Marvel’s Costliest Blockbuster Ever Isn’t an Avengers Film

Marvel spends big. That part is obvious. The part that isn’t: the priciest MCU movie to date isn’t Avengers: Endgame. It’s 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Yes, the R-rated one that feels like a buddy road trip with jokes, claws, and a lot of cameos. Let’s unpack how this happened and where the rest of the MCU’s most expensive titles land on the board.

Deadpool & Wolverine: the most expensive MCU movie... somehow

Per Forbes, Deadpool 3’s production clocked in at about $533.7 million before incentives (the 'gross' budget) and roughly $429 million after rebates and tax credits (the 'net' cost). For perspective, the first Deadpool cost around $58 million, the second about $110 million. That jump isn’t a bump; it’s a cliff.

YouTuber Sean Chandler tried reverse-engineering where the money might have gone: pay Hugh Jackman tens of millions to return, give Ryan Reynolds the expected raise, and sprinkle in a bunch of cameo checks. He ballparks an extra $100 million just for the expanded cast and talent deals. Add strike-related shutdown costs from the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA stoppages — he estimates roughly a 20% hit, around $40 million — and you’re still in the $250 million neighborhood.

Disney’s 2025 filings indicate the real number was far higher, which led Chandler to the obvious question:

"Where did this money go?"

His take: it’s not obvious on screen. The movie plays like a road trip with open-field showdowns and plenty of VFX, but not the sort of CG that typically costs the moon. He calls the outlay "unbelievably reckless spending," noting that even with the hype and the performance of the first two films, a $1.3 billion worldwide gross isn’t the kind of return you want when you risk that much. And when strikes inflate every dollar you spend, the math gets even uglier.

Whether you agree with him or not, it’s hard to ignore how strange it is that the MCU’s costliest project is also one of its scrappiest-looking. That disconnect is the story.

(For the record: Deadpool & Wolverine scores sit at IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 78% Tomatometer and 94% Audience, and it’s streaming on Disney+.)

The rest of Marvel’s big spenders

Second place goes to Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Its production budget has been pegged between about $444 million and $495.2 million before incentives, with a reported net around $365 million. It earned $1.39 billion worldwide, and landed at IMDb 7.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 75% Tomatometer and 82% Audience. Streaming on Disney+.

Third is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), with an estimated $414.9 million gross budget and $350.6 million net. It made $952.2 million globally, with scores of IMDb 6.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes 73% Tomatometer and 85% Audience. Also on Disney+.

Fourth is Avengers: Endgame (2019), typically reported in the $356–400 million range. It earned $2.7 billion, with IMDb 8.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 94% Tomatometer and 90% Audience. Disney+ has it.

Fifth is Avengers: Infinity War (2018), estimated between $325–400 million. It pulled in $2.04 billion, with IMDb 8.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 85% Tomatometer and 91% Audience. Streaming on Disney+.

However you slice it, those five delivered critically and commercially. Some of them just delivered more bang per buck than others.

Who actually topped the box office?

Big budgets don’t automatically equal the biggest grosses. Per The Numbers, here’s how Marvel’s top ten global earners stack up — with scores, price tags, and where to stream them now:

1. Avengers: Endgame (2019) — IMDb 8.4/10; RT 94% | 90%; estimated budget $400 million; worldwide $2.7 billion; streaming on Disney+.
2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — IMDb 8.4/10; RT 85% | 92%; estimated budget $300 million; worldwide $2.0 billion; streaming on Disney+.
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — IMDb 8.2/10; RT 93% | 97%; estimated budget $200 million; worldwide $1.9 billion; streaming on Netflix.
4. The Avengers (2012) — IMDb 8.0/10; RT 91% | 91%; estimated budget $225 million; worldwide $1.5 billion; streaming on Disney+.
5. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) — IMDb 7.3/10; RT 75% | 82%; estimated budget $365 million; worldwide $1.39 billion; streaming on Disney+.
6. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) — IMDb 7.5/10; RT 78% | 94%; estimated budget $200 million; worldwide $1.3 billion; streaming on Disney+.
7. Black Panther (2018) — IMDb 7.3/10; RT 96% | 79%; estimated budget $200 million; worldwide $1.3 billion; streaming on Disney+.
8. Iron Man 3 (2013) — IMDb 7.1/10; RT 79% | 78%; estimated budget $200 million; worldwide $1.2 billion; streaming on Disney+.
9. Captain America: Civil War (2016) — IMDb 7.8/10; RT 90% | 89%; estimated budget $250 million; worldwide $1.15 billion; streaming on Disney+.
10. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) — IMDb 7.3/10; RT 91% | 95%; estimated budget $160 million; worldwide $1.13 billion; streaming on Disney+.

The bottom line

Marvel can still mint money, but Deadpool & Wolverine being the costliest MCU film is a curveball — especially when the finished product isn’t exactly a spectacle buffet. If Disney really spent north of $400 million after incentives, that’s a wild bet for an R-rated romp. It paid off at the box office, sure. The question is whether it paid off enough for that price tag.