Just How Big Is Netflix's One Piece Budget?
The hit show was quite expensive to produce.
It's official: the live-action adaptation of the iconic Japanese manga One Piece has now become the most popular Netflix show of 2023, breaking an impressive record previously held by Stranger Things Season 4 and Wednesday. Less than a week after its release, the first season of One Piece ranked as the number-one show on Netflix in 84 countries, a significant achievement for such a new production and the definitive proof that Netflix's producers made an honest effort to make the show great, rather than just cashing in on a popular property.
Given such astounding success, it's only natural that the streaming giant would renew One Piece for a second season, and fans are wondering if Netflix will give the showrunners more money to adapt the most outlandish arcs from the original manga. But how much did the first season really cost?
The Price Of Success
From the outset, it was clear that One Piece was going to be an expensive show to make, seeing how the adventures and superpowers depicted in the manga clearly required a substantial budget to be rendered in live-action. However, it seems that no one anticipated Netflix would be willing to bet so much on such a risky show, as the news of a $17 million per episode budget shocked many fans.
However, when you think about it, this price tag is actually not that high, especially when you take into account that most of the show was filmed on location without extensive use of CGI. Furthermore, most of the props created for the first season could easily be reused for future instalments!
'I think a lot of people overestimate the amount they spend on CGI versus the amount they save. A lot of money went to on-location shoots, large props, large sets, large crowds. There were also covid delays (which do cost money) and pretty big reshoots. The show would be a lot cheaper if they actually did more CGI,' a fan said.
In any case, with the incredible success that One Piece is enjoying, Netflix executives are bound to regard the show's $138 million budget as money well spent.