Stranger Things season 5 is coming to a TV an old computer that really needs upgrading near you, and apparently Netflix went alllll the way out when it came to the budget. Like, the phrase “spare no expense” has never been more accurate.
According to a new report from the Puck News (via Forbes), Stranger Things is one of the streaming giant’s biggest-budget shows, and the new season had a per-episode cost of $50-$60 million. If you don’t feel like doing the math: This would bring the total production cost of Stranger Things season 5 (which has eight episodes) to a hefty $400-$480 million.
To put that into perspective with other Netflix hits, the Wall Street Journal previously reported that Virgin River costs $3 million per episode (so…the Stranger Things budget is as much as 20 times higher!!!!), and Bridgerton costs “more than three times as much” as Virgin River. So…more than $9 million, which is still a lot less than $60 million.
Season 5 even marks an enormous increase from Stranger Things season 1’s $48 million total budget in 2016. Simpler times! Of course, Netflix now spends a lot of money on cast salaries (as it should). Stranger Things leads David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, and Winona Ryder reportedly make $350,000 an episode, while other members of the main cast, like Finn Wolfhard and Noah Schnapp, make $250,000 an episode.
Some more fun facts: If the final budget for Stranger Things 5 reaches the higher end of estimates ($480 million), it would surpass the known production costs of nearly every film ever made—including Star Wars: The Force Awakens (which had a net budget of around $447 million and is often cited as one of the most expensive films of all time).
It could also potentially beat the production cost of Amazon’s first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which set a TV series record with its $465 million budget (which equals out to about $58 million an episode).
The more you know!









