Synopsis

What happens after you say "I do?" Life is everything the ladies ever wished it to be, but it wouldn't be "Sex and the City" if life didn't hold a few more surprises... this time in the form of a glamorous, sun-drenched adventure that whisks the women away from New York to one of the most luxurious, exotic and vivid places on earth, where there's something mysterious around every corner. It's an escape that comes exactly at the right moment for the four friends, who are finding themselves in - and fighting against - the traditional roles of marriage, motherhood and more.

What is the budget of Sex and the City 2?

"Sex and the City 2," a comedy released in 2010, was directed by Michael Patrick King and stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall. The production budget was $100,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for comedy productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a comedy production like this include:

Talent Salaries & Producing Deals: Established comedic talent can command $15 to 20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals.
Production & Location Filming: While comedies generally avoid the VFX costs of action films, location shooting in recognizable cities or exotic locales adds meaningful production expense.
Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising): Comedies rely heavily on marketing to build opening-weekend momentum.
Development: The cast confirmed in February 2009 that a sequel to Sex and the City was in development. Filming officially began in August 2009.

What were the major cost factors in Sex and the City 2?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Sex and the City 2."

Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.

How Does Sex and the City 2's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $100,000,000, Sex and the City 2 sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

1917 (2019): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $446,064,352
American Gangster (2007): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $269,755,430
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024): Budget $100,000,000 , Gross $404,547,819
Batman Forever (1995): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $336,529,144
Bicentennial Man (1999): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $87,423,861

The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Sex and the City 2 Box Office Performance

"Sex and the City 2" earned $95,347,692 domestically and $290,700,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $100,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Sex and the City 2," that break-even threshold was roughly $200,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $290,700,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $100,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $290,700,000
Net Return: $190,700,000
ROI: approximately 190.7%

At 190.7%, "Sex and the City 2" earned roughly $2.91 for every $1 invested in production.

Sex and the City 2 Production History

The cast confirmed in February 2009 that a sequel to Sex and the City was in development. Filming officially began in August 2009. Writer and director Michael Patrick King noted that the sequel would differ in tone and scope from the first film, incorporating more exotic locations and larger-scale escapism.

In September 2009, Liza Minnelli confirmed her cameo appearance in the film. While Bette Midler was photographed on set, she does not appear in the final cut. Penélope Cruz appears briefly in a scene as Carmen, a banker.

Filming in New York City was delayed until late July 2009 due to the denial of filming permits by Emirati authorities. As a result, the Abu Dhabi scenes were instead shot in Morocco. Principal photography began on September 1, 2009, and continued through the end of the year.

Awards and Recognition

9 wins & 9 nominations total

Critical Reception

Sex and the City 2 was critically panned. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Sex and the City 2 holds an approval rating of 16% based on 217 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. In comparison, the first film scored 49% based on 183 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10.