6 of the Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made

For some artists, the music video is more than just a promotional tool to accompany a single—it’s an entire cinematic experience, and some videos have huge price tags to prove it. Not content with a simple video capturing a performance, some artists have elaborate videos with impressive effects, leading to record-setting budgets.

“Scream” by Michael and Janet Jackson

The video for siblings Michael and Janet Jackson’s single “Scream” remains the most expensive ever made, costing $7 million. Director Mark Romanek denied the video cost that much, however, and according to Janet, it was “supposed to cost a lot less.” The immense cost most likely came from the visual effects and the use of zero gravity.

“Express Yourself” by Madonna

With a budget of $5 million, Madonna‘s video for “Express Yourself” was the most expensive ever made at the time. The video was inspired by the classic movie Metropolis, with Madonna ruling over a class of male workers, and the cost was likely due to all of the costumes and set pieces involved.

“Die Another Day” by Madonna

Madonna surpassed the budget of “Express Yourself” with her video for James Bond theme “Die Another Day,” which came in at $6 million, likely due to extensive fight scenes and visual effects. The cinematic video suits the track, with Madonna being held captive and fighting her captors and going up against herself in a fencing duel.

“Estranged” by Guns N’ Roses

Expensive projects are typical of Guns N’ Roses. For “Estranged,” the final video in the band’s November Rain trilogy, they spent $4 million on the 10-minute epic. “I don’t necessarily know of anyone who’s made a video like it,” frontman Axl Rose said in a behind-the-scenes documentary.

“Bedtime Story” by Madonna

Madonna delivered yet another expensive video with “Bedtime Story,” which came in at $5 million, just as “Express Yourself” years prior. The video was shot on 35mm film, and the high price tag came from “elaborate visual effects,” which took some time to tweak in post-production. The video was inspired in part by female surrealist painters.

“Black or White” by Michael Jackson

In 1991, Michael Jackson teamed up with John Landis for the video for “Black or White”—at 11 minutes long, it’s more like a short film than a music video, similar to other Jackson videos like “Thriller.” Part of the $4 million budget went to guest stars like Macaulay Culkin, but much of it was used for the digital morphing effects the video is most famous for.