Leonardo Dicaprio is one of this generation’s greatest actors who worked with many legendary directors. Here are his priciest projects to date
Leonardo DiCaprio continues to be a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. This versatile actor has dominated several critically-acclaimed films, and many have been serious blockbusters. He works with some of the most iconic directors out there, and of course, some of these flicks had a serious budget.
In case you’re wondering how much dough goes into the brilliant result that are Leo’s best movies, we’re here to settle the score. However, have you ever wondered if the risk reaped the proper reward? Here are the 10 most expensive Leonardo DiCaprio’s movies, and how much they actually made at the worldwide box office (according to The Numbers and Box Office Mojo).
Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood (2019) – Budget: $90 Million
This is Leo’s newest flick. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Leo starred alongside Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Austin Butler, and Emile Hirsch. Obviously, this film had a decent budget.
With $90 million, this cast and crew took us on a pretty spectacular trip through Hollywood’s Golden Age, filled with movie sets, career roadblocks, and even crime. This movie grossed $372 million worldwide, which made for about 4 times as much as they put in. Obviously, that’s nothing to cry about.
Gangs Of New York (2002) – Budget: $97 Million
This classic crime flick takes place in 1862 Amsterdam, and Leo stars in this Martin Scorsese directed drama. With a whopping cast at his side, it’s no surprise that this old-fashioned crime drama required so much dough. Even those costumes are to die for, right?
However, this movie still managed to gross $193.7 million, which isn’t surprising for a Leo, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz flick directed by the mastermind, Scorsese. This movie doubled its production budget in returning gross.
Blood Diamond (2006) – Budget: $100 Million
This is a classic drama with Leonardo, and it tells the story of a fisherman, a smuggler, and a businessmen syndicate who are at odds over a priceless diamond. This movie required a substantial amount, and grossed $171.7 million worldwide.
They didn’t double up, but we don’t think $71 million is anything to really sneer at. It might surprise you this underrated flick cost more than the previous two, but apparently it takes a lot of money to create a stellar adventure film.
Django Unchained (2012) – Budget: $100 Million
Leonard DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino team up again for this classic drama Western. Starring Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz, this movie is about a freed slave who teams up with a German bounty hunter. Leo is a rich plantation owner, and this role certainly blew us away.
Honestly, it’s kind of impressive they made this film with $100 million, because you know how many explosions, fights, and incredible props were used to create the final product. Well, they’re laughing now, because this flick grossed $425.4 million.
The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013) – Budget: $100 Million
This is unarguably one of Leo’s most iconic and memorable roles. He plays Jordan Belfort in this biography crime drama, and this movie follows his rise to becoming a wealthy stock-broker amidst crime and corruption. This one is also directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, and Jon Favreau.
Clearly, this budget is totally reasonable, and this movie also raked in about $392 million worldwide. Yes, that’s quadruple their production budget, which, definitely isn’t a bad day for this Oscar-nominated film.
The Aviator (2004) – Budget: $110 Million
Obviously, Scorsese and Tarantino are both willing to offer up quite a huge budget for their infamous films. Scorsese strikes again in this biography drama, which tells the story of director and aviator Howard Hughes from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Starring Leo as the main man, it also includes Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Alec Baldwin, and John C. Reilly. That may seem pretty pricey, but this movie pulled in $213.7 million worldwide. That’s twice the budget, so it’s definitely not a disappointment.
The Revenant (2015) – Budget: $135 Million
This is the flick where Leo finally brought him his long-anticipated and well-deserved Academy Award. Directed by the wonderful Alejandro G. Iñárritu, this biography action adventure takes place during a fur trading expedition during the 1820s, where Leo’s character is left to die after being mauled by a bear.
Yes, this winter wonderland cost a hefty bill to create, but they raked in $532.9 million. That’s a lot of dough, and clearly that risk reaped many, many rewards including Dicaprio’s first Oscar win.
Inception (2010) – Budget: $160 Million
This movie is also iconic, and was directed by the brilliant Christopher Nolan. You’ve all seen this mind-blowing sci-fi adventure, right? Well, it cost $160 million to make, which probably isn’t surprising when you look at the bewildering scenes and action-packed awesomeness.
Still, this movie pulled in $829.9 million worldwide, which is the second highest on this list. That’s absolutely mind-blowing, and we’d like to invite your imagination to figure out what you’d do with an extra $670 million. Clearly, this cast and crew definitely knew what they were doing, and the best part is that this movie is actually phenomenal.
The Great Gatsby (2013) – Budget: $190 Million
Honestly, there isn’t a single flop on this list. Leo is part of some stellar projects, and every one of these killed it at the box office AND with the critics. This one might surprise you to learn that it’s the second most pricey movie Leo’s been in.
But with a budget of $190 million, Baz Lurhmann directed a dramatic masterpiece, bringing this classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald to life. This movie did pretty well at the box office, too, raking in $353.6 million, and also became one of Leo’s most memorable roles as Mr. Jay Gatsby.
Titanic (1997) – Budget: $200 Million
Surprise surprise, out of all Leo’s stellar flicks, this one will always be the most classic. It has the highest budget out of all his films, but it also grossed the highest amount. This classic required $200 million to make, which was way over the anticipated budget set by James Cameron.
Despite all the frustrations that they went through while filming, Titanic’s cast and crew are certainly laughing now because it has a worldwide gross of $2.2 billion and continues to be one of the highest-earning movies EVER. That’s a lot of dough, and if you’re up for the math, that’s 11 times its budget, which was a whopping amount to begin with. What can we say, Leo is a man of impeccable taste!
