Star Wars:The Acolyte, reportedly had a massive budget of $180 million, bigger than the original trilogy’s budgets combined. Now that its potential second season has been cancelled, fans are curious where all that budget went.
Offering a new perspective of the Force and a sneak peek of what the Jedi Order looked like at its peak during the High Republic era, The Acolyte brought Star Wars fans 100 years before the start of Episode 1 of the Prequels.
So, how was this massive budget allocated?
As revealed by The Acolyte series creator, writer, and director Leslye Headland in an interview with the New York Times, the series had a whopping $180 million for the eight episodes.
A significant portion of that, $49.2 million, was dedicated to pre-production costs, ensuring that every aspect of the series would be meticulously planned and prepared. The remaining $130 million went to reshoots and post-production, guaranteeing that the final product met the highest standards of quality.
While that figure is already a staggering amount, The Acolyte’s $180 million budget dwarfs that of the entire original trilogy. It's also higher than any of the prequels.
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For reference, A New Hope’s budget was around $11 million, The Empire Strikes Back came in at $30.5 million, and Return Of The Jedi sat at $32.5 million, just totalling a mere $74 million, not even close to half of The Acolyte’s budget.
Prequel movies such as The Phantom Menace and Attack Of The Clones had budgets of around $115 million, with Revenge of the Sith getting $113 million. However, each movie does not come close to The Acolyte’s budget for the eight 45-minute episodes.
Still, The Acolyte was not the priciest Star Wars series; Andor holds that title with a $250 million budget for its first season alone. Both series benefitted from UK tax breaks, allowing for a more substantial production budget.
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