Matrix Sequels\' Price Tag.

This is all from Newsweek

Combined, they cost more than $300 million—probably far more, but no one’s talking. Silver is promising a climactic battle like we’ve never seen before: a 17-minute sequence that alone cost about two thirds of the budget of the first “Matrix.” (That film, in case you’re wondering, cost $65 million.) Maybe four or five other directors on the planet could persuade a studio to give them that kind of money—and they’ve all made far more movies than the Wachowskis.

The freeway chase was the first sequence the Wachowskis tackled for the sequels, and they spent months searching for the perfect location. So the search came up empty. The brothers’ solution was a tad unconventional: they dumped the idea of shooting on an existing freeway and built their own. In February 2001, they hired a construction crew to erect a two-mile loop—complete with exit signs, dividers, an on ramp and an overpass—on an old U.S. naval base in Alameda, Calif. When they first heard the idea, the construction guys nearly keeled over. “They actually said to us, ‘We’re not doing this’,” recalls executive producer Grant Hill. “They couldn’t believe it was for a movie. They said, ‘Do you realize how much this costs?’ ” Correct answer: $300,000 per quarter mile. “We just looked at each other and said, ‘OK, we can do that’.”

It’s far from over. Between now and next November, Gaeta’s visual-effects company, Esc (as in the “escape” button on a keyboard), and six other FX houses will have to deliver more than 2,500 separate shots, many of which will have taken nearly three years to complete. (By comparison, the first “Matrix” had 412 FX shots.) The price tag: a whopping $100 million, a figure that includes a new facility for Esc on the base in Alameda.

I wish I had a 300 million dollar budget...and my own freeway!

I know that the two sequels will probably be the biggest movies this year...but damn, I remember back when Mortal Kombat came in as the highest budgeted film at 40 million.

[Kurt Angle]

They had better be good with a budget like that. I\'m glad I\'m not the one financing it.

I\'ll be damned if Matrix flops.

But I\'ll also be damned if it beats the epicness of Lord of the Rings.

"ENTER THE GAETA!"  

The Matrix pictures will earn back that cash with no problem.  There is absolutely no way they will suck.  The anticipation is going to be bigger than anything the movie industry has ever seen.

The Wachowski\'s biggest challenge will be in keeping this story fresh.  When the first film came out, people like me went to see over and over because it was different and refreshing.  Now some of the novelty has worn off because we\'ve been thinking about that story for a few years.  It will be easy to get people to go see The Matrix: Reloaded once but to get them to see it several times, it has to be refreshing and different in some way.  I think they are up to the challenge.

BTW, I\'m sure Mortal Kombat was not the most expensive film at that time.  I know for sure that Michael Cimino spent more than $40 mllion on "Heaven\'s Gate," and that was released many years before MK.

So that\'s ~$150,000 per movie, in comparison Titanic cost $200 million to make.  Still mucho dinero but this proves Titanic is still the greatest movie ever made.

Because it cost more, it\'s the greatest movie ever made?  I sincerely hope you\'re joking.  BTW, I mean no offense if you happen to love "Titanic," but it was a huge steaming pile of Buffalo feces.  

Actually thats $150,000,000 per movie.

It probably cost considerably less because they were filmed at the same time.

I was going by Ginko\'s numbers but you\'re right:

Matrix Reloaded = $127mil
Matrix Revolutions = $110mil

And of course I was joking about Titianic, my fav part is when Leo died (I know because I watched it 25x in the theaters and watch the DVD everynight).

Thats a hell of a lot of money.

You can tell America has become so commercial, they are spending millions, and millions on money for what? A movie.

I love the matrix and all, its just I believe the world is heading in the wrong direction.

Spudz you\'re thread crapping again.

Do you know who really pays for the movies?  Producers arrange for a bunch of investors to fund the budget; they explain the plot, target audience, and expected numbers.  Sometimes the investors get a return sometimes they don\'t.  Matrix is a sure thing though so naturally it wouldn\'t be as hard to find investors.

Sorry if you knew this but you made it sound like our government is paying for the movies or something.  The investors could very well be international.  Whether you like it or not movies are just gonna get bigger and bigger.  If the demand is there nothing\'s really wrong with that.

Don\'t hate the playa hate the game potnuh.

I don\'t really care about the money, if it\'s in the same level Matrix 1 was, buhhhh... get ready buddies.

Jet Li was to appear in both sequels...

The Wachowskis cried poverty and end up doing this...

Right...

P.S. - The Matrix was overrated...

Oh my f*cing God... it\'s gonna be SPETACULAR SPETACULAR! :eek:

This is gonna be awesome... Don\'t they come out within months of each other or something?

[videoholic]

Originally posted by Coredweller
The anticipation is going to be bigger than anything the movie industry has ever seen.

It\'s funny how myopic we all tend to be.  If I went and asked everyone I pass or talk to at work and in my day about Matrix, probably only about 5% saw Matrix 1 and 1/2 of that even liked it.


Don\'t get me wrong.  I liked the movie.  I can\'t stand everything about keano reeves though.  That dude is a dolt.  

Don\'t forget the marketing of the movie.  That is in the tens of millions as well.  But this movie can\'t have all the action figures, furry creatures, and space ships like Star Wars has.  It needs to rake it in at the box office.  But now with DVD purchases going through the roof, they make tons there as well.  

I wonder if DVDs will ever go to rental pricing like VHS did.