The Most Expensive Movie in German Cinema
If you’re an American fan, you may not know that The NeverEnding Story is technically a German film. It was directed by famed German director Wolfgang Petersen and shot mostly in Germany. Petersen’s most successful movie before this one was Das Boot, which at the time was the most expensive film in German cinematic history.
Noah Hathaway. Photo by dpa/picture alliance/Getty Images
Trying to outdo himself, Peterson had a massive budget for The NeverEnding Story, easily surpassing his Das Boot budget. Production spent $27 million! Sure, that may not seem like a lot now, but if you calculate inflation, $27 million in 1984 is equivalent to $65 million now.