Latest news with #StarWars:TheForceAwakens
Mint
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Top 7 most expensive movies ever made — From Star Wars: The Force Awakens to Avengers Endgame
Directors go the extra mile to give the audience a visual extravaganza. Be it the sci-fi genre or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these movies have not only shattered box-office records but have also gone on to become the most expensive films ever made. Motive: all to ensure that fans get the experience of a lifetime. As per IGN, these projects are the most expensive blockbusters ever made. JJ Abrams made the Star Wars franchise the favourite of a new generation of fans with The Force Awakens. The 2015 film brought back iconic characters such as Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). The film also marked the entry of characters like Kylo Ren, Rey and Finn. Chris Pratt's 2018 installment in the long-running dinosaur movie franchise managed to grab attention with its CGI effects and bloodthirsty prehistoric creatures. The movie was made on a budget of $432 million. The final movie of the new Star Wars trilogy, the massive budget of The Rise of Skywalker, revolved around the Resistance members facing off against the First Order once again. The movie starred Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Issac in pivotal roles. This was the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. But the massive budget and Johnny Depp's chemistry with Penelope Cruz kept the movie in the headlines. The movie had a budget of $379 million. The second movie to feature the six original Avengers together, Age of Ultron was one of the most expensive movies in the franchise. The film starred Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth, among others. Be it Tony Stark's ultimate sacrifice to win against Thanos or the 'I love you 3000' dialogue, this movie remains the high point of the Avengers franchise for many fans. The massive scale of the project and the star-studded cast created a film that Marvel fans would remember for ages. James Cameron is best known for big-budget movies like the Titanic and the Avatar franchise. The second part of the series, The Way of Water, was mounted on an equally large scale as the first part. Avatar: The Way of Water later became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, earning $2.3 billion globally. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the most expensive movie ever made, with a budget of $447 million. Avatar (2009) by James Cameron is the highest-grossing movie of all time. JJ Abrams made the most expensive film in the world with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
STARZ streaming deal: Save 66% on your first year
STARZ may be one of the more affordable streaming services out there, but that doesn't mean it isn't packed with amazing content. The streamer will keep you endlessly entertained with hits like "Outlander," "Minx," "The White Queen," and more. Plus, you can save even more on a subscription if you take advantage of the current STARZ deal. Right now, STARZ is offering new subscribers one year of streaming for just $23.99 if they opt for the annual payment plan or three months for $3.99 a month if they opt for the monthly payment plan. While this isn't the first time STARZ has offered this discount on the annual plan, we have yet to see the streamer advertise a lower price, so you can rest easy knowing you're getting the best deal possible. In addition to a wide selection of hit series, a subscription will also give you access to popular movies like "M3GAN," "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and more. Check out our full STARZ guide to learn more about content, pricing, and bundle options. Keep in mind that the current discount is only valid for the first year of your subscription if you choose the annual plan or the first three months if you choose the monthly plan. The annual deal also requires you to pay for the full year upfront. Once the deal window has passed, your subscription will automatically renew at the then-standard price (right now, that's $69.99 a year for the annual plan or $10.99 a month for the monthly plan). That said, you can cancel at any time. STARZ deal frequently asked questions Can current STARZ subscribers get the discount? The current STARZ deal is valid for new subscriptions only. Previous STARZ subscribers can still claim the discount if they cancel their current subscription and resubscribe. Does STARZ offer a free trial? At the time of writing, STARZ does not offer a free trial on its website. However, you can get a weeklong free trial of the service if you subscribe through another streaming app like Hulu or Prime Video. Keep in mind that you won't be eligible for the current STARZ discount unless you subscribe directly through the STARZ website. Should I get the monthly or annual STARZ deal? If you plan to keep your STARZ subscription long term, the annual deal is a much better value. For reference, if you opt for the monthly deal but choose to keep your subscription for a full year, you'll pay $110.88 for the year as opposed to the $23.99 if you choose the annual plan to begin with. That said, the annual deal requires you to pre-pay for all 12 months, so the monthly deal may be a better choice if you don't plan to keep the subscription for more than three months. For more deals like this, check out our guide to the best streaming deals and bundles. You can also explore roundups of the best Peacock promo codes and Paramount Plus coupons.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Jenna Ortega and Glen Powell spotted in Glasgow as JJ Abrams blockbuster transforms city
