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List of most expensive music videos

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Janet Jackson performing
With a budget of $7 million, "Scream" by Michael Jackson (left) and Janet Jackson (right) is the most expensive music video of all time—both nominally and adjusted for inflation.

This article lists the most expensive music videos ever made, with costs of $500,000 or more, from those whose budgets have been disclosed.

David Bowie's video for the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" was the first music video to exceed this sum. Janet Jackson and Britney Spears have six videos each on the list, while Michael Jackson and Ayumi Hamasaki have five each. Madonna has made three appearances in the top five, and five total, making her the artist with the most expensive videos of all time combined. TLC, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Guns N' Roses, Mylène Farmer and MC Hammer appear on the list twice.

Joseph Kahn has directed seven, Paul Hunter has directed four, while Hype Williams, Cha Eun Taek and Wataru Takeishi have directed three. Nigel Dick, Mark Romanek and John Landis appear twice, the latter with videos both for Michael Jackson. This list only includes music videos with an announced or reported budget.

Romanek, who made Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream", which was claimed to be one of the most expensive music videos ever made, has since denied this claim, saying that there were two other music videos from the same era which cost "millions more" than "Scream".[1] In a 2017 interview, Mick Garris, a writer for Michael Jackson's Ghosts stated that after several years of production development for the Ghosts short film: "It became the most expensive music video ever made...it ended up coming in at about $15 million, all of it out of Michael's pocket."[2]

