Disney Spent Nearly $600 Million Making The Most Divisive Star Wars Movie - Was It Worth It?

Although it came out nearly six years ago, we've only just learned how much money Disney spent making 2019's "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker." While the original estimated budget for the "Star Wars" trilogy capper was in the $275 million range (which is still an eye-popping amount of money), it turns out the cost was actually much, much higher.

A report from Forbes has revealed that Disney spent nearly $600 million making the intensely divisive "Rise of Skywalker." However, the actual budget was lower than that, relatively speaking. Per the report, the gross spending by Disney was $593.7 million. But that was before tax credits from the U.K. kicked in. That's where things get interesting.

Disney was ultimately reimbursed $103.8 million in tax credits from the U.K. government, bringing the net budget to $489.9 million. Assuming that's accurate, "Rise of Skywalker" is, indeed, one of the most expensive movies ever made, right alongside director J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens" ($447 million) and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" ($465 million). Again, assuming those numbers are accurate.

Studios go out of their way to hide budgets from the public. It's easier to do in the U.S. since they're generally folded into a company's total expenses for an individual quarter, as opposed to an individual basis. However, to get these coveted U.K. tax credits, everything must be documented. Hence, studios set up companies for each production, allowing them to do precisely that. The reports are then revealed, slowly but surely.

That's where we get this utterly absurd price tag for "Rise of Skywalker." Granted, franchise budgets have been spiraling out of control for years now, but this is egregious even in an era where we hardly bat at an eye at a $200 million budget.

While no movie should cost $400 million — let alone $500 million — to make, Disney probably still turned a profit here. "Rise of Skywalker" made just over $1 billion at the global box office. Given that theaters usually keep around half of the money from ticket sales, that means Disney made over $500 million from the film's theatrical release alone. After Blu-ray/DVD sales, VOD, streaming, and merchandise revenue are factored in, the movie made money.

But that happened in spite of the outlandish budget, not thanks to it. Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi" made $1.33 billion worldwide against a reported $260 million budget. Again, it cost far more than any other movie, but it still ensured a certain level of theatrical profit. The bigger problem with "The Last Jedi" is that it too was polarizing, which seemed to catch Disney and Lucasfilm off-guard.

As a result, Abrams came back for "Rise of Skywalker," which tried to course-correct only to prove arguably just as divisive as its predecessor. The fact that Disney shelled out nearly $600 million to make it is difficult to process. Really, it's hard to imagine any studio would spend so recklessly on a single movie.

Whatever the case, at the end of the day the investment paid off (on paper anyway). Maybe not by much, but it paid off nonetheless. The real issue is that any movie that makes $1 billion at the box office should earn its studio a fortune. There shouldn't be any scenario in which a film that sells that many tickets almost loses money. One can only hope that upcoming movies like "The Mandalorian and Grogu" and "Star Wars: Starfighter" keep their budgets under control.