Disney recently revealed that the production cost for the 2022 superhero film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness skyrocketed to a staggering $414.9 million (£331.9 million), positioning it among the most expensive projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even surpassing the budget of the ensemble spectacle Avengers: Age of Ultron.

As per Forbes, the budget details surfaced in filings released earlier this week, revealing that Avengers: Age of Ultron incurred 6.4% lower expenses compared to Multiverse of Madness but earned triple the profits based on box office returns. This culminated in a total expenditure of $414.9 million, followed by a £51.4 million ($64.3 million) reimbursement from the UK government, effectively reducing Disney's expenditure on Multiverse of Madness to $350.6 million.

Serving as the sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness features Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as the titular sorcerer embarking on a mission to thwart Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch from ensnaring a young girl with interdimensional travel abilities. The film served as the cornerstone of MCU's Phase Four and introduced the multiverse narrative format, facilitating crossover events among Marvel characters from diverse studios.

Major Cameos Were Featured in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Multiverse of Madness marked Disney's introduction of the character Mister Fantastic, portrayed by John Krasinski and Patrick Stewart's Professor X, known for their appearances in 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises. Accomplishing this feat demanded a heftier budget.

Movie budgets are closely guarded and typically shrouded in secrecy by major studios. However, productions shot in the United Kingdom, including Multiverse of Madness, stand as exceptions. The film was produced by a Disney subsidiary named Supreme Works Productions II, a homage to Doctor Strange's title as the sorcerer supreme. Studios filming in the UK benefit from the government's "Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit," offering a cash return of up to 25.5% for films produced in the UK. To qualify, films undergo a points-based assessment evaluating factors such as the extent of production in the UK, portrayal of UK elements, UK-based score recordings and the proportion of UK talent in key roles.

Recently, Disney CEO Bob Iger told analysts that he has "been working hard with the studio to reduce output and focus more on quality". Iger added that when it comes to the MCU "we're slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four, and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, at the maximum three."

Source: Forbes