Arcane was the most expensive animated series ever produced

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As a long-time gamer and ardent fan of League of Legends, I’ve been utterly captivated by Arcane’s grandeur. The series, a marvelous amalgamation of gripping storytelling and stunning visuals, has undeniably redefined the boundaries of what an animated show can achieve. However, as a budget-conscious gamer, it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow when I hear that Arcane cost a staggering $250 million to produce!

It’s hard to miss the fact that Arcane, the animated series from Riot and Netflix based on League of Legends, has been an enormous hit. This adaptation ranks among the highest-rated ever made, captivating both longtime fans and new viewers alike.

It could give the impression that it has made enormous profits, yet surprisingly, the profits per unit are quite slim compared to what most people anticipate.

Riot spent $250 million to produce Arcane

Based on an exclusive report from Variety, it’s been estimated that Riot Games have invested around $250 million in total for both the production and promotion of approximately 18 episodes of the series Arcane. This means each episode costs roughly $14 million to produce, making Arcane the most expensive animated television show ever made by a significant margin.

For context, here is the per-episode budget of a few much other major animated shows:

  • “The Simpsons” (Season 30) (2018) – Estimated $5 million per episode
  • “Family Guy” (Season 15) (2016) – Estimated $2 million per episode
  • “The Clone Wars” (Season 7) (2020) – Estimated $1-2 million per episode
  • “South Park” (Recent Seasons) – Estimated $1-2 million per episode
  • “Rick and Morty” (Season 5) (2021) – Estimated $1 million per episode

It’s apparent that Riot allocated a larger-than-usual budget for Arcane. Given its IMDb rating of 9/10, it’s safe to say the funds were put to good use.

If you’ve been pondering about the high cost of the show, it seems to be due to inexperience among the writers and a generous budget allocated for marketing.

What drove the cost far beyond typical animation expenses, insiders say, were both a labor-intensive approach and frequent cost overruns triggered by delayed script deliveries after the second season was put into production with only a fraction of the season written.

But even more eyebrow-raising than the production cost was that Riot spent $60 million of its own money to promote the first season of “Arcane,” [with] extravagant stunts like a takeover of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai.

Riot Games initially made a significant effort to venture into the entertainment industry for the first time in a more substantial way. While it’s expected that future projects will be more resource-efficient, there were undeniably issues with mismanagement during this process. However, it’s worth mentioning that the final outcome was not a failure.

Will you be tuning in for the next season of Arcane?

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2024-11-07 19:40