Synopsis

When the USS Enterprise crew is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction. As our space heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

What is the budget of Star Trek Into Darkness?

"Star Trek Into Darkness," a action released in 2013, was directed by J.J. Abrams and stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto. The production budget was $190,000,000, placing it in the blockbuster range for action productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

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

Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects: Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director): A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation.
Production Design, Sets & Locations: Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment , all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.
Filming & Locations: Into Darkness began principal photography on January 12, 2012, with a scheduled release date of May 16, 2013.

What were the major cost factors in Star Trek Into Darkness?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Star Trek Into Darkness."

Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.

How Does Star Trek Into Darkness's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $190,000,000, Star Trek Into Darkness sits in the blockbuster range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

Dune: Part Two (2024): Budget $190,000,000 , Gross $714,844,358
Furious 7 (2015): Budget $190,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,515,400,000
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024): Budget $190,000,000 , Gross $207,500,287
The Dark Knight (2008): Budget $185,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,004,558,444
Brave (2012): Budget $185,000,000, Worldwide Gross $538,983,207

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

Star Trek Into Darkness Box Office Performance

"Star Trek Into Darkness" earned $228,778,661 domestically and $467,381,584 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $190,000,000, the film showed modest profitability in theatrical release.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Star Trek Into Darkness," that break-even threshold was roughly $380,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $467,381,584, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $190,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $467,381,584
Net Return: $277,381,584
ROI: approximately 146%

At 146%, "Star Trek Into Darkness" earned roughly $2.46 for every $1 invested in production.

Star Trek Into Darkness Production History

Into Darkness began principal photography on January 12, 2012, with a scheduled release date of May 16, 2013. Cinematographer Dan Mindel shot the film using a combination of anamorphic 35mm film and 15 perforation IMAX cameras. About 30 minutes of the film is shot in the IMAX format, while some other scenes were also shot on 8 perforation 65mm.

Composer Michael Giacchino composed the film's incidental music. Into Darkness was Giacchino's fourth film collaboration with Abrams, which included Star Trek (2009). The film score was recorded at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California from March 5 to April 3, 2013.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 7 wins & 58 nominations total

Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 295 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Visually spectacular and suitably action packed, Star Trek Into Darkness is a rock-solid installment in the venerable sci-fi franchise, even if it's not as fresh as its predecessor." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.