This is a non-definitive list of the most expensive French films , with budgets given in Euros, Francs, and US dollars. Only films with budgets exceeding US$20 million are listed here.
Title | Primary language(s) | Year | Production costs (est.) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | English | 2017 | $209 million (€197 million) | [1] [2] |
Alexander [A] | English | 2004 | $155 million | [3] [4] |
Asterix at the Olympic Games | French | 2008 | $113.5 million | [5] |
Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard | English | 2009 | $96 million (€63 million) | [6] [7] |
Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds | English | 2010 | $91 million (€68.83 million) | [8] [9] |
The Fifth Element | English | 1997 | $90 million [lower-alpha 1] | [10] |
The Three Musketeers [A] | English | 2011 | $90 million (€58 million) | [11] [12] |
Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie | French | 2023 | $86 million (€80 million) | [13] [14] [15] |
Arthur and the Minimoys | English | 2006 | $84.6 million (€63 million) | [16] [7] |
De Gaulle | French | 2025 | $84.5 million (€75.5 million) | [17] [18] [19] |
Oceans | French | 2009 | $80 million (€57.1 million) | [20] [21] |
Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia | French | 2012 | $78 million | [22] |
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan The Three Musketeers: Milady [lower-alpha 2] | French | 2023 | $78 million (€72 million) | [24] [25] |
The Little Prince | English | 2015 | $77.5 million | [26] |
Hannibal Rising [A] | English | 2007 | $75 million | [27] |
Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom | French | 2023 | $72.4 million (€65 million) | [28] [29] |
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc | English | 1999 | $60 million (FRF390 million) | [30] [31] |
Babylon A.D. | French | 2008 | $60 million (€55 million) | [32] [33] |
Mesrine | French | 2008 | $60 million | [34] |
A Very Long Engagement | French | 2004 | $58 million (€45 million) | [35] [36] [37] |
Two Brothers | French | 2004 | €57.8 million | [38] |
Sur la piste du Marsupilami | French | 2012 | $50 million (€40 million) | [39] |
From Paris with Love | English | 2010 | $52 million (€29.1 million) | [40] [41] |
Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar | French | 1999 | $48.5 million (FRF275 million) | [42] |
Taken 3 | English | 2015 | $48 million | [43] |
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra | French | 2002 | $47 million (€50 million) | [44] |
Taken 2 | English | 2012 | $45 million | [45] |
Unleashed | English | 2005 | $43 million (€25.6 million) | [46] [47] |
The Count of Monte Cristo | French | 2024 | €42.9 million | [17] |
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec | French | 2010 | $40.8 million (€30 million) | [48] |
Lucy | English | 2014 | $40–100 million [lower-alpha 3] (€49.01 million) | [50] [51] |
Colombiana | English | 2011 | $40 million (€32.1 million) | [52] [12] |
Black Gold | English | 2011 | €38.5–40 million | [53] [54] |
Wolf Totem [A] | Mandarin, Mongolian | 2015 | $38 million | [55] |
The Sisters Brothers | English | 2018 | $38 million (€34.9 million) | [56] [57] |
Blueberry | English | 2004 | €34.5 million | [38] |
Beauty and the Beast | French | 2014 | €34.05 million | [51] |
Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion | French | 2018 | €33.7 million | [57] |
Mr. Nobody [A] | English | 2009 | €33 million | [58] |
Animal Kingdom: Let's Go Ape | French | 2015 | €32 million | [59] |
Supercondriaque | French | 2014 | €31.68 million | [51] |
The Ghost Writer | English | 2010 | €30.8 million | [41] |
His Majesty Minor | French | 2007 | €30.4 million | [12] |
The Family | English | 2013 | $30 million (€28.37 million) | [60] [51] |
The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet | English | 2013 | $30 million (€26.8 million) | [61] [12] |
Grace of Monaco | English | 2014 | $30 million (€25.2 million) | [62] [12] |
Anna | English | 2019 | $30 million | [63] |
Seasons | French | 2016 | €29.8 million | [12] |
