Top 10 Most Expensive Rom-Coms

In 2008 the world was treated to the story of a young woman searching for her father after she gets engaged. A story told using the songs of ABBA. “Mamma Mia!” cost $52 million and grossed over $600 million worldwide. Well, with numbers like that there was very little doubt we were going to get a sequel. And we did, 10 years later. Given the success of the first film the studio felt confident upping the budget to $75 million for “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” And while the sequel didn’t do as well as the first film, the studio didn’t need to send up an SOS, as “Here We Go Again” still managed to gross an impressive $395 million around the world.

Adam Sandler has made some great films and some iconic romantic comedies, but “Just Go With It” isn’t one of them. The film cost $80 million to produce and was a financial success, bringing in over $200 million worldwide. It also co-starred Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman. And yet it is one of those Sandler films that doesn’t really get talked about much. When it does come up the thing most people remember is Brooklyn Decker in a bikini. There was also some disagreement about the on-screen attraction between Sandler and Aniston. While they won a Teen Choice Award for their chemistry, they were also nominated for a Golden Raspberry for “Worst Screen Couple.”

A good rom-com doesn’t have to star 20-something actors with perfect skin and six-pack abs. In case you don’t believe us, check out “Something’s Gotta Give.” The studio put $80 million dollars into this film. That’s a lot of money for any movie, particularly a rom-com, and especially one featuring lead actors in their 50s and 60s. Even if those actors are two of the greats, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Well, the “gamble” paid off because the film was a big success and it saw both leads nominated for Golden Globes. Keaton was even nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, which doesn’t happen often with rom-coms.

If you’re going to spend $85 million on a romantic comedy this one would have probably seemed like a pretty safe bet. You have huge stars, Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, and you have one of the great rom-com writer/directors, Nora Ephron at the helm. This is the woman who wrote, “When Harry Met Sally...” and wrote and directed, “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle” to name just a few. But you can’t just wiggle your nose and make a good, successful film. “Bewitched” scored a 25% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, and after grossing just $63 million in North America, managed to bring in another $68 million around the world, eeking out only a small profit.

Here we have another romantic comedy featuring actors over 50. And like, “Something’s Gotta Give” we have writer/director Nancy Meyers behind the camera along with a pretty big budget. This time it was Meryl Streep, Alec Bladwin, Steve Martin, and $85 million. And once again the studio found financial success with the film, grossing over $219 million worldwide. While the movie received mixed reviews from critics, it did garner three Golden Globe nominations: “Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical,” “Best Screenplay” and “Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.”

In 2007 Disney spent $85 million to take an animated princess out of her cartoon world and drop her into the middle of real life, non-animated, New York City. The film is a sweet, funny and romantic parody of all those classic Disney fairy tales we all grew up with. And it was a huge hit for the company that Walt built. The movie easely made back its budget and much, much more. It ultimately earned over $340 million and held the worldwide distinction of being the 15th highest grossing film for that year.

Let’s all welcome writer/director Nancy Meyers back to the list. In 2006, three years after “Something’s Gotta Give” and three years before “It’s Complicated” Meyers was given $85 million to make, “The Holiday.” With Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black in the film, we are sure a decent portion of the budget went to their salaries. But whatever they spent the money on, it was worth it. The film, thanks to an international box office of over $142 million, brought in more than $205 million worldwide.

Don’t feel bad if you don’t remember this film. Most people don’t. And those that do, probably wish they could forget it. Especially its stars, Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton. “Town and Country” is rocking a ridiculously low 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 4.5/10 on IMDB, and holds a place as one of the biggest flops in the history of American Cinema. The film cost $90 million and grossed an embarrassingly low $6.7 million in North America and a total of just over $10 million worldwide. Also, Warren Beatty didn't make another movie for 15 years. Although, we can’t confirm that the film’s utter failure had anything to do with that.

In 2008 one of the most popular romantic comedy TV shows ever became one of the most successful rom-com movies of the decade. “Sex and the City: The Movie” was made for $65 million and Carrie and the girls grossed over $418 million worldwide. As is often the case when the first film is a major hit, the second film got a higher budget. The studio pumped in an extra $35 million dollars for “Sex and the City 2,” topping out at almost $100 million. That kind of money can buy a whole lot of Cosmopolitans and Manolo Blahniks. Or, in this case, a 16% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, but over $290 million gross around the world.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Runaway Bride” (1999)
The Studio Put $70 Million Into This Roberts/Gere Film & Ran Away With Big Profits

“Hitch” (2005)
It Cost $70 Million & It Was Worth It. The Film Was the 10th Highest Grossing Film of the Year

“What Women Want” (2000)
Nancy Meyers Got Another Big Budget & Turned That $70 Million Into Another Hit Rom-Com

“50 First Dates” (2004)
With a $75 million budget, that’s $1.5 million per date

“How Do You Know” cost $120 million. To put that number into perspective, the first “Iron Man” movie came out 2 years earlier and had a budget of $140 million. So, how does a rom-com without any superheros cost that much? Well, the salaries of the director, James L. Brooks and the main actors, Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson, and Paul Rudd made up $50 million of that budget. And according to the Hollywood Reporter, the high costs can also be explained, “Because of the time Brooks devoted to production and postproduction and his decision to reshoot the beginning and end of the movie.” Unfortunately, the reshoots didn’t help and the film was a major flop.