Top 12 Highest-Grossing Tim Burton Movies Compared to Their Budgets

Top 12 Highest-Grossing Tim Burton Movies Compared to Their Budgets Infographic

Top 12 Highest-Grossing Tim Burton Movies Compared to Their Budgets

Tim Burton is one of the most recognizable directors in modern cinema. His gothic fantasy style, eccentric characters, and recurring collaborators have produced films that are both cult favorites and massive box office successes. In this article, we rank Tim Burton’s Top 12 highest-grossing box office movies, comparing their budgets vs worldwide earnings, while also diving into mini reviews, casting details, fun facts, trivia, and “Did You Know?” sections for each film.

1. Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$1.025 billion
Budget: ~$200 million

Mini Review - Alice Kingsleigh returns to Wonderland as a young woman, discovering that the strange world she once visited as a child is real. She becomes involved in a conflict between the White Queen and the tyrannical Red Queen, who rules through fear. Guided by the Mad Hatter, Alice must embrace her destiny and defeat the Jabberwocky. The story blends classic characters with a darker, action-driven fantasy narrative.

Main Cast

  • Johnny Depp – Mad Hatter

  • Mia Wasikowska – Alice Kingsleigh

  • Helena Bonham Carter – Red Queen

  • Anne Hathaway – White Queen

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • It was Burton’s first film to cross the $1 billion mark.

  • Shot largely against green screens, making it one of Burton’s most CGI-heavy projects.

Did You Know?

The film’s success directly led Disney to greenlight multiple live-action fairy tale adaptations in the 2010s.

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$475 million
Budget: ~$150 million

Mini Review - Young Charlie Bucket wins a golden ticket to tour the mysterious chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. Inside, Charlie and four other children face moral tests that expose their flaws one by one. As the tour unfolds, Wonka’s strange past and obsession with control are slowly revealed. The story follows Charlie’s kindness and humility as the key to inheriting the factory.

Main Cast

  • Johnny Depp – Willy Wonka

  • Freddie Highmore – Charlie Bucket

  • Christopher Lee – Dr. Wonka

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Deep Roy played all the Oompa-Loompas, digitally duplicated.

  • Danny Elfman composed original songs based on Dahl’s lyrics.

Did You Know?

Johnny Depp modeled Wonka after children’s TV hosts he found “creepy but friendly.”

3. Batman (1989)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$411 million
Budget: ~$35 million

Mini Review - Billionaire Bruce Wayne secretly operates as Batman, a masked vigilante protecting Gotham City from escalating crime. His mission is challenged when criminal Jack Napier transforms into the Joker, a chaotic villain obsessed with fear and spectacle. As the Joker terrorizes Gotham, Batman must confront both the criminal underworld and his own dual identity. The film presents Gotham as a dark, corrupt city shaped by madness and power.

Main Cast

  • Michael Keaton – Bruce Wayne / Batman

  • Jack Nicholson – Joker

  • Kim Basinger – Vicki Vale

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Jack Nicholson negotiated a percentage of profits, earning over $60 million.

  • Prince recorded a full album inspired by the movie.

Did You Know?

Fans protested Michael Keaton’s casting before release, only to later praise his performance.

4. Batman Returns (1992)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$266 million
Budget: ~$80 million

Mini Review - Batman faces new threats when the deformed and vengeful Penguin emerges from Gotham’s sewers seeking political power. At the same time, Bruce Wayne becomes entangled with Selina Kyle, who secretly operates as the unpredictable Catwoman. As alliances shift and betrayals unfold, Gotham descends into chaos. The story focuses on outsiders, identity, and the blurred line between hero and villain.

Main Cast

  • Michael Keaton – Batman

  • Michelle Pfeiffer – Catwoman

  • Danny DeVito – Penguin

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume was stitched together after being vacuum-sealed.

  • McDonald’s removed Happy Meal toys due to the film’s dark tone.

Did You Know?

This was Burton’s final Batman film.

5. Planet of the Apes (2001)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$362 million
Budget: ~$100 million

Mini Review - Astronaut Leo Davidson crash-lands on a mysterious planet ruled by intelligent apes, where humans are enslaved. As Leo struggles to survive, he becomes involved in a rebellion against the brutal ape general Thade. With the help of sympathetic apes, Leo searches for a way home while uncovering the planet’s disturbing history. The film reimagines the original concept with an action-driven narrative and a twist ending.

Main Cast

  • Mark Wahlberg – Captain Leo Davidson

  • Tim Roth – Thade

  • Helena Bonham Carter – Ari

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Rick Baker’s makeup won widespread acclaim.

  • Actors spent hours daily in prosthetics.

Did You Know?

Burton declined to direct a sequel despite the box office success.

6. Big Fish (2003)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$123 million
Budget: ~$70 million

Mini Review - Journalist Will Bloom attempts to understand his dying father by revisiting the fantastical stories that defined his life. The film alternates between reality and exaggerated tales of love, adventure, and myth told by Edward Bloom. As Will searches for truth, he learns that stories can reveal emotional honesty even when facts are unclear. The narrative explores memory, legacy, and the meaning of storytelling..