Filming for the latest JJ Abrams film, Ghostwriter, has taken over the streets with Hollywood stars Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega spotted Once again the streets of Scotland have been transformed into a film set for a new Hollywood blockbuster. Filming for the new sci-fi movie Ghostwriter has taken over the streets of Glasgow, with both Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega spotted in the city. Crew, production and film props were seen across the city yesterday (June 17) completely transforming the area into a movie set. Ghostwriter directed by J.J Abrams, known for creating several hit TV series like Lost, and blockbuster films such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Details about the movie remain under wraps, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, film icon Samuel L Jackson is set to play a major role in the new production. It's reported the film, Abram's first since his 2019 Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, is inspired by The Last Starfighter - a 1984 space movie about a video game player who is recruited to join an interstellar battle against alien forces. Several road closures were announced to accommodate the Warner Bros production and will continue to film until June 23, when production will finish filming in Glasgow. The crew previously filmed scenes in Edinburgh. Glasgow is said to be doubling as a futuristic New York for the movie, which will also feature Sex Education actress Emma Mackey. On Tuesday, Top Gun star Powell was spotted in the city centre of Glasgow, on Finnieston Street, beneath the Kingston Bridge. Filming then moved to Douglas Street, where photos taken by Glasgow Live show Powell's stunt double sprinting up the steep incline while chasing a co-star. Various sci-fi style vehicles, with quirky colours and in various shapes and sizes, were also positioned around the city, as well as various different futurist signs and lights scattered around the streets. Powell is no stranger to filming in Scotland, having recently shot Edgar Wright's reboot of the 1987 action movie The Running Man in November last year. The star was seen in various parts of Glasgow, and even spent the evening in The Locale pub in the city centre for the wrap party. The 36 year old was happy to take photos with locals, with the staff of the pub taking to Instagram to thank the cast and crew for the party. They shared a photograph of Powell and a worker on Instagram, alongside the caption: "Massive thanks to the Running Man crew for an amazing wrap party last night!" The Running Man is set to release in November of this year and also stars Josh Brolin, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, and Marvel star Katy O'Brian.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why do movie snacks cost so much? It's probably not what you think
(KODE & KSN) — It's pretty common knowledge that things like popcorn, soda, candy, and nacho cheese dip cost a lot more at a movie theater than they might at a grocery store, but have you ever wondered why? The answer may be a little more complicated than you'd think. There is a common assertion that movie theaters are simply price gouging by selling their concessions well above market value, but the reasons for this are not always based around maximizing profit, as some movie theaters, especially smaller regional chains and standalone theaters, make the staunch majority of their money from concessions. Contrary to popular belief, most of the profits from ticket sales go directly to the studio that produced the film, not the movie theater showing it. On average in the U.S., film studios take up to 60% of the box office, while theaters walk away with 40% or less. Distributing films is not a one-size-fits-all process. Studios will adjust their cut of ticket sales to give theaters showing movies less likely to be successful a higher cut to make up the difference, while a summer blockbuster might see the opposite, with the studio walking away with a higher percentage than usual as the film is sure to be profitable for both the studio and the theater. Today, the average rate for a movie ticket in the U.S. is $16.08. Following this average, the studio walks away with $9.65 for every ticket sold, while the theater receives $6.43 or less. Putting that number into a larger perspective, the highest grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation) is 'Avatar' (2009) at $2,923,706,026. Following the average, this means the studio walked away with approximately $1,754,223,724 while every movie theater that showed the film split the remaining $1,169,482,481, leaving the profit of the film for a single theater location to just thousands or even hundreds of dollars based on the size of the theater. These figures are based on the highest grossing film of all time, so keep in mind the average worldwide movie gross is only about $15,000,000, with large, big budget franchise films usually raking in between $300,000,000 and $700,000,000, meaning theaters rarely generate ticket sales