What is the budget of Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones?

"Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones," an adventure released in 2002, was directed by George Lucas and stars Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor. The production budget was $120,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for adventure productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an adventure 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.

What were the major cost factors in Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones."

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

How Does Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $120,000,000, Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003): Budget $120,000,000 , Gross $259,175,788
Frankenstein (2025): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $480,678
Geostorm (2017): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $221,600,160
How Do You Know (2010): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $48,668,907
I, Robot (2004): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $347,234,916

The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the 2000s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones Box Office Performance

"Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones" earned $310,676,740 domestically and $649,398,328 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $120,000,000, 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 "Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones," that break-even threshold was roughly $240,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $649,398,328, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $120,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $649,398,328
Net Return: $529,398,328
ROI: approximately 441.2%

At 441.2%, "Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones" earned roughly $5.41 for every $1 invested in production.