Each Stranger Things episode is 5 times the cost of Moonlight
We all know more and more money is being invested into TV, otherwise, we wouldn’t get incredible shows like Game of Thrones or House of Cards, but we more TV on the rise, more money is being put into the budgets.
Stranger Things Season 2 is reportedly costing around £8 Million per episode, five times the budget of last year’s Oscar Best Picture winner; Moonlight. When do you think about it a 9-hour sci-fi horror series set in the 80’s? Makes sense to be a bit pricey, however, even smaller shows like the recent 13 Reasons Why set in present day, had a budget of £5 Million per episode.
Comparing TV to TV, for example, Stranger Things versus a show like Game of Thrones, the budgets don’t seem that drastic, it’s when you compare these episode budgets to that of movies that make this all so interesting. As aforementioned, Moonlight won Best Picture costing only £1.5 Million, while it may be the lowest budget Best Picture winner, even competitor La La Land cost around £35 Million. Add up Stranger Things’ entire Season 2 budget and that amounts to £79 Million. Much, much higher than Best Picture competitors – meaning these are budgets that are closer to Box Office blockbusters.
With the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, there are no guarantees in returns and it’s all just a big gamble. For the full report, you can go to Variety.