Most expensive music videos

[edit]
  Indicates the title was the most expensive of all time at the time of production
  Indicates non-English-language music videos
Most expensive music videos
Rank Title Artist(s) Director Year Cost (est.) Ref
Nominal Adjusted
1 "Scream" Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson Mark Romanek 1995 $7,000,000 $13,996,943 [3][4]
2 "Die Another Day" Madonna Traktor 2002 $6,100,000 $10,333,321
3 "Express Yourself" David Fincher 1989 $5,000,000 $12,289,933
"Bedtime Story" Mark Romanek 1995 $5,000,000 $9,997,816
5 "Estranged" Guns N' Roses Andy Morahan 1993 $5,000,000 $10,545,957
6 "Black or White" Michael Jackson John Landis 1991 $4,000,000 $8,947,960
"You Rock My World" Michael Jackson Paul Hunter 2001 $4,000,000 $6,882,917 [5]
"Make Me Like You" Gwen Stefani Sophie Muller 2016 $4,000,000 $5,078,203 [6]
8 "Feels Like I'm Falling in Love" Coldplay Ben Mor 2024 $3,548,100 $3,548,100 [7][8][9]
9 "Cartoon Heroes" Aqua Thomas Masin 2000 $3,500,000 $6,192,464 [citation needed]
10 "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" Limp Bizkit Fred Durst 2000 $3,000,000 $4,614,581 [10]
11 "Victory" Puff Daddy (featuring The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes) Marcus Nispel 1998 $2,700,000 $5,047,203 [11]
12 "2 Legit 2 Quit" MC Hammer Rupert Wainwright 1991 $2,500,000 $5,592,475 [12]
"Heartbreaker" Mariah Carey (featuring Jay-Z) Brett Ratner 1999 $2,500,000 $4,572,513 [13]
"Doesn't Really Matter" Janet Jackson Joseph Kahn 2000 $2,500,000 $4,572,513 [14]
15 "What's It Gonna Be?!" Busta Rhymes (featuring Janet Jackson) Hype Williams 1999 $2,400,000 $4,389,612 [15]
16 "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" Celine Dion Nigel Dick 1996 $2,300,000 $4,468,237 [16]
17 "Bad" Michael Jackson Martin Scorsese 1987 $2,200,000 $5,900,176 [16]
18 "Larger Than Life" Backstreet Boys Joseph Kahn 1999 $2,100,000 $3,840,911 [16]
19 "Remember the Time" Michael Jackson John Singleton 1992 $2,000,000 $4,342,424 [16]
"Honey" Mariah Carey Paul Hunter 1997 $2,000,000 $3,796,020 [17]
"Miami" Will Smith Wayne Isham 1999 $2,000,000 $3,658,010 [citation needed]
"She's a Bitch" Missy Elliott Hype Williams 1999 $2,000,000 $3,658,010 [citation needed]
"Freeek!" George Michael Joseph Kahn 2002 $2,000,000 $3,387,974 [18]
"My Name's Women" Ayumi Hamasaki Wataru Takeishi 2005 $2,000,000 $3,120,123 [16]
"Fairyland" Wataru Takeishi 2005 $2,000,000 $3,120,123 [19]
26 "Me Against the Music" Britney Spears (featuring Madonna) Paul Hunter 2003 $1,750,000 $2,898,517 [20]
27 "Green" Ayumi Hamasaki Kazuyoshi Shimomura 2008 $1,600,000 $2,808,110 [21]
"Unpretty" TLC Paul Hunter 1999 $1,600,000 $2,926,408 [22]
29 "November Rain" Guns N' Roses Andy Morahan 1992 $1,500,000 $3,256,818 [23]
"Girlfriend/Boyfriend" Blackstreet & Janet Jackson (featuring Eve & Ja Rule) Joseph Kahn 1999 $1,500,000 $2,743,508 [16]
"Give Me All Your Luvin'" Madonna (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) Megaforce 2012 $1,500,000 $1,990,723 [24]
32 "Here Comes the Hammer" MC Hammer MC Hammer 1990 $1,000,000 $2,332,145 [25]
"Ready or Not" Fugees Marcus Nispel 1996 $1,300,000 $2,525,525 [citation needed]
34 "Work Bitch"[a] Britney Spears Ben Mor 2013 $1,200,000 $1,569,600 [26]
"Stronger" Kanye West Hype Williams 2007 $1,200,000 $1,763,312 [27]
36 "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)" Grace Jones Grace Jones 1986 $1,200,000 $3,335,519 [28]
37 "Jewel" Ayumi Hamasaki Wataru Takeishi 2006 $1,100,000 $1,662,529 [citation needed]
38 "Party All Night" Yo Yo Honey Singh & Meet Bros Anthony D'Souza 2013 $1,025,000 $1,655,352 [29]
"Hurt" Oliver Tree Oliver Tree 2018 $1,024,000 $1,242,479 [citation needed]
40 "The Wild Boys" Duran Duran Russell Mulcahy 1984 $1,000,000 $2,932,735 [citation needed]
"Dominion/Mother Russia" The Sisters of Mercy Andrew Eldritch 1988 $1,000,000 $2,576,252 [citation needed]
"Love Is Strong" The Rolling Stones David Fincher 1994 $1,000,000 $2,055,680 [citation needed]
"Waterfalls" TLC F. Gary Gray 1995 $1,000,000 $1,999,563 [citation needed]
"I Get Lonely" (remix) Janet Jackson Paul Hunter 1998 $1,000,000 $1,869,334 [citation needed]
"L'Âme-stram-gram" Mylène Farmer Ching Siu-tung 1999 $1,000,000 $1,829,005 [citation needed]
"Love" S.E.S. Hong JongHo 1999 $1,000,000 $1,829,005 [citation needed]
"Thong Song" (remix) Sisqó & Foxy Brown Little X 2000 $1,000,000 $1,769,275 [citation needed]
"Don't Say Goodbye" Paulina Rubio The Brothers Strause 2002 $1,000,000 $1,693,987 [30]
"Toxic" Britney Spears Joseph Kahn 2004 $1,000,000 $1,613,108 [31]
"Touch the Sky" Kanye West (featuring Lupe Fiasco) Chris Milk 2006 $1,000,000 $1,511,390 [32]
"Call on Me" Janet Jackson & Nelly Hype Williams 2006 $1,000,000 $1,511,390 [33]
"Virgin Road" Ayumi Hamasaki Masashi Muto 2010 $1,000,000 $1,397,223 [citation needed]
"A New Day Has Come" Celine Dion Dave Meyers 2002 $1,000,000 $1,354,438 [citation needed]
"Cry Cry/Lovey Dovey" T-ara Cha Eun Taek 2011 $1,000,000 $1,354,438 [34]
"The Ghost of You" My Chemical Romance Marc Webb 2005 $1,000,000 $1,354,438 [35]
56 "God's Plan" Drake Karena Evans 2018 $996,632 $1,209,271 [36]
57 "One Shot" B.A.P Kang Ji Won &
Kim Ki-bum 		2013 $915,000 $1,196,820 [34]
58 "Honey Honey" Gangkiz Cha Eun Taek 2012 $900,000 $1,194,434 [citation needed]
59 "Destiny" Infinite Hong Won-ki 2013 $890,000 $1,164,120 [34]
60 "Kilimanjaro" A. R. Rahman, Javed Ali, & Chinmayi S. Shankar 2010 $875,000 $1,222,570 [29]
61 "Malang" Pritam (featuring Siddharth Mahadevan & Shilpa Rao) Vijay Krishna Acharya 2013 $850,000 $1,655,352 [37]
62 "Super Lady" (G)I-dle Son Seung-hee 2024 $820,000 $820,000 [38]
63 "Heartbeat of Love" Pia Zadora Dominic Sena 1989 $800,000 $1,966,389 [39]
"Saturnz Barz" Gorillaz Jamie Hewlett 2017 $800,000 $994,407 [40]
"Triumph" Wu-Tang Clan Brett Ratner 1997 $800,000 $1,518,408 [41]
66 "California" Mylène Farmer Abel Ferrara 1996 $788,000 $1,530,857 [42]
67 "Applause" Lady Gaga Vinoodh Matadin 2013 $767,000 $1,003,236 [43]
68 "Push It" Garbage Andrea Giacobbe 1998 $750,000 $1,402,001 [44]
"Oops!... I Did It Again" Britney Spears Nigel Dick 2000 $750,000 $1,326,957 [45]
70 "Sad Promise" Speed Cha Eun Taek 2012 $706,000 $936,967 [46]
71 "Pillow Talking" Lil' Dicky Tony Yacenda 2017 $700,000 $870,106 [47]
72 "Tunak Tunak Tun" Daler Mehndi Daler Mehndi 1998 $610,000 $1,519,780 [48][49]
73 "Ashes to Ashes" David Bowie David Bowie and David Mallet 1980 $581,000 $2,148,480 [50]
74 "Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah" A.R. Rahman & Javed Akhtar (featuring Mohammed Aslam & Bonnie Chakraborty) Ashutosh Gowariker 2008 $575,000 $1,955,993 [51][52]
75 "The Centre of the Heart" Roxette Jonas Akerlund 2001 $575,000 $2,793,391 [53]
76 "Dola Re Dola" Ismail Darbar, Shreya Ghoshal, & KK Sanjay Leela Bhansali 2002 $514,300 $2,832,473 [51][54]
77 "Thriller" Michael Jackson John Landis 1983 $500,000 $1,529,569 [55]
78 "Livin' la Vida Loca" Ricky Martin Wayne Isham 1999 $500,000 $914,503 [56]
79 "Piece of Me" Britney Spears Wayne Isham 2007 $500,000 $734,714 [57]
80 "Hold It Against Me" Jonas Åkerlund 2011 $500,000 $677,219 [58]
81 "Come Back Home" 2NE1 Dee Shin 2014 $470,000 $604,909 [59]
82 "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" Naushad, Shakeel Badayuni, Lata Mangeshkar K. Asif 1960 $320,000 $3,295,748 [60][61]

