Arcane Will Become Most Expensive Animated TV Show Ever

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As a dedicated fan of animated series who has been following the industry for decades, I must say that Arcane‘s status as the most expensive animated TV show ever is nothing short of astounding! It’s like watching a high-budget blockbuster unfold episode by episode.

This month marks the arrival of the last chapter for the highly praised animated series, Arcane, which is set within the League of Legends universe. In total, Arcane consists of 18 episodes, distributed across its two seasons. Notably, despite having a relatively small number of episodes, Arcane has become the costliest animated TV show to produce.

As reported by Variety, Riot Games allocated around $250 million for the production and promotion of Arcane’s 18 episodes. This is currently the largest sum ever invested in an animated series, whether it be streamed online or broadcast on traditional television.

Why is Arcane the most expensive animated TV show ever? 

According to Variety, “Excessive spending and dreams yet to be fulfilled suggest that the company lacks experience in handling the complexities of the entertainment industry.

The initial production cost of Arcane Season 1 allegedly surpassed $80 million, and it’s said that the next season will set you back around $100 million. Beyond the animation work, the high production cost is mainly attributed to a meticulous labor-heavy methodology. Interestingly, as they began producing Season 2, they lacked scripts for each episode, leading to notable delays in its completion.

Rather than the typical spending pattern for studios, Riot invested approximately $60 million of their own funds to market Arcane Season 1. This amount is significantly more than what most studios would invest in promotions if they aren’t distributing a show themselves. In fact, this $60 million investment surpasses the amount Netflix usually spends on promotion by a considerable margin.

Initially, there were some stumbles for Riot. In 2020, they brought on board Anthony and Joe Russo to create a film within the League of Legends universe. But, due to creative disagreements, Riot ended up paying the Russo Brothers $5 million to part ways.

Originating from the minds of Christian Linke and Alex Yee, Arcane is a series that centers around sisters and two iconic characters from League of Legends, namely Jinx, also known as Powder, portrayed by Ella Purnell, and Vi, played by Hailee Steinfeld.

In the summary, it’s stated that characters named Jinx (Purnell) and Vi (Steinfeld) are placed on opposite sides in an upcoming conflict between the ideal city Piltover and its suppressed district Zaun. Through the events of the first season, both characters undergo significant changes: Jinx evolves into a trickster figure, while Vi demonstrates she’s a formidable force to be reckoned with.

In the second installment of Arcane, you’ll find it streaming exclusively on Netflix. The storyline is divided into three parts, with each part set to premiere on November 9th, 16th, and 23rd respectively.

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2024-11-06 20:12