The Rise of Skywalker final cost $593.7M disclosed in UK filings

Disney and Lucasfilm have recorded the final production cost for the 2019 film Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker at $593.7 million, making it the third most expensive movie on record, according to financial statements filed in the United Kingdom. The filings show the movie, directed by J.J. Abrams, grossed about $1.077 billion at the global box office, and that the studio claimed $103.8 million in U.K. tax relief, reducing the net production cost to roughly $489.9 million.

The U.K. filings make the figures public because productions that spend a significant portion of their budgets in Britain qualify for tax rebates and must submit detailed, legally required financial statements. Those documents indicate the production came in under its originally reported budget in part because postproduction costs were lower than anticipated and because principal photography and other qualifying expenditures took place in the U.K.

Using the industry standard assumption that theaters and studios typically split box office revenue about 50/50, the studio’s share of worldwide ticket sales would be roughly $538.5 million. That calculation suggests a modest theatrical profit of about $50...