Midway to Main Street | Captain EO: The Most Expensive Film Ever @MidwaytoMainStreet | Uploaded August 2017 | Updated October 2024, 18 hours ago.
Did you know that for a time, the most expensive film ever made wasn’t in movie theaters, it was in Epcot? To be clear, I’m talking about the most expensive film on a per minute basis, and for a while that title went to Captain EO. So, where did Captain EO come from and why was it so expensive?
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So why was Captain EO so expensive?
Well that June, just three months after the initial announcement, Coppola began filming Captain EO in Culver City, California. Wrapping in August, the shoot was short, however it wasn’t free from problems. For one, Coppola wasn’t accustomed to shooting in 3D, which required a special camera rig that in turn effected how sets needed to be lit. On top of that, Michael Jackson would often keep the details of his dance routines to himself, sometimes up until the very day of filming, which presented its own production issues since typically everything on a film set is planned out far in advance.
At the same time, Eisner had grown smitten with Imagineering, and as a result he insisted that they be involved with the production as much as possible. As it would turn out, when Imagineers were brought on for aspects such as set design and construction, they charged the going rate that they often used for outside clients who hired them as consultants. Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg tried to get the rate lowered, but was ultimately unsuccessful, forcing him to try and look for outside contractors.
While Katzenberg had the budget on his mind, Eisner uncharacteristically did not. He was normally pretty frugal when it came to projects, but money was no object for Captain EO. At one point the attraction’s designer asked if the entire theater’s ceiling could be raised in order to eliminate an obstructing beam, and it was OK’d with virtually no hesitation. This was going to be the first real attraction opened under Eisner’s leadership. To him and Wells, this was more than just a show. It would be setting the tone for years to come in regards to what the world could expect from their partnership. It had to be perfect.
If that wasn’t enough, Lucas would occasionally drop in on the production and insist on changes that would often require costly reshoots or completely redoing special effect shots that were being created by his special effects company, Industrial Light & Magic. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as much of an issue if he was more present during production, but he was distracted at the time. He was in the middle producing the cinematic masterpiece, Howard the Duck.
Between the expensive process of shooting in 3D, the reshoots, and the new effects, the budget for Captain EO quickly ballooned to $17 million dollars. With a final runtime of 17 minutes, it came out to around a million dollars per minute, making it the most expensive film, per minute, at the time. For comparison Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979 and Heaven’s Gate in 1980 both cost in the 40 million dollar range, putting their per minute cost around $200,000.
So, is it still the most expensive film on a per minute basis today? No. Not even close. Thanks to the growing trend of big-budget tentpole films, without adjustments for inflation, it doesn’t even crack the top ten list.
With inflation? Well, still no, but it gets a lot closer. With an adjusted per-minute cost of $2.2 million dollars, it would be number three on the list. Coincidentally it’s beat out by two other Disney films, with the next most expensive being Tangled at $2.8 million per minute and the most expensive being Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at $2.9 million per minute.
In any case Captain EO would premiere in September of 1986, just 15 months after it began production. While the attraction wouldn’t find much critical praise as a film, often being called a glorified and expensive music video, it would ultimately become a well received Disney attraction, running for 6 years in Disneyland Paris, 8 years in Disney World, 9 in Tokyo Disney, and 11 years in Disneyland. It would later reopen in all four parks following the passing of Michael Jackson.
Captain EO symbolized a lot for Disney. It was the first attraction attributed to the leadership of Eisner and Wells. It was the first major collaboration with talents on the level of Lucas and Jackson. It was established a new pace at which Imagineering and Disney Parks could move to create a new attraction, and it showed the shareholders of Disney that a new era of the company was truly about to begin. And all it cost Disney was a million dollars a minute.
Did you know that for a time, the most expensive film ever made wasn’t in movie theaters, it was in Epcot? To be clear, I’m talking about the most expensive film on a per minute basis, and for a while that title went to Captain EO. So, where did Captain EO come from and why was it so expensive?
New here? Be sure to subscribe!
🔷goo.gl/x17zTL
My Patreon!
❤patreon.com/RobPlays
My Disney Podcast!
🎧ttapodcast.com
Follow me on Twitter!
📱Twitter.com/RobPlays
So why was Captain EO so expensive?
Well that June, just three months after the initial announcement, Coppola began filming Captain EO in Culver City, California. Wrapping in August, the shoot was short, however it wasn’t free from problems. For one, Coppola wasn’t accustomed to shooting in 3D, which required a special camera rig that in turn effected how sets needed to be lit. On top of that, Michael Jackson would often keep the details of his dance routines to himself, sometimes up until the very day of filming, which presented its own production issues since typically everything on a film set is planned out far in advance.
At the same time, Eisner had grown smitten with Imagineering, and as a result he insisted that they be involved with the production as much as possible. As it would turn out, when Imagineers were brought on for aspects such as set design and construction, they charged the going rate that they often used for outside clients who hired them as consultants. Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg tried to get the rate lowered, but was ultimately unsuccessful, forcing him to try and look for outside contractors.
While Katzenberg had the budget on his mind, Eisner uncharacteristically did not. He was normally pretty frugal when it came to projects, but money was no object for Captain EO. At one point the attraction’s designer asked if the entire theater’s ceiling could be raised in order to eliminate an obstructing beam, and it was OK’d with virtually no hesitation. This was going to be the first real attraction opened under Eisner’s leadership. To him and Wells, this was more than just a show. It would be setting the tone for years to come in regards to what the world could expect from their partnership. It had to be perfect.
If that wasn’t enough, Lucas would occasionally drop in on the production and insist on changes that would often require costly reshoots or completely redoing special effect shots that were being created by his special effects company, Industrial Light & Magic. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as much of an issue if he was more present during production, but he was distracted at the time. He was in the middle producing the cinematic masterpiece, Howard the Duck.
Between the expensive process of shooting in 3D, the reshoots, and the new effects, the budget for Captain EO quickly ballooned to $17 million dollars. With a final runtime of 17 minutes, it came out to around a million dollars per minute, making it the most expensive film, per minute, at the time. For comparison Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979 and Heaven’s Gate in 1980 both cost in the 40 million dollar range, putting their per minute cost around $200,000.
So, is it still the most expensive film on a per minute basis today? No. Not even close. Thanks to the growing trend of big-budget tentpole films, without adjustments for inflation, it doesn’t even crack the top ten list.
With inflation? Well, still no, but it gets a lot closer. With an adjusted per-minute cost of $2.2 million dollars, it would be number three on the list. Coincidentally it’s beat out by two other Disney films, with the next most expensive being Tangled at $2.8 million per minute and the most expensive being Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at $2.9 million per minute.
In any case Captain EO would premiere in September of 1986, just 15 months after it began production. While the attraction wouldn’t find much critical praise as a film, often being called a glorified and expensive music video, it would ultimately become a well received Disney attraction, running for 6 years in Disneyland Paris, 8 years in Disney World, 9 in Tokyo Disney, and 11 years in Disneyland. It would later reopen in all four parks following the passing of Michael Jackson.
Captain EO symbolized a lot for Disney. It was the first attraction attributed to the leadership of Eisner and Wells. It was the first major collaboration with talents on the level of Lucas and Jackson. It was established a new pace at which Imagineering and Disney Parks could move to create a new attraction, and it showed the shareholders of Disney that a new era of the company was truly about to begin. And all it cost Disney was a million dollars a minute.
