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As the global box office revenue for Avengers: Endgame approaches 3 billion dollars (2.7 billion as of this publication) we thought it would be fun to break down the reported production and marketing budgets for the biggest summer blockbuster in movie-making history. Although Disney is keeping the actual figures close to the vest, there have been multiple reports about different aspects of the production costs that can be used to estimate most of the gaps and unknowns.
Click on the “Types of Spending” button below to see the breakdown:
It appears the Marvel bosses tried to keep things simple by paying all four Avenger’s actors the same. The standardization in actor pay could also be due to many of the cast members signing multi-film deals years in advance of the production of Endgame. Not all actor salaries are known, but it has been reported that Robert Downey Jr. took as much as half of the total Avengers: Endgame acting budget.
The biggest production expenses are typically for Visual Effects, Music and post-production. Disney also paid two writers, two directors, twelve producers, and a huge supporting crew. They also had massive production design investments, live set and studio costs, costumes, catering, accommodation, transportation, travel, hotel stay, etc.
The reported 200 million dollar marketing spend is the most hotly disputed aspect of the Avengers: Endgame budget. As many have noted, the 200 million dollar figure represents the “media value of Marvel global promo partner pushes“. In other words, this is not the money Disney is spending to market the movie directly. The 200M number is just the estimated worth of all the Endgame P&A marketing + all corporate partner tie-ins. One part of the marketing budget that is not in doubt is the domestic TV ad spend ($24.5 million as of May 24th 2019), which can be used to estimate to total international marketing budget. We expect the domestic television advertising spend for Avengers: Endgame to exceed that of Captain Marvel ($37.6 million total) as spending continues over the summer.
Sources:
https://stylecaster.com/avengers-endgame-cast-salary/#slide-3
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/avengers-endgame-marvel-promo-campaign-cost-mcu-infinity-war-release-date-a8875676.html
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/335168/endgame-hits-massive-box-office-records-with-mo.html
https://stephenfollows.com/how-are-movie-advertising-budgets-spent/
https://www.fastcompany.com/90340377/200-million-in-tie-ins-a-look-at-the-avengers-endgame-marketing-machine
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/336306/summer-movies-screen-higher-national-tv-ad-spend.html
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=marvel2019.htm
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