8 of the Most Expensive Movie Sets Ever Made

Matrix Reloaded (Set cost: $2.5 million)

Due to the complex shooting requirements, a freeway was exclusively built for some action scenes.

An old unused military base was transformed to a freeway with the help of tons of concrete.

The road made was 1.5 miles long with 19 feet walls and an off ramp.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Price Caspian (Production cost: $225 million)
The creation of the world of Narnia was what contributed the most to this cost.
200 carpenters were employed to construct the set and over 7000 props used.
35 professional full-time prop designers were hired for making the props.
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The Dark Knight Rises (Production cost: $230 million)

Most of the money was spent on designing the action and suspense scenes in the movie.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, it became one of the most expensive movies made in 2012.

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Avatar (Production cost: $237 million)

Ground breaking filming techniques and graphics were extremely costly to do.

Director James Cameron wanted his characters to speak an entirely different language.

A special linguist Paul Frommer was given the job to create this new language.

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Waterworld (Production cost: Multi-million dollars!

This movie was a big investment in terms of set design.

The set was especially made to ease the shooting of multiple scenes at a single location.

A humongous island with a circumference of quarter of a mile was made.

It floated in the ocean off the coast of Hawaii.

So much steel was used in its construction that Hawaii faced a shortage of steel.

The man hours put into the design further added to the cost.

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Titanic (Production cost: $200 million)

The hugely detailed sets that appear throughout the money amounted to a big chunk of the expenses.

The taxes, wages of stars and crew also contributed to it.

The biggest of the sets was the one which was shot on a 40 acre property.

It has two huge tanks filled with 20 million gallons of water.

They also had a 90% scale replica of the starboard side of the ship.

This set alone cost $30 million.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (Production cost: $300 million)

Scenes shot across Port Royal, Isha de Muerte, Pelegosto, Tortuga, Isla Cruces and Singapore.

Singapore set had 40 structures placed within an 80 by 130 foot tank which was 1.1m deep.

The city designed in a parody spa culture.

Fungi was grown throughout the set.

Real humidity was created with the help of water and lightning equipment.

California set was water-drenched and kept in freezing temperatures.

Niagra Falls had 750 effect shots and various special effects were added post shooting.

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Ben Hur (Production cost: $15 million)

Shot in 1959, the producers spent $1 million to build a huge chariot arena.

1000 builders were employed to work over a year to carve out the track, place wooden structures and make grandstands.

White sand was imported from Mexico.

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