The Move That Nearly Bankrupted 20th Century Fox

In this video, viewers see the scale of Cleopatra (1963), the movie so expensive it almost sank 20th Century Fox. What began as a modest $2 million production ballooned into a $44 million epic due to endless delays, costly reshoots, and Elizabeth Taylor’s unprecedented $1 million salary—the highest ever paid to an actress at the time. Though the film eventually earned back a significant portion of its budget, it wasn’t enough to save the studio from financial ruin. Fox was forced to sell off acres of its valuable backlot—land that would later become Century City—just to stay afloat.

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Cleopatra (1963) was so expensive it nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. What started as a $2M film spiraled into a $44M disaster thanks to delays, reshoots, and Elizabeth Taylor's record-breaking salary. It made money, but not enough to save the studio from selling off land just… pic.twitter.com/TwYVCfgWZg

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