to the levels they did with a box office behemoths like 'Avatar' or 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'. How do movie theater franchises and independent theaters make up the difference? Concession sales. On average 80% or more of profit for a movie theater is generated from concession sales. This is why you might see prices like $16 for a large popcorn bucket, $6.50 for a box of candy, and $7 for an ICEE drink. Movie theater snack prices, while high, are usually not designed to maliciously 'rip people off' as common sentiment suggests. If not for the high yield of profit from concession sales, movie theaters as they're known now would certainly fade fast, as most movie theaters (especially independent locations) pay their staff, renovate and repair, and pay utilities with money made on popcorn and jumbo hot dogs, not ticket sales. This is why many theaters offer combo deals, and why as time goes on, more and more theaters are branching out into less traditional offerings like specialty flavored popcorns, personal pizzas, and fried chicken strips. Boosting concessions profit boosts the theatres chances of long-term success. So, next time you take a night out at the movies, and feel the urge to tell a theater employee 'what a rip-off' that $8 small popcorn you bought is, remember without that purchase and all others like it, the employee assisting you could not be paid and the movie theater industry would not survive, especially in an era where streaming services and online content continue to usurp the traditional movie-going experience. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
$2 billion, 12 years, arrests: How world's most expensive video game cost more than Avatar, Avengers, Star Wars combined
The most expensive film ever made is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The seventh instalment of the Skywalker saga cost a staggering $447 million to make, and eventually paid back Disney all that and more with a billion-dollar run at the box office. Big numbers, right? But what if we told you that a video game cost more to make. Don't be surprised; it's not exactly Super Mario or Donkey Kong we are talking about, but the most ambitious game ever made. One that took a dozen years and over a billion dollars to make, and even a few arrests along the way. GTA VI (in full Grand Theft Auto VI) is the most expensive video game made in history. The eighth Grand Theft Auto main series game (and the 16th overall), GTA VI, is scheduled for release on May 26 next year (2026). But it has been in development since 2014. The Independent reported that the film has cost its makers, Rockstar Games, $1-2 billion, making it the biggest entertainment project in history. Just how big is that number? Even the conservative estimate - $1 billion - is more than the combined production budgets of Avatar, Avengers, and Star Wars. The three films cost $700 million together. GTA VI has broken the record for most expensive video game, beating Scopely's Monopoly Go, which cost just under a billion dollars, largely all on marketing, though. Genshin Impact ($900 million), Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War ($700 million), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ($640 million) round up the top 5. Rockstar first began work on GTA VI after the release of GTA V in 2014. But the preliminary work took over three years. Actual production only began in 2018 once Red Dead Redemption 2 - another big game from Rockstar - was released. The development was clouded in secrecy, and no release date was announced. Fans and journalists noted that the game was taking longer than usual when there was no update till 2020. After COVID-19 struck, Rockstar allowed employees to work remotely, which slowed the development further. For the first time, Rockstar gave a release date of 2025. But soon, it became clear that the game would overshoot the target. The reason was leaks. The first leak to hit the game was in 2022, when a social media user known as "teapotuberhacker" published 90 videos to the website GTAForums showing 50 minutes of work-in-progress game footage. Described as one of the biggest leaks in video game history, the incident sparked a legal war from Rockstar against the hacker, eventually leading to their arrest. In January 2025, another leak showed gameplay on PlayStation 5. The video, posted on Reddit, was later deleted. Eventually, a trailer came out in May 2025, and the release date of May 26, 2026, was announced. The delays GTA VI faced and Rockstar's refusal to address them frustrated many fans. Over the years, this resulted in an internet meme - 'before GTA 6'. In this, social media users would unlikely things taking place, noting that even such a bizarre thing happened before GTA 6 was released. Ironically, this increased the anticipation for the game even more. Like its predecessors, GTA VI is an open-world game set in the fictional U.S. state of Leonida, which is based on Florida. The game features multiple cities and two protagonists, a change from the previous GTA games. The story follows a criminal duo: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, the latter being the series' first non-optional female protagonist. Like other GTA games in the past, the game parodies modern pop culture, with the trailer including pot shots at social media and influencer culture in particular.
