VFX Shots Race
The skyrocketing number of special effects shots in the Star Wars movies has become a shorthand for the way movies in general have become more SFX-heavy. But while the Star Wars films may have started the SFX arms race, they didn’t win it. None of the three Star Wars prequels has as many special effects shots as King Kong. Also, the visually stunning first Matrix movie only has less SFX shots as The Empire Strikes Back.
It’s important to note, of course, that number of S/VFX shots is not the same as complexity of effects. It’s also possible that different movie directors define the term “special effects shot” differently. But still, the raw number of special effects shots in a movie is often used as a proxy for how effects-heavy it is, and how fancy it looks. So here’s a ranking of SFX shots per movie, starting with the stunning amount of VFX Shots in the Bollywood Action Comedy film, Son of Sardaar.
| Year | Name Film | S/VFX Shots | Houses | Prod. Budget | Worldwide Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Zack Snyder’s Justice League | 2800 | Weta Digital (800 shots, Scanline VFX (1000 shots, 400 artists) | $70,000,000 | $???,000,000,000 |
| 2021 | No Time To Die | 1487 | ILM, Framestore, DNEG and Cinesite (129) | $300,000,000 | $606,700,000 |
| 2018 | Annihilation | 800 | Dneg, UnionVFX, Milk VFX (250 people) | $50,000,000 | $43,000,000 |
| 2019 | Aquaman | 2300 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM),Scanline VFX, Moving Picture Company (MPC), Method Studios, Rodeo FX, Weta Digital , Digital Domain , Luma Pictures | $180,000,000 | $1,148,000,000 |
| 2019 | Captain Marvel | 2124 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM),Trixter Film, Animal Logic, Lola Visual Effects, Framestore, Digital Domain, Rising Sun Pictures, Scanline VFX, Luma Pictures, RISE Visual Effects Studios , Double Negative (DNEG) |
$152,000,000 | $1,128,000,000 |
| 2019 | Dumbo | 1766 | MPC, Framestore, Rodeo FX, Rising Sun Pictures, RISE Visual Effects Studios, Atomic Arts | $170,000,000 | $352,000,000 |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | 2496 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Weta Digital, Double Negative (DNEG), Framestore, Cinesite, Digital Domain, RISE Visual Effects Studios | $356,000,000 | $2,781,000,000 |
| 2018 | Ready Player One | 1200+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (900+), Digital Domain (300), Framestore | $175,000,000 | $575,000,000 |
| 2018 | Black Panther | 2456 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (403), Luma Pictures (232), RiseFX (180 shots), Scanline (385), RiseFX (180), Mammal (578 shots), Method Studios (407), Trixter (205), capital T (41 shots), Double Negative (78 shots), Exceptional Minds (38), Ghost (41 shots), Storm (8 shots) | $200,000,000 | $1,318,000,000 |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | 2680 | Framestore (253 shots, 160 artists), Weta Digital (398 shots), Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Double Negative (496 shots, 800 people), Digital Domain (513 shots, 340 people), Cinesite (215 shots), Method Studios, Rise FX (26 shots, 30 artists), ScanlineVFX | $400,000,000 | $1,710,000,000 |
| 2017 | The Commuter | 1400 | Cinesite (862), Iloura, | $40,000,000 | $116,000,000 |
| 2017 | Downsizing | 625 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Framestore (110), Rodeo FX, Atomic Fiction | $68,000,000 | $55,000,000 |
| 2017 | The Shape of Water | 600 | Rodeo FX | $19,000,000 | $195,000,000 |
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | 2000 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Jellyfish, Rodeo FX, Base FX, Ghost VFX | $200,000,000 | $1.333,000,000 |
| 2017 | Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | 1100 | Moving Picture Company (MPC), Iloura (374), Rodeo FX, OllinVFX, Crafty Apes | $90,000,000 | $956,700,000 |
| 2017 | The Mountain Between Us | 300 | Moving Picture Company (MPC) | $35,000,000 | $63,000,000 |
| 2017 | King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | 1000+ | Framestore (430), Method Studios (430), Moving Picture Company (MPC), Nvizible, One Of Us, ScanlineVFX, Vitality Visual Effects |
$175,000,000 | $137,900,000 |
| 2017 | Alien: Covenant | 2300 | Framestore (295), Animal Logic, Atomic Fiction, Luma Pictures, Moving Picture Company (MPC) (700 shots, 500 artists), Peerless, Rising Sun Pictures (144) | $97,000,000 | $220,100,000 |
| 2017 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 2300 | Weta, Framestore, Method (500 vfx shots), Trixter, Scanline, Animal Logic (150), Lola, Cantina Creative, Luma (200), Technicolor and an InHouse team | $200,000,000 | $847,900,000 |
| 2010 | The Social Network | 1000 | Lola Visual Effects, Savage Visual Effects, Outback Post, Eden FX, OllinVFX, A52 and Hydraulx |
