The filming process is a labor-intensive stage that requires a lot of effort, time, and money. Especially when it comes to historical projects or unique natural landscapes. Costumes, decorations, makeup, props, and the restoration of entire buildings are very expensive. Below we talk about the most expensive projects of Turkish cinema and why their creators spent such large amounts.
“Colorful Buds”
This series tells the story of Maryam and her daughter Zaynab in the Islamic tradition and the harsh rules of the religious community. Taking into account the props and decorations, the first episode alone cost 370,000 dollars. Religious people were outraged: the series openly criticized the religious foundations of the state, was accused of Islamophobia, and the FOX TV channel broadcasting it was fined 275,000 euros. According to rough calculations, the total cost for 47 episodes was slightly less than 8,627,000 dollars.
“Ertugrul”
Five seasons, 150 episodes – the story of Ertugrul, father of Osman I, who came from Marv to Anatolia with 400 horsemen to assist in fighting the Byzantines. The series “Resurrection: Ertugrul” aired for five years, each season requiring large investments. Only the mass scenes, pyrotechnics, stuntmen, and historical costumes cost millions of dollars. The average cost of one episode was about 74,000 dollars, making a total of nearly 12,325,000 dollars for the series. Even the horse armor was handmade based on historical sources.
“Magnificent Century”
Filming the global hit that introduced viewers to Turkish cinema cost the creators 1,800,000 dollars. The main expenses were on costumes, jewelry, and decorations. The clothing was sewn from expensive fabrics and decorated with precious stones. Today, these costumes are kept in a museum dedicated to the series. A special mini-city set was built for the main scenes. Part of this area was preserved to attract tourists. The Turks narrated the story of Sultan Suleiman with meticulous care and great love, despite mistakes and inconsistencies. The money spent paid off. Halit Ergenç still earns income from the star project: he receives a percentage from the series sold abroad.
“Ataturk 1881-1919”
The historical series about the life of the first president of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, was filmed with particular attention to details. Disney+ handled the filming and spent a total of 8 million dollars on the project. These expenses included actors’ and crew’s salaries, transportation costs, and the largest portion – costumes, decorations, weapons, and makeup.
“The Courtyard”
The series “The Courtyard” is completely different from ordinary Turkish series. There is no complicated love story or struggle between progressives and conservatives; instead, it tells the fate of women imprisoned. Producers evaluated the potential of the series highly, spending about 50,000 dollars per episode. Despite running for 44 episodes (approximately 2,200,000 dollars), critics did not warmly receive the project. The main criticism was related to cruelty: guards were executioners, and the prison was portrayed as a real torture house. In 2025, the third season was announced, but filming has not yet begun.
“Distant City”
A sharp drama about the difficult life of the widow Ala and her son. This is not a historical series, but the creators approached it with great responsibility: the front parts of the buildings in Mardin were restored, unique costumes and jewelry were bought from local craftsmen, each weapon was custom-made, Jihan’s car was modified for chase scenes over fields and rough roads, and to make it believable, the cars were actually exploded. Each episode of “Distant City” cost 50,000 dollars. To date, two seasons and 54 episodes have been filmed, which, excluding preparation costs, amounts to at least 2,700,000 dollars. Singer Sezen Aksu received almost 50,000 dollars as a fee for the song “De Mardin.”
