What was the production budget of the film King Kong (2005)?

The production budget of Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005) was $207 million. That figure made the remake one of the most expensive films ever produced at the time of its release.

The project did not begin at that final cost. Universal initially approved a budget of about $150 million, but the total grew during production as Jackson expanded the film’s running time and added visual-effects work. The budget reportedly rose from $175 million to $207 million during filming and post-production.

King Kong required extensive digital work for the giant ape, Skull Island’s prehistoric creatures, large-scale environments, and 1930s New York. Andy Serkis performed Kong through motion capture, while Weta Digital created the character and much of the film’s computer-generated spectacle. New Zealand production also benefited from a reported $34 million subsidy.

The $207 million production budget does not include the film’s marketing and promotion costs, which were estimated separately at around $60 million. The film earned approximately $556.9 million worldwide and became the second remake of the 1933 King Kong, following the 1976 version.