$40,000,000 | $224,900,000 |
| 2017 | The Fate of the Furious | 2600 | Digital Domain (775), Double Negative (443), Exceptional Minds, Factory VFX, Lola Visual Effects, RISE Visual Effects Studios (50), Rodeo FX (300), Solid FX, Trixter Film | $250,000,000 | $1,060,000,000 |
| 2016 | A Cure for Wellness | 777 | Double Negative (377) | $40,000,000 | $26,500,000 |
| 2016 | Hidden Figures | 328 | Crafty Apes | $25,000,000 | $228,400,000 |
| 2016 | Hacksaw Ridge | 705 | Animal Logic | $40,000,000 | $175,300,000 |
| 2016 | Silence | 700 | ILM (50 artists) | $40,000,000 | $16,000,000 |
| 2016 | A Monsters Call | 180 | MPC (180, 200 artists), Glassworks | $47,000,000 | $198,000,000 |
| 2016 | Allied | 776 | Atomic Fiction, UPP, Raynault & Lola | $85,000,000 | $119,500,000 |
| 2016 | Rogue One | 1697 | ILM | $200,000,000 | $1,056,000,000 |
| 2017 | The Great Wall | 1750 | ILM (1087, 250 artists), BaseFX (452), Hybride (86), Animal Logic (59), Ghost (32) | $150,000,000 | $332,000,000 |
| 2017 | T2 Trainspotting | 350 | Union VFX | $18,000,000 | $40,400,000 |
| 2017 | Ghost in the Shell | 1000 | MPC (600 artists), Lola, Atomic Fiction, Framestore (7 shots, 40 artists, 10 weeks) | $110,000,000 | $163,900,000 |
| 2016 | The Magnificent Seven | 900 | Zero VFX (80 people) | $108,000,000 | $160,400,000 |
| 2016 | Passengers | 1400 | Moving Picture Company (MPC) (1150 shots), Digital Domain, Instinctual VFX, The Senate Visual Effects | $110,000,000 | $57,400.000 |
| 2016 | Arrival | 700 | Alchemy 24, Folks, Framestore (33 artists, 9 shots, 10 weeks), Hybride Technologies (245, 90 employees), MELS, Oblique FX, Raynault VFX, Rodeo FX (60) | $47,000,000 | $145,900,000 |
| 2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | 1500 | Double Negative, Cinesite (98 shots), Image Engine Design, Framestore (800 shots), Moving Picture Company (MPC), Method Studios, Rodeo FX (144 artists, 126 shots) | $180,000,000 | $772,500.000 |
| 2016 | Doctor Strange | 1450+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (100 people, 288 shots), Framestore (365 shots), Luma Pictures, LolaVFX, Method Studios (140 people, 300 shots), Rise VFX (44 artists, 88 shots), Crafty Apes (16 artists, 120 shots) | $165,000,000 | $657,200,000 |
| 2016 | Rogue One | 1600+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Hybride, Atomic Fiction, Scanline VFX, GhostVFX, Whiskytree | $200,000,000 | $263,200,000 Still on Theatres |
| 2017 | Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | 2734+ | Double Negative (1300), MPC (200), Scanline, RodeoFX | $170,000,000 | $?? Not released yet |
| 2016 | Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children | 1500+ | Double Negative (1300), MPC (200), Scanline, RodeoFX | $110,000,000 | $245,200,00 |
| 2016 | Star Trek Beyond | 1450 | Double Negative, Atomic Fiction (450, 100 artists), RodeoFX | $185,000,000 | $341,900,000 |
| 2016 | Warcraft | 1000 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), RodeoFX, BaseFX, Hybride | $160,000,000 | $433,500,000 |
| 2016 | The Legend of Tarzan | 1200 | Framestore (700), MPC, Rodeo (200, 65 artists), Lola, Method, Rising Sun and One Of Us | $180,000,000 | $356,700,000 |
| 2016 | Independence Day: Resurgence | 1750 | Weta (230, 400 people), MPC, Scanline (300), ImageEngine, Cinesite, Luxx Studios, Uncharted Territory and Digital Domain. | $165,000,000 | $389,700,000 |
| 2016 | Mechanic: Resurrection | 1134 | Worldwide FX (100 artists) | $40,000,000 | $109,400,000 |
| 2016 | Suicide Squad | 650+ | Moving Picture Company (MPC) (350), Sony Imageworks (300) | $175,000,000 | $745,000,000 |
| 2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | 1300 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), BaseFX, Virtuos and WhiskeyTree. 550 artists in total | $135,000,000 | $245,000,000 |
| 2016 | Deadpool | 1200 | Weta Digital (284 shots, 57 artists), Digital Domain (240 shots), Image Engine Design, Rodeo FX (230 shots, 90 people), Atomic Fiction (247 shots, 130 people), Blur Studio (37 shots), Luma Pictures | $58,000,000 | $781,575,627 |
| 2016 | Pride & Prejudice & Zombie | 200 | Cinesite | $28,000,000 | $16,374,328 |
| 2015 | Bridge of Spies | 200 | Pixomondo, Double Negative | $40,000,000 | $165,478,348 |
| 2016 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | 1500 | Weta Digital, Moving Picture Company (MPC) (450), Double Negative, ScanlineVFX (350 shots, 200 artists) | $250,000,000 | $872,662,631 |
| 2016 | The Jungle Book | 1200 | MPC (1200 shots, 800 artists) | $175,000,000 | $934,577,614 |
| 2016 | X-Men: Apocalypse | 1200+ | MPC (996), Digital Domain, Cinesite (30), Hydraulx, Rising Sun Pictures | $178,000,000 | $529,129,059 |
| 2016 | Warcraft | 2000 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Rodeo FX, Hybride Technologies, El Ranchito | $160,000,000 | $422,095,150 |
| 2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | 2000 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (1700), Double Negative (300) | $170,000,000 | $260,344,919 |
| 2016 | Central Intelligence | 589 | Factory VFX, Rodeo FX, Weta Digital | $50,000,000 | $124,747,074 |
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | 3000 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (637 shots, 220 people), RiseFX (300 shots, 120 artists), Luma Pictures (200 shots), Double Negative, Animal Logic , Image Engine, Lola Post, Method Studios, Trixter, Prime Focus, RiseFX, Crafty Apes, | $250,000,000 | $990,976,153 |
| 2016 | Gods of Egypt | 2550 | Iloura, Rising Sun Pictures, Cinesite, Raynault, Rodeo FX, UPP, Tippett and Comen VFX | $140,000,000 | $138,669,740 |
| 2016 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny | 500 | Lola VFX (65 shots, 15 people), Pixomondo Toronto (335 shots, 65 people) and Zoic Studios Vancouver (150 shots, 65 people) | $??? | $31,000,000 |
| 2015 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | 500+ | BlueBolt (224 vfx shots, 8 months, 30 people), Cinesite, Rise VFX (212 vfx shots, 15 months, 65 people) | $75,000,000 | $109,645,109 |
| 2015 | The Revenant | 630 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), MPC, Cinesite (135) and Gradient FX | $135,000,000 | $232,197,600 |
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | 2100 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), BaseFX & Hybride (1300 vfx shots, 920 artists), Kelvin Optical (800 shots, 80 artists) | $200,000,000 | $1,948,345,219 |
| 2015 | Southpaw | 500 | Zero VFX (6 months, 50 people) | $30,000,000 | $90,903,415 |
| 2015 | The Last Witch Hunter | 1023 | Rodeo FX (400), Luma Pictures (90), Method Studios (36), Cinesite (60), Image Engine (137). The remaining 400 shots were split between Lola, Synaptic and Big Sky | $90,000,000 | $84,910,596 |
| 2015 | Spectre | 1500 | ILM (opening sequence and helicopter fight and Spectre base), DNEG (all the London stuff at the end), MPC (the Alpine and torture room sequences), Cinesite (334 shots, all the Rome and Tangier bits), Peerless (a lot of other odds and sods.) | $250,000,000 | $542,100,000 |
| 2015 | Goosebumps | 900 | MPC (700 shots), Sony Pictures Animation and Vitality Visual Effects | $58,000,000 | $55,366,046 |
| 2015 | Everest | 900 | RVX (400 shots, 50 people), Framestore (200 shots), Evolution FX, Important Looking Pirates, Milk Visual Effects, One Of Us and Union Visual Effects | $55,000,000 | $168,233,106 |
| 2015 | The Martian | 1100 | MPC (425 shots), Framestore (338 shots), Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Milk Visual Effects, Prime Focus World, The Senate Visual Effects and Territory. 700 artists in total. | $108,000,000 | $595,745,402 |
| 2015 | The Walk | 672 | Atomic Fiction (250), RodeoFX (100) and UPP. 500 artists in total. | $35,000,000 | $43,233,547 |
| 2015 | Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | 1000 | Double Negative, Lola Visual Effects and Territory | $150,000,000 | $438,563,000 |
| 2014 | The Monkey King | 1800 | Crafty Apes, Macrograph, CafeFX. 3 months of work (crazy) | $82,000,000 | $181,900,000 |
| 2015 | Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal | 1200+ | Macrograph, Pixomondo, W2 Studios | $130,000,000 | $64,470,000 |
| 2015 | Terminator: Genisys | 1200 | Double Negative (900 shots, 500 crew), MPC (250 shots), Industrial Light & Magic, Lola VFX, One of Us, and Method Studios | $155,000,000 | $353,090,000 |
| 2015 | Pixels | 632+ | Digital Domain (361 shots, 160 people), Sony Pictures Imageworks (246), Trixter (25), Atomic Fiction, Pixel Playground, Lola VFX, Shade VFX | $88,000,000 | $173,882,000 |
| 2008 | Hancock | 525 | Sony Imageworks | $150,000,000 | $624,386,746 |
| 2006 | Casino Royale | 580 | Peerless Camera Co (430), Double Negative (50), Cinesite (30), MPC (20), Baseblack (20), Fuzzy Goat (20) | $150,000,000 | $599,045,960 |
| 2004 | The Chronicles of Riddick | 800 | Double Negative, Rhythm & Hues and Hammerhead | $105,000,000 | $115,772,733 |
| 2007 | I Am Legend | 800 | Sony Imageworks (800) | $150,000,000 | $585,349,010 |
| 2009 | Angels & Demons | 917 | Double Negative (359), CIS Vancouver (240), MPC (201) shots, The Senate (196) and in-house unit (161) | $150,000,000 | $485,930,816 |
| 2006 | Silent Hill | 619 | BUF Compagnie (197), and C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures (227), Mr. X (68), Intelligent Creatures (6), Invisible Pictures (17), Frantic Films (47), Mokko (45) | $50,000,000 | $97,607,453 |
| 2014 | San Andreas | 1300 | Method Studios (247), Cinesite (160), Hydraulx, Atomic Fiction, ScanlineVFX, Image Engine, Soho VFX | $110,000,000 | $460,985,432 |
| 2014 | Into the Storm | 600 | Cinesite, Digital Domain, Gentle Giant Studios, Hydraulx (150), Method Studios (180 shots in 4 months), Rhythm & Hues Studios | $50,000,000 | $160,602,194 |
| 2006 | Final Destination 3 | 340 | Meteor Studios (144), Digital Dimension (100), Soho VFX (35) | $25,000,000 | $117,719,158 |
| 2005 | Doom | 350 | Double Negative (200), Framestore (130) | $60,000,000 | $55,987,321 |
| 2007 | 28 Weeks Later | 404 | Rising Sun Pictures and Animal Logic in Australia, Lip Sync, The Senate, The Mill, Rushes, Framestore CFC, DNA, Tim Walton and Chocolate Lab in London | $15,000,000 | $64,238,440 |
| 2004 | I, Robot | 800+ | Digital Domain (500 shots in 14 months, including about 460 shots featuring CG robots), Weta Digital (300) | $120,000,000 | $347,234,916 |
| 2008 | Max Payne | 264 | Spin (107), Soho (30) and Mr. X (12) | $35,000,000 | $85,416,905 |
| 2013 | White House Down | 1400+ | Uncharted Territory (1000 shots in 12 months), Baseblack, Prime Focus World (326 shots, 174 artists), Hybride Technologies, Scanline VFX (9), Image Engine (100) and Method Studios (185 shots, 65 artists, 8 months) | $150,000,000 | $205,366,737 |
| 2013 | White House Down | 1400+ | Uncharted Territory (1000 shots in 12 months), Baseblack, Prime Focus World (326 shots, 174 artists), Hybride Technologies, Scanline VFX (9), Image Engine (100) and Method Studios (185 shots, 65 artists, 8 months) | $150,000,000 | $205,366,737 |
| 2012 | Dark Shadows | 340+ | MPC (340), BUF Compagnie, The Senate and Method Studios | $150,000,000 | $245,527,149 |
| 2008 | Asterix at the Olympic Games | 1400 | Duboi (530), BUF Compagnie (515) and Mikros Image (315) | $113,500,000 | $132,900,000 |
| 2007 | The Golden Compass | 1500 | Rhythm & Hues & Rhythm & Hues India (755), Cinesite (475), Framestore (322), Digital Domain (150), Rainmaker UK (114), Peerless Camera (74), Tippett Studio (28), Digital Back Lot (13), Matte World Digital (7) | $180,000,000 | $372,234,864 |
| 2008 | 10,000 BC | 320 | Double Negative (170), MPC (150) | $105,000,000 | $269,784,201 |
| 2005 | The Brothers Grimm | 800 | Peerless Camera | $88,000,000 | $105,316,267 |
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | 800 | MPC, Cinesite (160), Framestore (70), Digital Domain | $150,000,000 | $474,968,763 |
| 2009 | Stardust | 830 | Double Negative (350), LipSync Post, Cinesite, The Senate, Baseblack, Machine and Rushes | $88,500,000 | $135,560,026 |
| 2009 | Gamer | 1000 | yU+co (568 shots), LookFX (381 shots), Furious FX (209 shots), Therapy (120 shots), Sub/Par (the in-house staff, which did 107 shots), Duran Duboi (61 shots), Celluloid (24 shots), Gradient (4 shots) and Luma Pictures (4 shots) | $50,000,000 | $40,828,540 |
| 2008 | Mutant Chronicles | 1645 | Men-From-Mars (1454 shots, 30 people, 6 months). Dinamo Prods., Baseblack and Lipsync Post | $25,000,000 | $2,131,057 |
| 2006 | Crank: High Voltage | 440 | Luma Pictures, Duran Duboi, LOOK Effects, Furious FX, Celluloid | $20,000,000 | $34,560,577 |
| 2006 | Poseidon | 140 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), MPC, Lola VFX, Hydraulx | $160,000,000 | $181,674,817 |
| 2006 | Underworld: Evolution | 553 | Luma Pictures (195), Ntropic (79), Furious FX (78), Company 3 (42), CafeFX (23), Krypton (15), Framestore (12) | $45,000,000 | $111,340,801 |
| 2006 | Mission: Impossible III | 550 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Lola VFX | $150,000,000 | $397,850,012 |
| 2011 | Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | 700 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Fuel VFX, Base VFX, Pixomondo | $145,000,000 | $694,713,380 |
| 2015 | Ted 2 | 1600+ | Iloura (1000, 9 months), Tippett Studio (600) | $68,000,000 | $153,489,224 |
| 2015 | Mad Max: Fury Road | 2000+ | Iloura (1500), Hybrid Enterprises and Method Studios | $150,000,000 | $367,104,128 |
| 2015 | Cinderella | 823 | MPC (800), Rodeo (23) | $95,000,000 | $538,541,000 |
| 2011 | Spy Kids: All the Time in the World | 1114 | Hybride (1114) | $27,000,000 | $85,600,000 |
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | 3000+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (810 shots – 425 artists), Double Negative, Luma Pictures, Method Studios, Animal Logic, Lola Visual Effects | $279,900,000 | $1,388,522,000 |
| 2015 | Baahubali: The Beginning | 4500+ | 600 artists and 17 visual effects studios | $18,000,000 | $89,000,000 |
| 2014 | Into the Woods | 300 | MPC | $50,000,000 | $204,302,372 |
| 2014 | Kingsman: The Secret Service | 220 | Nvizible: 220 shots, 110 of which were legs. 30 artists. | $81,000,000 | $401,071,116 |
| 2014 | American Sniper | 200 | MPC | $58,800,000 | $541,761,848 |
| 2015 | Chappie | 1300 | Image Engine (1300 shots (about a 1000 of those being Chappie)) | $49,000,000 | $84,600,000 |
| 2014 | Interstellar | 700 | Double Negative (600+ were in Imax 5.6K, 450 people) | $165,000,000 | $671,600,000 |
| 2014 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1000+ | ILM (1000 shots, 450 people), Image Engine (a good portion of the snow chase sequence), Base FX (some of the young turtles and youthful rat work), Tippet (the flashback sequence with the young turtles and Splinter), Atomic Fiction (CG environment work). | $125,000,000 | $477,204,754 |
| 2014 | Dracula Untold | 700+ | Framestore, Level256, Milk VFX, Windmill Lane VFX and Method LA (250 people) | $17,000,000 | $215,000,000 |
| 2014 | Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb | 886+ | Digital Domain (340), MPC (250), Method Studios (209), Cinesite (87) | $127,000,000 | $360,224,307 |
| 2014 | Paddington | 756 | Framestore (350 – 25 artists) | $50,000,000 | $42,600,000 |
| 2014 | Godzilla | 960 | MPC (350), Double Negative, ScanlineVFX, Weta Digital | $160,000,000 | $507,463,953 |
| 2014 | Exodus: Gods and Kings | 1800 | Double Negative (1300 shots, 2000 artists and producers), MPC (500 shots, team of 787 all sites), One of Us, Peerless | $140,000,000 | $268,031,828 |
| 2014 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | 600+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (600 shots, 1,5 years, 550 artists), Atomic Fictio, Method Studios | $210,000,000 | $1,091,405,097 |
| 2014 | Guardians of the Galaxy | 2750 | MPC (857), Framestore (633), Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (88), Luma, Method Studios, … | $170,000,000 | $772,349,244 |
| 2014 | Kick | 1000 | Prime Focus | $16,000,000 | $56,000,000 |
| 2010 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | 1400 | MPC (700), Framestore (60), Cinesite, The Senate and The Mill | $155,000,000 | $415,686,217 |
| 2012 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | 450+ | Tippet Studio (380), Method Studios, Rodeo (50) | $120,000,000 | $829,685,377 |
| 2011 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 | 1275 | Tippet Studio (150), Method Studios (62), Soho, Spin | $110,000,000 | $712,171,856 |
| 2013 | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | 840+ | Double Negative (400), Method Studios (155), Weta Digital (85 shots, 200 artists, 4 months), Rodeo (100) | $140,000,000 | $864,565,663 |
| 2012 | The Hunger Games | 1200 | Hybride (367), Rising Sun Pictures, Pixomondo, ILM, Rhythm & Hues, Whiskytree, Digiscope, Clearcut FX | $78,000,000 | $691,200,000 |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone | 600 | MPC (95), Cinesite, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $125,000,000 | $974,755,371 |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | 1400 | Double Negative (950), MPC, Framestore, Cinesite | $150,000,000 | $939,885,929 |
| 2011 | Thor | 1309 | Digital Domain (350), Luma (310), Buf (288), Whiskytree and Fuel (55) | $150,000,000 | $449,300,000 |
| 1999 | Wild Wild West | 400 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Cinesite | $170,000,000 | $222,105,681 |
| 1995 | Waterworld | 400 | Cinesite, Rhythm & Hues | $172,000,000 | $264,218,220 |
| 2011 | Green Lantern | 1315 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (1000), MPC, Rising Sun | $200,000,000 | $219,851,172 |
| 2009 | 2012 | 1315 | Scanline, Digital Domain, Double Negative, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Pixomondo, Hydraulx | $200,000,000 | $769,679,473 |
| 2006 | Superman Returns | 1400 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (317), Framestore (313 shots, 70 artists, 8 months), Rhythm and Hues, Orphanage (200) | $204,000,000 | $391,081,192 |
| 2012 | Battleship | 1200 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (1000) | $209,000,000 | $303,025,485 |
| 2010 | Alice in Wonderland | 1700 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI), Cafe | $200,000,000 | $1,025,467,110 |
| 2012 | Wrath of the Titans | 844 | Framestore (300), MPC (280), Nvizible (70), Method Studios (114) and The Senate (80) | $150,000,000 | $305,270,083 |
| 2012 | Skyfall | 1300 | Double Negative, MPC (300 shots, 150 artists, 9 months), Cinesite (100 shots, 40 artists, 9 months), Framestore, BlueBolt (97 shots, 20 artists) | $200,000,000 | $1,108,600,000 |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 | 1200+ | Double Negative (410), MPC (325), Framestore (90), Baseblack, Cinesite (400), Union (50), Rising Sun | $250,000,000 | $1,341,511,219 |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | 600+ | Double Negative (166), MPC (180), Framestore, Baseblack (300), Cinesite (46) and Rising Sun | $250,000,000 | $960,283,305 |
| 2005 | Batman Begins | 650 | Double Negative (300), MPC | $150,000,000 | $374,200,000 |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | 650 | Double Negative, Framestore (226), BUF, Cinesite | $185,000,000 | $1,004,558,444 |
| 2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | 450 | Double Negative | $275,000,000 | $1,084,439,099 |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | 1617 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI), Rhythm and Hues | $180,000,000 | $745,013,115 |
| 2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | 1800 | MPC (842), Framestore (514), Weta Digital (296), Scanline, Rising Sun | $225,000,000 | $419,665,568 |
| 1997 | Titanic | 516 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Digital Domain | $200,000,000 | $2,186,772,302 |
| 2009 | Avatar | 2500 | Weta Digital, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Framestore | $237,000,000 | $2,787,965,087 |
| 2011 | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | 1000+ | Framestore (500 shots, 100 artists, 1 year), MPC (400 shots, 150 artists, 1 year) | $125,000,000 | $545,448,418 |
| 2009 | Sherlock Holmes | 500+ | Framestore (450 shots, 1 year), Double Negative | $90,000,000 | $524,028,679 |
| 2010 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | 1000+ | Cinesite (285 shots, 60 artists), MPC (300 shots, 100 artists), Framestore (220 shots, 60 artists) and Double Negative (200 shots, 100 artists) | $200,000,000 | $336,365,676 |
| 2011 | Battle: Los Angeles | 1000 | Cinesite (110 shots, 34 artists, 10 months), Hydraulx, SPIN (200 shots, 50 artists, 3 months), The Embassy, Shade, Luma Pictures, Soho | $70,000,000 | $211,819,354 |
| 2011 | Sucker Punch | 1100 | MPC (150 shots, 70 artists, 9 months), Animal Logic (200 shots), Prime Focus (180 shots, 1 year), Pixomondo (200 shots, 120 artists, 1 year) | $82,000,000 | $89,792,502 |
| 2011 | X-Men: First Class | 1100 | Rhythm & Hues, Cinesite (150 shots), Luma Pictures (95 shots, 60 artists), Digital Domain, MPC (125 shots, 115 artists, 8 months) and Weta Digital | $160,000,000 | $353,624,124 |
| 2011 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | 1000+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (580 shots, 355 artists, 18 months), Digital Domain (350) | $195,000,000 | $1,123,794,079 |
| 2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | 1000 | Weta Digital (600 artists, 1,5 years), Soho, Atomic, Lola | $93,000,000 | $481,801,049 |
| 2011 | Final Destination 5 | 150+ | Prime Focus (130 shots, 70 artists, 9 months), Soho | $40,000,000 | $157,887,643 |
| 2012 | John Carter | 2000+ | Double Negative (960 shots, 850 artists, 1,5 years), Cinesite (831 shots, 400 artists), MPC (180 shots, 160 artists, 9 months), Nvizible | $250,000,000 | $284,139,100 |
| 2012 | The Avengers | 2200 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (700 shots, 300 artists, 1 year), Weta Digital (400 shots, 500 artists, 1 year), Scanline, Hydraulx, Fuel (150 shots, 50 artists, 5 months), Luma (200 shots, 80 artists), Digital Domain | $220,000,000 | $1,518,594,910 |
| 2010 | Robin Hood | 1200 | MPC (570), Prime Focus, Lola | $150,000,000 | $321,669,730 |
| 2012 | Prometheus | 1400 | MPC (420), Weta Digital, Fuel (200) | $130,000,000 | $403,300,000 |
| 2012 | The Amazing Spider-Man | 1600 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (671), Pixomondo, Method, Rodeo FX | $230,000,000 | $757,930,663 |
| 2012 | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | 1600 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (1000), MPC (300), Pixomondo (272 shots, 202 artists, 6 months) | $200,000,000 | $706,204,650 |
| 2012 | The Expendables 2 | 1547 | Worldwide FX (1186 shots, 277 splendid folks, artists, 24 weeks) | $100,000,000 | $311,900,000 |
| 2012 | Dredd | 750 | Prime Focus (650 shots, 70 artists, 24 weeks), Baseblack (12 artists, 5 months) | $45,000,000 | $41,000,000 |
| 2012 | Flight | 1000+ | Atomic Fiction (400 shots, 35 artists, 6 months) | $31,000,000 | $161,772,375 |
| 2009 | Star Trek | 1000+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Digital Domain | $150,000,000 | $385,494,555 |
| 2013 | Oblivion | 804 | Digital Domain (370), Pixomondo (434) | $120,000,000 | $286,168,572 |
| 2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | 1311 | Digital Domain (450 shots, 242 artists, 8 months), Rising Sun (46 shots, 5,5 months), MPC, (372 shots, 250 artists) | $200,000,000 | $736,316,366 |
| 2009 | Star Trek | 1000+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Digital Domain | $150,000,000 | $385,494,555 |
| 2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | 1800+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (1400 shots, “hundreds of people”, 2 years), Pixomondo (380 shots, 350 artists, 1 year) | $185,000,000 | $467,365,246 |
| 2013 | World War Z | 1000+ | MPC (450 shots, 150 artists, 2 years), Cinesite (400), Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Framestore, Lola | $190,000,000 | $540,007,876 |
| 2013 | The Lone Ranger | 1000+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (422 shots, 170 artists, 8 months), MPC (550), Lola, Atomic Fiction | $250,000,000 | $260,502,115 |
| 2014 | Pompeii | 500 | Mr. X, Scanline, Soho, Spin, Rocket | $80,000,000 | $101,819,748 |
| 2013 | Non-Stop | 500+ | Prime Focus (474 shots, 5 months), Method Studios | $50,000,000 | $225,742,160 |
| 2013 | 47 Ronin | 1200 | Framestore (700 shots, 200 artists), Baseblack (315 shots, 30 artists, 21 months), MPC (250) | $175,000,000 | $150,962,475 |
| 2014 | 300: Rise of an Empire | 1215+ | Scanline (700), MPC (215 shots, 300 artists, 5 months), Cinesite (300) | $110,000,000 | $331,114,051 |
| 2014 | Robocop | 1080+ | Framestore (600), Method Studios (280 shots, 127 artists, 3 months), Mr. X (200 shots, 82 artists) | $130,000,000 | $242,688,965 |
| 2013 | Sharknado (TV Movie) | 350 | The Asylum (10 artists) | $250,000 | TV Movie |
| 2014 | Edge of Tomorrow | 1200 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (430 shots, 14 months, 130 artists), Framestore, Nvizible (400 shots, 1 year, 20 artists), Cinesite (189 shots, 70 artists), Rodeo | $178,000,000 | $351,830,000 |
| 1983 | Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi | 900 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $32,500,000 | $475,106,177 |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | 900 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (250 artists) | $258,000,000 | $890,871,626 |
| 2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | 2000 | Weta Digital | $225,000,000 | $960,366,855 |
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | 2135+ | Weta Digital | $180,000,000 | $1,017,003,568 |
| 2002 | Spy Kids II | 1050 | Cinesite, Hybride (650) | $38,000,000 | $119,723,358 |
| 2010 | TRON: Legacy | 1565 | Digital Domain (880), Mr. X, Prime Focus (120) | $170,000,000 | $400,062,763 |
| 1977 | Star Wars | 360 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $11,000,000 | $775,398,007 |
| 2005 | King Kong | 2400 | Weta Digital | $207,000,000 | $550,500,000 |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | 1200 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), MPC (305 shots, 90 artists, 9 months), Cinesite (300), Bluebolt, Method Studios | $379,000,000 | $1,045,713,802 |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | 1100 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Method Studios | $225,000,000 | $1,066,179,725 |
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s Ends | 1400 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (750), Digital Domain (300), Method Studios | $300,000,000 | $963,420,425 |
| 2003 | Lord of the Rings: Return of the King | 1500 | Weta Digital | $94,000,000 | $1,119,929,521 |
| 1999 | The Matrix | 412 | Animal Logic | $63,000,000 | $463,517,383 |
| 1999 | End of Days | 450 | Rhythm and Hues, Stan Winston Studios | $80,000,000 | $211,989,043 |
| 1997 | Starship Troopers | 500 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Stan Winston Studios | $105,000,000 | $121,214,377 |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | 2200 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $15,000,000 | $649,398,328 |
| 1996 | The Frighteners | 570 | Weta Digital | $26,000,000 | $29,359,216 |
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back | 605 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $33,000,000 | $538,375,067 |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | 800 | Weta Digital | $94,000,000 | $926,047,111 |
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | 480 | Weta Digital | $93,000,000 | $871,530,324 |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | 1950 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $115,000,000 | $1,027,044,677 |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | 2200 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $113,000,000 | $848,754,768 |
| 1996 | Independence Day | 430 | Digiscope | $75,000,000 | $817,400,891 |
| 2003 | The Matrix Revolutions | 804 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) | $150,000,000 | $427,343,298 |
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded | 1227 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI), Animal Logic | $150,000,000 | $742,128,461 |
| 2002 | Minority Report | 477 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $102,000,000 | $358,372,926 |
| 1998 | Godzilla | 400 | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) | $130,000,000 | $379,014,294 |
| 2014 | The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies | 1836+ | Weta Digital | $250,000,000 | $955,119,788 |
