Word from the trades was that Disney and Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” cost $275M to produce, and that’s despite production enduring multiple delays and a major creative overhaul after J.J. Abrams stepped in to replace original director Colin Trevorrow. Did anybody actually believe the number being reported?
Now, the full scope of the actual costs is finally here — and it cements the film as one of the most expensive movies ever made. It makes even more sense now why Disney hasn’t released a ‘Star Wars’ movie since ‘Rise of Skywalker.’
According to a new report from Forbes (via The Playlist), Disney has filed the budget for ‘Rise of Skywalker’ at roughly $593.7M. That staggering figure places only behind “Jurassic World: Dominion,” as the most expensive film ever produced.
These budget numbers are publicly available thanks to U.K. tax regulations, which require studios to disclose production spending in order to receive government reimbursement through the country’s film incentive program. Typically, full production costs for major U.S. films remain undisclosed.
‘Rise of Skywalker’ contained over 2,000 VFX shots, and Abrams famously built large practical sets. The film underwent significant reshoots, rewrites, and editing revisions to adjust tone, pacing, and fan expectations after The Last Jedi’s polarizing reception. When you include $200M in marketing, the total expenditure was ridiculously high.
Factoring in the inflated budgets of all three sequel-era Star Wars films — and the underwhelming box office returns of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (which also suffered costly reshoots after Ron Howard replaced Phil Lord and Chris Miller) — it’s easy to see why Disney slowed down its theatrical output for the franchise, shifting its focus to Disney+ series and special projects instead.
Now, the studio is preparing to return to the big screen with two new entries: Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” scheduled for May 22, 2026, and Shawn Levy’s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” starring Ryan Gosling, set to debut May 28, 2027. There’s not chance those films will cost nearly as much as much as ‘Rise of Skywalker.’