Brotherhood of the Wolf | French | 2001 | $29 million (FRF200 million) | [64] [65] |
The Stone Council | French | 2008 | $28 million (€20 million) | [66] [67] |
Monsieur Aznavour | French | 2024 | $28 million (€26 million) | [68] |
Paris 36 | French | 2008 | €28 million | [12] |
Empire of the Wolves | French | 2004 | $27 million (€24.2 million) | [69] [38] |
The Man with the Iron Heart | French | 2017 | €27.8 million | [12] |
Bandidas | English, Spanish | 2006 | €27.7 million | [12] |
A Perfect Plan | French | 2012 | €26.3 million | [12] |
Les Dalton | French | 2004 | €26.1 million | [46] |
A Monster in Paris | French | 2011 | €28.2 million | [12] |
Ruby & Quentin | French | 2003 | €26.7 million | [38] |
Lucky Luke | French | 2009 | €26.2 million | [41] |
Camping 2 | French | 2010 | €25.7 million | [41] |
The Visitors: Bastille Day | French | 2016 | €24.75 million | [41] |
Emilia Pérez | Spanish | 2024 | €25 million | [70] |
Micmacs | French | 2009 | €23.8 million | [41] |
Bon Voyage | French | 2003 | €24.1 million | [38] |
Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse | French | 2004 | €23.8 million | [38] |
San-Antonio | French | 2004 | €23.4 million | [38] |
Immortal | English | 2004 | €22.5 million | [38] |
Double Zéro | French | 2004 | €21.5 million | [38] |
Iznogoud | French | 2005 | €21.4 million | [46] |
Little Nicholas | French | 2009 | €21.4 million | [41] |
Man to Man | English | 2005 | €21.2 million | [46] |
La Vie en Rose | French | 2007 | $25 million (€20.7 million) | [71] [72] |
Cinéman | French | 2009 | €20.6 million | [41] |
The Crimson Rivers | French | 2000 | $25 million (€14.4 million) | [73] [74] |
Taken | English | 2008 | $25 million (€19.4 million) | [16] [75] |
Benedetta | French | 2021 | $24 million (€19.8 million) | [57] |
The Wolf's Call | French | 2019 | $23 million (€20 million) | [76] [77] |
Jeanne du Barry | French | 2023 | $22.4 million | [78] |
Rust and Bone | French | 2012 | $22 million (€15 million) | [79] [80] |
Le Boulet | French | 2002 | $21.4 million (Ffr158 million) | [81] |
Asterix is a French comic album series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the odds of the Roman Republic, with the aid of a magic potion, during the era of Julius Caesar, in an ahistorical telling of the time after the Gallic Wars.
Taxi 2 is a 2000 French action comedy film directed by Gérard Krawczyk and released in March 2000. Starring Samy Naceri, Frédéric Diefenthal and Marion Cotillard. It is the second installment in the Taxi film series. It is a sequel to Taxi, written by Luc Besson and directed by Gérard Pirès in 1999. It was followed by Taxi 3 in January 2003.
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra is a 2002 French-German fantasy comedy film written and directed by Alain Chabat and adapted from the comic book series Asterix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was the most expensive French film of the time. A critical success, it was also a major box office success in France, becoming its most successful film in 36 years and second biggest commercial success of all time after 1966's La Grande Vadrouille.
Of Gods and Men is a 2010 French drama film directed by Xavier Beauvois, starring Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale. Its original French language title is Des hommes et des dieux, which means "Of Men and of Gods" and refers to a verse from the Bible shown at the beginning of the film. It centers on a true story that happened in the monastery of Tibhirine, where nine Cistercian monks lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria, until seven of them were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War.
Beloved is a 2011 French romantic drama film written and directed by Christophe Honoré, starring Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Ludivine Sagnier, Louis Garrel, Radivoje Bukvic, Paul Schneider, and Michel Delpech. The story is set in the 1960s through the 2000s in Paris, Reims, Montreal, Prague and London. While not a musical, the characters use musical 'narration' and 'dialogues' throughout the film.
