Synopsis

Thousands of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved. Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns. Tom Natsworthy—who hails from a Lower Tier of the great traction city of London—finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw. Two opposites, whose paths should never have crossed, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.

What is the budget of Mortal Engines?

"Mortal Engines," an adventure released in 2018, was directed by Christian Rivers and stars Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan. The production budget was $100,000,000, 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.
Production: In December 2009, New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson was reported to have begun development of a film based on Philip Reeve's novel Mortal Engines.

What were the major cost factors in Mortal Engines?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Mortal Engines."

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 Mortal Engines's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $100,000,000, Mortal Engines 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 adventure films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Mortal Engines Box Office Performance

"Mortal Engines" earned $15,951,040 domestically and $83,869,818 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $100,000,000, the film faced challenges in theatrical release. Home video, streaming, and ancillary revenue may have contributed to its overall performance.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Mortal Engines," that break-even threshold was roughly $200,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $83,869,818, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $100,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $83,869,818
Net Return: −$16,130,182
ROI: approximately -16.1%

At -16.1%, "Mortal Engines" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.