Most expensive of all time at the time of production

[edit]
Timeline of most expensive music videos
Year Title Artist(s) Director Cost (est.) Ref
Nominal Adjusted
1960 "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" Naushad, Shakeel Badayuni, Lata Mangeshkar K. Asif $320,000 $3,295,748 [62][63]
1980 "Ashes to Ashes" David Bowie David Bowie and David Mallet $582,000 $2,152,178 [50]
1984 "The Wild Boys" Duran Duran Russell Mulcahy $1,000,000 $2,932,735
1986 "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)" Grace Jones Grace Jones $1,200,000 $3,335,519 [28]
1987 "Bad" Michael Jackson Martin Scorsese $2,200,000 $5,900,176
1989 "Express Yourself" Madonna David Fincher $5,000,000 $12,289,933 [3][4]
1995 "Bedtime Story" Mark Romanek $9,997,816
"Scream" Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson $7,000,000 $13,996,943

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Industry insiders from Planet Hollywood reported that the music video's total production and editing costs amounted to $6.5 million, as stipulated by the contract Spears signed in her residency requirements, making it the second most expensive music video of all time. Later, the director disclaimed the costs; they were not nearly to $6.5 million at all.

References

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Citations

[edit]
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  5. ^ "Jacko Recruits Brando, Sopranos for Video". ABC News.
  6. ^ "Make Me Like You (Gwen Stefani song)":
  7. ^ "Coldplay: Όλα Όσα Έγιναν Στο Χθεσινό Γύρισμα Του Μουσικού Τους Βίντεο Στο Ηρώδειο" [Coldplay: Everything That Happened at Yesterday's Shooting of Their Music Video at the Herodion]. Proto Thema (in Greek). June 11, 2024. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "Coldplay: Το Υπέροχο Βίντεο Κλιπ Στο Ηρώδειο Για Το feelslikeimfallinginlove" [Coldplay: The Wonderful Video Clip in Herodion for Feels Like I'm Falling in Love]. To Vima (in Greek). July 2, 2024. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
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  26. ^ "Work Bitch (Britney Spears song)":
  27. ^ "Stronger (Kanye West song)":
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  30. ^ "Don't Say Goodbye (Paulina Rubio's song)":
  31. ^ "Toxic (Britney Spears song)":
  32. ^ "Touch the Sky (Kanye West song)":
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  39. ^ Mark, 2011, pp. 442.
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  41. ^ "Triumph (Wu-Tang Clan song)":
  42. ^ "California (Mylène Farmer song)":
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  44. ^ "Push It (Garbage song)":
  45. ^ "Oops!... I Did It Again (song)":
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  63. ^ "Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average)". World Bank. 1960. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
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