House of Tolerance is a 2011 French drama film written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, starring Hafsia Herzi, Céline Sallette, Jasmine Trinca, Adèle Haenel, Alice Barnole, Iliana Zabeth and Noémie Lvovsky. The film had its world premiere in the Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2011.
Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion is a 2018 French animated adventure family comedy film co-directed by Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy. A sequel to 2014's Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods, the screenplay by Astier is based on the Asterix comic book characters created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. This is the first Asterix production not to feature Roger Carel as the voice of Asterix, due to his retirement and later death. Asterix is instead voiced by Christian Clavier, who previously played the character in Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar and Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra.
On a Magical Night is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Christophe Honoré and starring Chiara Mastroianni, Vincent Lacoste, Camille Cottin and Benjamin Biolay. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where Mastroianni won the award for Best Performance.
Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom is a 2023 French live-action adventure comedy film directed and co-written by Guillaume Canet, who also stars as Asterix. It is the fifth installment in the Asterix live-action film series.
Lyna Khoudri is an Algerian-French actress. In 2017, she won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actress at the 74th Venice International Film Festival for The Blessed. In 2020, she won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her performance in Papicha. In 2021, she portrayed a student activist in Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch. In 2023, Khoudri portrayed Constance Bonacieux in The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady. Khoudri has been a brand ambassador for the French fashion house Chanel since 2022.
The Blue Caftan is a 2022 Moroccan Arabic-language drama film directed by Maryam Touzani, and written by Touzani with the collaboration of Nabil Ayouch. It depicts a woman and her closeted gay husband, who run a caftan store in the medina of Salé, Morocco, and hire a young man as an apprentice.
The Worst Ones is a 2022 French drama film directed by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret. The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard Award.
Animalia is a 2023 French-Moroccan science fiction film directed by Sofia Alaoui in her feature directorial debut, based on Alaoui's short film So What If the Goats Die. The movie follows Itto, a pregnant woman who attempts to reunite with her husband Amine as extraterrestrial occurrences in Morocco southeast of Casablanca cause the country to descend into chaos.
Yann Gozlan is a French film director and screenwriter. He has directed five feature films: the horror film Caged (2010), the thriller A Perfect Man (2015), the action thriller Burn Out (2017), the mystery thriller Black Box (2021), and the psychological thriller Visions (2023).
The Animal Kingdom is a 2023 science fantasy adventure drama film directed by Thomas Cailley and written by Cailley and Pauline Munier. It stars Romain Duris, Paul Kircher and Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Naël Marandin is a French actor and film director.
Sons of Ramses is a 2022 French drama film directed and written by Clément Cogitore. It stars Karim Leklou as the titular role.
Junkyard Dog is a 2023 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Jean-Baptiste Durand in his feature-length directorial debut. The film stars Anthony Bajon, Raphaël Quenard and Galatea Bellugi. It screened at the Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers on 27 January 2023. It was released in France on 19 April 2023. It received seven nominations at the 49th César Awards, including Best Film and Best Original Screenplay, and won two awards: Most Promising Actor and Best First Feature Film.
Series Mania is an international festival dedicated to television series, held annually in Lille, France. It is the largest TV series event in Europe and an important premiere platform. Series Mania comprises an institute of the same name, a forum for industry professionals, and a one-day summit Little Dialogues.
The Fifth Element, at a reported cost of 90 million (dollars, not francs), is the most expensive French-financed film in history
Part II, Milady, shot simultaneously, is due out in December
un budget total de 72 millions d'euros[a total budget of 72 million euros]
The two films in the franchise were completed on a budget of $78 million
There is even early awards buzz for the $28m (€26m) film directed by Idir and famed rap artist Grand Corps Malade
Emilia Perez bénéficie d'un budget de 25 millions d'euros[Emilia Perez benefits from a budget of 25 millions euros]