Iron Man Budget

With a US$140 million production budget and the help of the massive marketing and distribution muscle of Marvel Studios behind it, Iron Man was a huge hit when it premiered in 2008. The film went on to become the first entry in what has grown into one of the biggest movie franchises ever.

But a film like this doesn’t come cheap and there are certain elements that need to be in place to ensure the film is a success, which is why it is important to understand what the film’s budget was and where all of the money went.

Iron Man is the story of billionaire entrepreneur and weapons manufacturer Tony Stark, who is also a genius scientist, an inventor, an engineer and a playboy. The character is a symbol of American wealth and he has an exotic fleet of cars, his own private jet and a luxury mansion. He is constantly surrounded by top-of-the-line technology and his personal staff is nothing short of a celebrity. In fact, the fictional Stark spends $10 billion a year just to fund his own lavish high-tech lifestyle. This is a figure that was put together by MoneySupermarket and is based on the cost of his suit, his tangible assets, his employees and his philanthropic activities.

The first step to making a film of this magnitude was finding the right actor for the role. Robert Downey Jr was a perfect choice and the film’s director Jon Favreau signed him for a relatively low salary. The rest, as they say, is history.

Once the actor was locked in, the next task was finding a screenwriter. While there had been many rumours about who would be writing the script, Feige and Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad always knew that they wanted a writer who could capture Stark’s unique characterization. Favreau had already written a successful comedy film called Elf and had the experience of working with a star-studded cast.

When it came time to start shooting, the crew headed to the soundstages of the former Hughes Company in Playa Vista, California. The studio was built by Howard Hughes himself and the production team was able to use a number of his aircraft and even the interiors of the star’s home.

During the shoot, the producers were also helped by the Department of Defense. The military supplied some of the film’s visual effects, including aircraft and other hardware that was used in several key scenes. A short video has been posted online in which an Air Force Entertainment Liaison Project Officer explains how the DOD provides ‘production value’ to movies like Iron Man.

The movie bowed to a record-breaking $34.5 million on its opening day and it is still the highest opening for a non-sequel superhero film to date. The film is also one of the top 25 grossing films of all time worldwide. Despite this, some have warned that superhero fatigue may be kicking in as the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands to its sixth installment.