The Most Expensive R-Rated Movies Ever Made

Published: May 8, 2024 by 24/7 Tempo Staff

In 1968, the Motion Picture Association (then called the Motion Picture Association of America) instituted a voluntary rating system (to replace the outdated Hays Code) in which major motion pictures were classified as G (suitable for general audiences), M (parental guidance advised), R (no one under 17 — originally under 16 — admitted without adult supervision), or X (forbidden to anyone under 17 — also originally under 16 — under any circumstances).

The system has evolved over time, with M becoming PG and X renamed NC-17. A new rating was also added in 1984 (PG-13), signaling a film that might be inappropriate for pre-teens. The R rating, however, has remained unchanged.

Films are rated R for various reasons, including nudity and depictions of sex not considered graphic enough to earn an NC-17, excessive violence, and scenes of substance abuse. Perhaps needless to say, in our modern era, many of the most successful movies — including blockbusters in the Die Hard, Mad Max, Terminator, and Matrix franchises — are graced with one or more of these qualities, and thus have earned an R.

In earlier times, many R-rated films were independent productions, often made with modest production costs. Over the last several decades, however, big, loud, special-effects-filled mega-budget movies full of top-earning stars (among them Tom Cruise, Vin Diesel, Ryan Gosling, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, and Jamie Foxx) have proudly worn the designation, with no apparent box-office liability attached.

To determine the most expensive R-rated movies ever made, 24/7 Tempo reviewed historical data on production costs from film industry site The Numbers. R-rated movies were ranked based on total reported production budget, adjusted for inflation. Data on worldwide box office is also from The Numbers. Production budget and box office figures were adjusted for inflation using historical ticket data from the National Association of Theatre Owners. Supplemental data on IMDb user rating is current as of mid-April 2024.

Eleven of the films on this list cost more than $200 million (adjusted for inflation) to bring to the screen. Almost all of these huge investments paid off, however — with a few exceptions, most notably director Michael Cimino’s landmark 1980 flop “Heaven’s Gate,” which cost an adjusted $149.8 million and scored worldwide box office receipts of only $11.9 million. (To find out which R-rated movies made the most money (before expenses), check out the Highest Grossing R-Rated Movies of All Time.)

50. Prometheus (2012)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Production budget: $143.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $463.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (584,143 reviews)
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender

49. Ransom (1996)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Production budget: $145.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $639.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (122,663 reviews)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, Rene Russo

48. Spy Game (2001)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Production budget: $145.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $231.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (151,974 reviews)
Starring: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack

47. Soldier (1998)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $146.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $28.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (55,066 reviews)
Starring: Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs

46. The Revenant (2015)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Production budget: $146.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $579.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (809,924 reviews)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter

45. Heaven’s Gate (1980)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

Production budget: $149.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $11.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (15,600 reviews)
Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt

44. Braveheart (1995)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Production budget: $151.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $440.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (1,041,328 reviews)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan

43. Die Hard 2 (1990)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Production budget: $151.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $520.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (347,334 reviews)
Starring: Bruce Willis, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia

42. Hollow Man (2000)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $152.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $324.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (127,390 reviews)
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin

41. Gangs of New York (2002)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

Production budget: $153.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $289.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (420,322 reviews)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis

40. Black Hawk Down (2001)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $154.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $258.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (400,201 reviews)
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore

39. The Rock (1996)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

Production budget: $155.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $696.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (323,201 reviews)
Starring: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris

38. Wolf (1994)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $157.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $294.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (54,514 reviews)
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader

37. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Production budget: $157.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $312.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (292,318 reviews)
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson

36. The Irishman (2019)

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

Production budget: $159.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $7.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (392,363 reviews)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

35. The Postman (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $159.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $41.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (71,248 reviews)
Starring: Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate

34. Conspiracy Theory (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $159.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $284.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (97,206 reviews)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart

33. Con Air (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

Production budget: $159.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $447.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (285,500 reviews)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich

32. Face/Off (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Production budget: $159.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $481.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (360,443 reviews)
Starring: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen

31. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $163.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $397.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (1,042,131 reviews)
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult

30. Enemy of the State (1998)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

Production budget: $166.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $489.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (234,497 reviews)
Starring: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight

29. Watchmen (2009)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $168.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $228.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (526,253 reviews)
Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino

28. Air Force One (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $169.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $629.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (187,679 reviews)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close

27. Town & Country (2001)

Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images

Production budget: $170.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $16.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (4,911 reviews)
Starring: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Nastassja Kinski

26. The Wolfman (2010)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Production budget: $174.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $165.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (104,750 reviews)
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt

25. Gladiator (2000)

Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

Production budget: $175.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $777.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,399,053 reviews)
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen

24. Ali (2001)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $176.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $142.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (101,040 reviews)
Starring: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight

23. The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) | Vin Diesel in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Production budget: $177.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $158.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (220,281 reviews)
Starring: Vin Diesel, Judi Dench, Colm Feore

22. Judge Dredd (1995)

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Production budget: $179.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $239.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (114,226 reviews)
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Rob Schneider

21. The Devil’s Own (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $179.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $281.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (62,816 reviews)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Margaret Colin

20. End of Days (1999)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Production budget: $181.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $383.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (107,927 reviews)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne, Robin Tunney

19. Windtalkers (2002)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production budget: $181.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $122.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (70,382 reviews)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Peter Stormare

18. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Production budget: $185.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $250.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (162,727 reviews)
Starring: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis

17. The Patriot (2000)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $186.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $365.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (262,681 reviews)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson

16. Miami Vice (2006)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Production budget: $188.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $230.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (113,581 reviews)
Starring: Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li

15. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $188.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $264.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (498,432 reviews)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas

14. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Production budget: $189.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $770.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (373,543 reviews)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson

13. Bad Boys II (2003)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Production budget: $197.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $415.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (239,799 reviews)
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union

12. Starship Troopers (1997)

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Production budget: $199.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $241.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (279,628 reviews)
Starring: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer

11. Eraser (1996)

Eraser (1996) | Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Caan in Eraser (1996)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $207.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $485.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (107,023 reviews)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams, James Caan

10. The Last Samurai (2003)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $212.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $693.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (415,450 reviews)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly

9. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Production budget: $217.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,033,964 reviews)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong

8. Troy (2004)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $221.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $712.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (539,561 reviews)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom

7. True Lies (1994)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Production budget: $224.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $820.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (247,499 reviews)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold

6. The 13th Warrior (1999)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Production budget: $226.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $111.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (120,285 reviews)
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, Dennis Storhí¸i

5. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $227.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $649.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (467,833 reviews)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss

4. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $227.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (540,965 reviews)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss

3. Alexander (2004)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $228.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $246.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (171,358 reviews)
Starring: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson

2. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) | Robert Alonzo in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $258.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $657.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (386,551 reviews)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Kristanna Loken

1. Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Production budget: $273.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Worldwide box office: $557.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (157,768 reviews)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci