‘Red Notice’ director says the movie cost way more than $200 million

Mammoth production costs aren’t always a badge of honor, but Netflix and the stars of Red Notice have hardly been shy in touting the action epic as the streaming service’s most expensive original movie ever, with estimates putting the budget at around $200 million.

Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot were paid at least $20 million each for their participation, and that’s not including whatever else Johnson made from his producing fee via Seven Bucks, with the Red Notice salaries alone enough to fund a feature in itself.

However, director Rawson Marshall Thurber indicated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that $200 million may have been a generous estimate, after admitting that the real number was “easily” at least $50 million higher, largely due to the costs incurred by a lengthy pandemic-induced hiatus, and the health and safety protocols that needed to be implemented when shooting resumed.

Netflix have never really explained how budgets translated into viewing figures equals success, but looking at the numbers Red Notice has pulled in so far that’s got it firmly on course to be the platform’s most-watched title ever, the $250 million investment seems to have been justified, especially if it leads to sequels.