| 2013 | Man of Steel | 1500+ | Weta Digital (607 shots, 1,4 years, 500 artists), Double Negative (400), MPC (450 shots, 1,5 years, 250 artists), Scanline | $225,000,000 | $668,045,518 |
| 2013 | Oz the Great and Powerful | 1500+ | Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI), Luma Pictures, Method Studios. The movie had 1800 shots in total. | $215,000,000 | $493,311,825 |
| 2011 | Hugo | 800 | Pixomondo | $170,000,000 | $185,770,160 |
| 2009 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 800+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $200,000,000 | $836,303,693 |
| 2008 | Iron Man | 800+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $140,000,000 | $585,174,222 |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | 1000+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Double Negative (250 shots, 200 artists), Fuel (130) | $200,000,000 | $623,933,331 |
| 2010 | Iron Man 3 | 2000+ | Digital Domain (250), Weta Digital (422 shots, 40 artists, 4 months), Scanline (250 shots, 125 artists, 13 months), Method Studios (80 shots, 75 artists, 9 weeks), Cinesite (104 shots, 44 artists, 9 weeks), Fuel (70 shots, 30 artists, 5 months), Framestore (113 shots, 97 artists, 4,5 months), Luma Pictures | $200,000,000 | $1,215,439,994 |
| 2007 | Transformers | 630+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Digital Domain | $150,000,000 | $709,709,780 |
| 2013 | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | 700+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (180), Digital Domain (227), Method Studios (230 shots, 70 artists – 7 months) | $130,000,000 | $375,740,705 |
| 1993 | Jurassic Park | 50 | Stan Winston Studio & Tippett Studio | $63,000,000 | $1,029,153,882 |
| 2015 | Jurassic World | 2000 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (1500), Image Engine, Hybride (180) | $150,000,000 | $1,465,838,000 |
| 2012 | Life of Pi | 690 | Rhythm and Hues (446), MPC (110 shots, 220 artists, 2.5 years), Look (60 shots, 6 artists, 1 year). The movie had a total of 960 shots. | $120,000,000 | $609,016,565 |
| 2008 | Quantum Solace | 900+ | Double Negative, Framestore, MPC | $200,000,000 | $586,090,727 |
| 2014 | Noah | 1000+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (380 shots, 235 artists, 1 year), Look (300 shots) | $125,000,000 | $359,200,044 |
| 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 54+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Stan Winston Studio | $102,000,000 | $519,843,345 |
| 2012 | Men in Black 3 | 1214+ | Sony Pictures Imageworks (650) | $215,000,000 | $624,026,776 |
| 2014 | Maleficent | 1500+ | MPC (850), Digital Domain (540 shots, 320 artists), Method Studios, The Senate | $180,000,000 | $668,994,000 |
| 2014 | Divergent | 381 | Method Studios | $85,000,000 | $269,276,713 |
| 2009 | Star Trek | 1005+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (797). Digital Domain | $150,000,000 | $385,494,555 |
| 2014 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | 340+ | LOOK! Effects (12 artists – 10 months) | $31,000,000 | $166,728,513 |
| 2015 | Tomorrowland | 1300+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (1200 shots, 200 artists), RodeoFx (50), Hybride (68) | $190,000,000 | $203,380,000 |
| 2013 | Ender’s Game | 941 | Digital Domain (700). The movie had 1200 shots in total. | $110,000,000 | $125,537,191 |
| 2013 | Elysium | 1000+ | Image Engine (700), Method Studios, MPC, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). 178 vfx shots were cut out. | $115,000,000 | $286,140,700 |
| 2013 | Pacific Rim | 1566 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (785), Rodeo (200), Base FX, Hybride (318) and Ghost VFX | $190,000,000 | $411,002,944 |
| 2013 | Now You See Me | 600+ | Rodeo (350 shots, 55 artists, 1 year), Modus Fx (227), Image Engine, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (2) | $75,000,000 | $351,723,989 |
| 2009 | Terminator Salvation | 1250+ | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (366), Rodeo (17), Rising Sun Pictures | $200,000,000 | $371,353,001 |
| 2014 | Sin City: A Dame to Kill For | 2000 | Prime Focus | $65,000,000 | $39,407,616 |
| 2015 | Jupiter Ascending | 2000 | Double Negative, Framestore (500), Method Studios (320), Blue Bolt, Rodeo FX | $176,000,000 | $181,887,723 |
| 2014 | Captain America: Winter Soldier | 2500 | Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) | $170,000,000 | $712,575,22 |
| 2011 | Ra.One | 3500 | Prime Focus, Alien Sense | $21,000,000 | $40,000,000 |
| 2012 | Son of Sardaar | 3800 | Pixion | $5,000,000 | $25,000,000 |
| 1998 | Pleasantville | 1700 | Cinesite | $42,000,000 | $49,805,462 |
Ordered by VFX Shots delivered
Source extracted from interviews, official website companies and official statements.
Any correction/addition, drop me a line.
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