The true cost of making Star Wars: Starfighter has been revealed, so let’s look at how much the film would need to make to turn a profit. Unlike previous Star Wars film The Mandalorian and Grogu, which was filmed in the US, Starfighter was filmed in the U.K. That means the true cost of the film is published whereas US made films are all in one basket for parent company Disney.

According to Forbes,

‘Disney has revealed that its upcoming sci-fi film *Star Wars: Starfighter* cost $226.5 million to make by the time filming was finished, beating the sum spent during the same period on *Star Wars: The Force Awakens* which until recently was the most expensive movie ever made.’

Though, bear in mind inflation between 2013/14 and now. Additionally, and the whole reason the film is being made in the U.K. is rebates the film gets.

As per Forbes,

‘The costs of the production companies are just the start of the story. They are partly offset by the refund from the U.K. government which came to $51.5 million (£37.5 million) for *Starfighter*.This brought the net spending on the film down to $175 million.

I won’t get too much into the finances here, but the outlet also mentions further refunds could be due if the VFX work is carried out in the U.K. as expected.

RELATED: DICE And Bungie In The Running For Star Wars: Battlefront 3 | UPDATE: DICE Seemingly Confirmed

So, if we use $175m as our ballpark figure (may be less) how much money would Starfighter need to take in box office earnings to turn a profit?

Well in the Hollywood reporting business we tend to use a pretty straightforward formula, or did in the past for working out how much a blockbuster needs to make. Double the budget for marketing costs, which would give us around £350m to break even. Of course there are many hidden factors here such as theatre share and not every film markets the same way, even AAA blockbusters. Some studios are getting smarter about how they use their marketing budget, so the old rule could be changing.

Add on $100m for ‘extra’s mentioned above and it looks like the film could start turning a profit around the $500m mark. Compared to some other big budget movies I have to say this is not too bad at all. Unless the movie is received very poorly by fans, I don’t think it should struggle to make a profit. Being a massive profit generating spectacle is another matter and will depend on how the film is received.

Therefore it may seem like Lucasfilm and Disney are betting the farm on Star Wars: Starfighter; but when you factor in a decade of inflation it’s not extreme at all. I’d be very surprised if this films fails to at least make some money for the studio. Put it that way.

What do you think of the reported cost of Star Wars: Starfighter and do you agree with my take on how much it needs to make to turn a profit? Thoughts below.

FOR FANBOYS, BY FANBOYS Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcasts and videos on The Genreverse Podcast Network? Available on YouTube and all your favorite podcast apps, This multimedia empire includes The Daily CoG, Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, Anime-Versal Review Podcast, and our Star Wars dedicated podcast The Cantina. Check it out by listening on all your favorite podcast apps, or watching on YouTube! Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts |  Spotify |  SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play