But some stories cost a lot of money to tell.
Bringing Santa and his flying reindeer to life on-screen doesnt come cheap.
The star-studded casts of movies likeThe HolidayandDaddys Home 2drove up the price of production.
This time, John McClane is tasked with stopping the terrorist siege of an airport, not a skyscraper.
Simply titledThe Grinch, it cost $75 million to make (viaBox Office Mojo).
This made itthe highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time, beating out the previous record holder,Home Alone.
In fact, its so dark that it ended up alienating audiences and underperforming at the box office.
Whether it counts as a Christmas movie or not, it was expensive to produce.
After the success of the first film, Burton and Keaton could name their price.
Universal Pictures
They also brought in other costly stars like Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Christopher Walken.
On top of that,Batman Returnshad plenty of high-priced sets, costumes, props, and action sequences.
Thats a lot of A-list paychecks.
It was conceived as a big-budget adaptation of Marius Petipa and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovskys 1892 balletThe Nutcracker.
Ron HowardsHow the Grinch Stole Christmaswas the firstfeature-length adaptation of a Dr. Seuss bookand the first live-action adaptation.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a new classic thanks to Jim Carrey’s over-the-top performance.
The movie succeeded despite behind-the-scenes issues.
It was quite the undertaking, and it wasnt cheap.
In 2006,The Polar Expressearned a Guinness World Record for being the first all-digital capture film.
Some audiences avoidedThe Polar Expressbecause the animation slipped into the uncanny valley.
As a result, it received mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office.
This version ofA Christmas Carolis anchored by Jim Carreys fine performance(s).
Carrey not only plays Ebenezer Scrooge, but all three of the ghosts that visit him on Christmas Eve.
Source:Box Office Mojo,The Numbers,Deadline,L.A.
Times,Guinness World Records,Variety,TheWrap
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