How much money does it take to make a movie? Ask an independent filmmaker and he might answer in the thousands at least. Ask a big-time Hollywood producer and he or she might give a figure with lots of zeroes behind it.
Does money really matter when it comes to making movies? Are sky-high budgets a guarantee for higher box-office figures? We won’t really know until all ticket sales are in. What we do know is that the producers of the following films really spared no expense to get to them onto the bigscreen this year.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: $250 Million

The second installment of Peter Jackson’s second trilogy, this movie follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his motley crew of dwarven companions led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) as they seek to get their gold back from the dragon Smaug, as well as fending off the attacks of the mysterious Pale Orc.

Man of Steel: $225 Million

Man of Steel retells the story of how a survivor from a devastated planet came to earth and how he rose to became the world’s only hope against annihilation. Henry Cavill stars as Superman/Kal-El and Amy Adams plays Lois Lane in this more human onscreen portrayal of one of the most famous comic book superheroes of all time.

The Lone Ranger: $215 Million

An idealistic lawyer John Reid (Armie Hammer) is ambushed and left for dead when he joins a posse in search of an outlaw. When he wakes up renegade Comanche warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) becomes convinced he is the reborn spirit of vengeance and encourages him to follow the path of justice. Little did they expect this path would take them through many twists and turns, gunfights, chases and train rides.

Monsters University: $200 Million

What did Mike and Sully do before they became successful scarers? Or at least before one of them became a successful scarer? They went to college of course, just like any aspiring kid. Billy Crystal voices the big, blue and lovable Mike while John Goodman voices the introvert yet no-nonsense Sully in this Pixar imagining of how college life would be like in the world of monsters.

Iron Man 3: $200 Million

Emotionally scarred from the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark is thrust into another fight for his life and again has to prove himself when he is targeted by a mysterious terrorist calling himself ‘The Mandarin.’ After almost losing everything he holds dear, Stark decides the best way to survive is to fight back with everything he has. Win or lose, there is no middle ground.

Cont............

The Wolverine: $125 Million

Everyone’s favorite X-Men character returns for the sixth time to the bigscreen (he had a cameo in X-Men: First Class in case you forgot). This time, Logan who is played by Hugh Jackman is called to Japan by an old acquaintance where he has to face his greatest challenge yet. Even with his X-Men allies, Logan has never been a team player, now more alone than ever, he has to overcome his physical and emotional vulnerabilities if he wants to survive.

R.I.P.D.: $130 Million

When cops die do they go to heaven or hell? The answer is they join the R.I.P.D. (Rest In Peace Department). Their latest addition, Nick (Ryan Reynolds), is hell-bent on finding the man who killed him. It just so happens that he gets partnered with Roy (Jeff Bridges) one of the more cynical veterans of this undead police force.

After Earth: $130 Million

It has been a thousand years since mankind had to abandon Earth to ensure their survival, but when an asteroid storm damages the ship of general Cypher Raige (Will Smith) and his son Kitai (Jaden Smith), they are forced to crash-land on what was once humanity’s cradle. With his father incapacitated, Kitai must face his fears and brave the dangers of the now-unfamiliar earth to signal for help.