Main Cast

  • Ewan McGregor – Young Edward Bloom

  • Albert Finney – Older Edward Bloom

  • Jessica Lange – Sandra Bloom

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Many stories were intentionally exaggerated to blur reality and fantasy.

Did You Know?

Steven Spielberg was originally attached as director.

7. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$207 million
Budget: ~$100 million

Mini Review - Constable Ichabod Crane is sent to the remote village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of brutal beheadings. The townspeople believe the murders are committed by the legendary Headless Horseman. As Ichabod uncovers secrets hidden beneath the village’s calm surface, superstition and reality begin to merge. The story unfolds as a gothic mystery rooted in fear and deception.

Main Cast

  • Johnny Depp – Ichabod Crane

  • Christina Ricci – Katrina Van Tassel

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

Did You Know?

Most blood was digitally enhanced to achieve an unreal look.

8. Corpse Bride (2005)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$117 million
Budget: ~$40 million

Mini Review - Shy musician Victor accidentally marries a dead bride while practicing his wedding vows in the woods. Pulled into the colorful Land of the Dead, he must choose between his undead wife and his living fiancée. As Victor navigates both worlds, secrets about love, betrayal, and identity are revealed. The story blends romance, fantasy, and dark humor through stop-motion animation.

Main Cast (Voices)

  • Johnny Depp – Victor

  • Helena Bonham Carter – Corpse Bride

  • Emily Watson – Victoria

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Took nearly a decade to develop.

Did You Know?

It was Burton’s first full stop-motion film as director.

9. Dumbo (2019)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$353 million
Budget: ~$170 million

Mini Review - After returning from war, Holt Farrier reunites with his children while working at a struggling circus. They discover that Dumbo, a baby elephant with oversized ears, can fly. As Dumbo becomes a sensation, powerful businessmen attempt to exploit his abilities. The story follows themes of family, freedom, and standing up to corporate greed.

Main Cast

  • Colin Farrell – Holt Farrier

  • Michael Keaton – V.A. Vandevere

  • Eva Green – Colette Marchant

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Danny DeVito joined the cast late in production.

Did You Know?

Burton described Dumbo as deeply personal due to its themes of outsiders.

10. Dark Shadows (2012)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$245 million
Budget: ~$150 million

Mini Review - Barnabas Collins, a wealthy aristocrat cursed into vampirism, is released from his coffin after nearly two centuries. Returning to his ancestral home, he finds his family broken and their fortune ruined. As Barnabas attempts to restore the Collins legacy, he confronts the witch who cursed him. The story mixes gothic horror, romance, and supernatural conflict.

Main Cast

  • Johnny Depp – Barnabas Collins

  • Michelle Pfeiffer – Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Based on a 1960s soap opera.

Did You Know?

Alice Cooper makes a cameo appearance.

11. Beetlejuice (1988)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$74 million
Budget: ~$15 million

Mini Review - Recently deceased couple Adam and Barbara Maitland struggle to haunt the new family living in their home. Desperate for help, they summon Beetlejuice, a chaotic and unreliable bio-exorcist. As Beetlejuice causes havoc, the Maitlands attempt to protect the living and the dead from disaster. The film follows a surreal battle between order and anarchic mischief.

Main Cast

  • Michael Keaton – Beetlejuice

  • Winona Ryder – Lydia Deetz

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Keaton improvised many of his lines.

Did You Know?

Burton was only 29 years old when he directed it.

12. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Worldwide Box Office: ~$86 million
Budget: ~$20 million

Mini Review - Edward, an artificial man with scissors for hands, lives alone in a gothic mansion until he is taken into a suburban neighborhood. Initially welcomed for his unique abilities, Edward struggles to fit into a world driven by conformity and fear. As misunderstandings grow, his gentle nature clashes with society’s cruelty. The story is a modern fairy tale about isolation, innocence, and acceptance.

Main Cast

  • Johnny Depp – Edward

  • Winona Ryder – Kim Boggs

Fun Facts & Trivia

  • Inspired by Burton’s own childhood drawings.

Did You Know?

The pastel neighborhood was deliberately designed to contrast Edward’s darkness.

🔥 Top 12 Tim Burton Box Office Movies – Budget vs Gross Comparison

All figures approximate, worldwide box office.

RankMovieBudget (USD)Worldwide Gross (USD)Profit Difference
1Alice in Wonderland (2010)$200M$1.025B+$825M
2Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)$150M$475M+$325M
3Batman (1989)$35M$411M+$376M
4Planet of the Apes (2001)$100M$362M+$262M
5Dumbo (2019)$170M$353M+$183M
6Batman Returns (1992)$80M$266M+$186M
7Dark Shadows (2012)$150M$245M+$95M
8Sleepy Hollow (1999)$100M$207M+$107M
9Big Fish (2003)$70M$123M+$53M
10Corpse Bride (2005)$40M$117M+$77M
11Edward Scissorhands (1990)$20M$86M+$66M
12Beetlejuice (1988)$15M$74M+$59M

Final Thoughts

Tim Burton’s career proves that a strong visual identity can translate into box office power. Whether through billion-dollar CGI fantasies or modestly budgeted cult classics, his films continue to shape pop culture.

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