The James Bond series has remained a cornerstone of the movie business for nearly sixty years. The first movie in the series, Dr. No, was a relatively simple little spy film that was released to great fanfare in the fall of 1962. The Bond series would get increasingly more bombastic throughout the years, evolving from relatively realistic and grounded spy films into the outlandish Hollywood spectacles they are known as today.

With the increasing bombast came a significant increase in budget. The older Bond films may seem tame today, and that’s because they were made for a fraction of a modern Bond film’s budget. These are the most expensive Bond films ever made – complete with the original budget and the budget when adjusted for inflation.

10 The Living Daylights (1987) – $40 Million ($90 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

A huge departure from Roger Moore’s more comedic Bond outing, The Living Daylights was far more in keeping with Ian Fleming’s original vision. This Bond was quite dark and dreary, and Timothy Dalton proved far more serious than the lighthearted and quippy Roger Moore. The movie also received a substantial boost in budget when compared to the older Moore films. The Living Daylights was reportedly made for $40 million, which is roughly the equivalent of $90 million today.

9 GoldenEye (1995) – $60 Million ($100 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

Following Licence to Kill in 1989, the James Bond series went on an extended hiatus owing to complicated (and boring) legal disputes. It returned six years later – but almost nothing was like before. Dalton was replaced by Pierce Brosnan, and GoldenEye proved the first movie without links to an Ian Fleming novel. It was also given quite a hefty budget at $60 million – $20 million more than The Living Daylights six years prior. When adjusted for inflation, GoldenEye‘s $60 million accounts for roughly $100 million today.

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8 Moonraker (1979) – $34 Million ($120 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

At the time, Moonraker was by far the most expensive Bond movie ever made. Star Wars came out in 1977 and proved an unbelievable success, inspiring countless rip-offs and similarly-styled movies. Moonraker was one of them. Today, Moonraker is regarded as one of the weaker Bond efforts – a reputation that is due in large part to the outlandish story and space setting. Making a space movie certainly doesn’t come cheap, and Moonraker was reportedly made for $34 million. Today, that would be roughly $120 million.

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7 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – $110 Million ($175 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

Pierce Brosnan was a good James Bond, but he was given some less-than-stellar films. Tomorrow Never Dies served as the anticipated follow-up to the widely acclaimed GoldenEye, and it received comparatively poor reviews. Today, it is often regarded as a middling and rather forgettable entry.

Tomorrow Never Dies was given a substantial boost in budget, having been made for $110 million – nearly double that of GoldenEye. Today, that $110 million is worth $175 million.

6 Casino Royale (2006) – $150 Million ($190 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

Following the mess that was Die Another Day, the James Bond franchise was completely rebooted with Casino Royale. Daniel Craig took over for Pierce Brosnan and the movie was based on the first Bond novel by Ian Fleming, effectively making it a total restart for the series. And while the movie mostly did away with the outrageous gadgets and CGI, it still came with a hefty price tag. Casino Royale was reportedly made for $150 million, which today would be closer to $190 million. Luckily, the movie was an incredible success.

5 Die Another Day (2002) – $142 Million ($205 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

While it’s not a horrible movie, Die Another Day is widely regarded as the weakest entry in the series. It proved so ludicrous, and received such a poor fan reception, that the series was rebooted with Casino Royale. This movie had it all – invisible cars, DNA restructuring, Bond surfing a horrible CGI tsunami, and some type of mirror satellite that can shoot beams of solar energy at the Earth. The effects-heavy movie didn’t come cheap, as it was made for a staggering $142 million. Today, that equates to $205 million.

4 The World Is Not Enough (1999) – $135 Million ($210 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

Serving as the penultimate Brosnan film, The World Is Not Enough sees Bond protecting a billionaire’s daughter from a potential kidnapping and uncovering a plot to raise the world’s gas prices. The story and Denise Richards’s performance as Bond girl Dr. Christmas Jones have both been widely criticized, and The World Is Not Enough is seen as a lesser entry in the Bond franchise.

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But even the worst Bond films have exceptional production values, and this one is no different, complete with a $135 million budget ($210 million today).

3 Skyfall (2012) – $200 Million ($225 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

Daniel Craig’s run has been a mixed bag. Two of this movies have been disappointments, the other two all-time classics. Skyfall is certainly one of the latter. While not very Bond-ian in its approach, Skyfall received excellent reviews for its personal story, scope, action sequences, and Adele’s stellar theme song. The movie was made for upwards of $200 million, which is the equivalent of $225 million today. The results were well worth it, and Skyfall became one of the highest-grossing movies ever made.

2 Quantum Of Solace (2008) – $230 Million ($275 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

Quantum of Solace proved a very disappointing follow-up to Casino Royale. Containing a bizarre storyline and some headache-inducing editing, Quantum of Solace earned mixed reviews from critics and ended the Casino Royale story in a monumentally disappointing fashion. But no one can say that it wasn’t pretty. Quantum of Solace was by far the most expensive Bond film ever made at the time, with the budget coming in at $230 million – nearly $100 million more than its predecessor. Today, that $230 million is closer to $275 million.

1 Spectre (2015) – $300 Million ($325 Million Adjusted for Inflation)

Another enormously disappointing entry in the Bond canon, Spectre was widely criticized for its unintentionally hilarious storyline. Many people unfavorably compared the film to the Austin Powers movies – especially the reveal that Blofeld and James Bond were long-lost brothers (a “twist” that also occurred in Austin Powers in Goldmember). While the budget of Spectre isn’t officially known, some estimates place it at $300 million. In the five years since the movie’s release, inflation has risen that budget to $325 million. It is by far the most expensive Bond film ever made.

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Nathan Sharp
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Nathan Sharp is a writer from outside Toronto, Ontario. He has a love of movies and television, having enjoyed them for more than twenty years. His preferences include drama, action, and horror, with the former being a particular point of interest and fascination.

He also has a love of video games, particularly those of Rockstar.

Whether it be about film, television, or video games, Nathan loves a good discussion and has written hundreds of articles for Screen Rant.

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