and we doubt any other film will take that crown anytime soon.
We should also point out that The Hobbit films are making more money in the international markets, proving that the U.S. is no longer the prime source for making the big bucks, though it is the most important single market.
At the end of the day, we have to wonder; with the rise of technology, it appears as if making a film is not getting cheaper, but more expensive. So, where is the benefit to the bottom line? Food for thought, my friends.
