Netflix (NFLX), originally a DVD rental service, sparked the streaming revolution when it launched its video streaming service in 2007. Nearly two decades later, it faces fierce competition from major media giants like Disney (DIS), Apple (AAPL), and Amazon Prime (AMZN). These companies are now all investing millions in original TV shows, battling for subscribers in an increasingly crowded market.
Here are the 15 most expensive streaming series of all time.
The first eight-episode season of Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, which debuted in 2024 cost about $20 million per episode. The sci-fi thriller was created by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and is based on a successful Chinese novel series.
Meanwhile, the second season of Apple’s buzziest show, “Severance,” reportedly cost the tech giant $200 million or about $20 million per episode
Disney’s Star Wars spinoff “The Acolyte,” which premiered in 2024, was one of its most expensive. The eight-episode first season had a total budget of $180 million or about $22.5 million per episode. The show has since been cancelled.
The second season of “Loki” cost $141 million to produce, Forbes reported. With six episodes, that comes to about $23 million per episode. Loki is one of many spinoffs of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise on this list.
The six-episode “Moon Knight,” another MCU spinoff, reportedly cost $147 million to make or about $24 million per episode.
“Andor,” a prequel series to the Star Wars film Rogue One reportedly had a slightly higher budget than other Star Wars shows. The 12-episode first season cost $250 million to produce or about $20 million per episode. However, its second season had a budget of about $290 million, coming out to about $24 million per episode.
Disney+ first wave of MCU spinoffs were kicked off with “WandaVision” in 2021. The nine-episode miniseries cost up to $25 million per episode, like many of Disney’s other MCU spinoffs including “Ms. Marvel,” “Hawkeye,” and “The Falcon and Winter Soldier.”
Netflix is spending $30 million per episode on the fourth and final season of its popular series “Stranger Things.” The show is set in the fictional Hawkins, Indiana during the 1980's. It follows a group of young friends as they encounter strange events following secret government experiments in their small town.
Disney spent $212 million to produce the MCU miniseries “Secret Invasion.” The budget for the 2023 six-episode miniseries came out to about $35.3 million per episode to make.
Amazon spent a whopping $300 million on the first season of its spy action show “Citadel.” The first season premiered in 2023 and was only six episodes, meaning each one cost about $50 million to produce.
The most expensive streaming series ever is Amazon’s spinoff of the classic fantasy “Lord of the Rings” books from J.R.R. Tolkien. The first eight-episode season of the show had a budget of $465 million, or $58 million per episode.
