What is the most expensive independent movie ever made?
Some of the best films of 2025 so far have been arthouse, from Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, proving there’s a certain comfort that comes with shunning blockbusters for independent movies.
When we think of indie films, we generally think of a greater means of expression and entertainment, with directors, screenwriters and even actors who have been given the liberty to explore their craft in ways that mainstream blockbusters or studios can’t afford. This is, of course, a big, sweeping statement that is true in some places while not in others, but looking back at history, there are some impeccably compelling cases.
It’s also the reason why countless directors and actors have praised studios like A24 for giving voice to independent screenwriters and directors in a way that major studios can’t or don’t, allowing for a focus on the depth and intricacy of storytelling to the point where so-called ‘A24 movies’ have almost become their own independent genre.
While they’ve since put the feelers out to expand from indie to mainstream, there’s still that unique placement that especially first-time directors and actors have the space to put out their best work, even if it has started to take notes from some of the more obvious majors.
What is the most expensive independent movie ever made?
As Lulu Wang put it, “If [A24] keeps getting independent films made and protecting the voices that make them, I don’t care if that comes with a mug”.
Obviously, this mindset stretches beyond the production house and into the general infrastructure of Hollywood, but it does come with its share of criticism. After all, some indie movies of late are also some of the worst pieces of cinema you’ll ever see (the Terrifier franchise, for instance), but suppose that’s the price to pay for equal opportunities.
And even then, they are not a chip on an otherwise impressive streak, with such films making up some of the most expensive and best-selling ever made, such as The Passion of the Christ, for instance, which holds the accolade for the highest-grossing independent film ever made, followed by other legendary titles like Se7en, American Beauty, Parasite, and Pulp Fiction. On the other end, the most expensive indie ever made, however, is Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, with a budget of around $180million.
While it doesn’t quite rival the most expensive film ever made, which goes to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker at a whopping $480m, certainly putting things into perspective when you consider it sits alongside titles like Titanic at $200m, Terminator 2 at $94m, and King Kong at $207m, still, much like those, Valerian needed a hefty budget thanks to its heavy use of CGI, not to mention the number of big names waiting on a cheque, from Cara Delevingne and Rihanna to Ethan Hawke and even Herbie Hancock!
To rub salt in the wound, the cost of creating Valerian was no match for its reception, and aside from its mixed reviews, it also grossed at around $226m, becoming one of the most notable box office bombs in film history. Obviously, it didn’t completely tank, but considering the cost output and the reaction afterwards, it seems not even one of the biggest independent sci-fi epics was immune to diminishing returns.
