Although The Witcher season 4 has traded the show's previous Geralt of Rivia star Henry Cavill for The Hunger Games' Liam Hemsworth, the upcoming installment is the most expensive yet, reportedly costing Netflix over $25 million per episode to make.
The Witcher season 4 has cost the streamer a total of $221 million to make, according to Redanian Intelligence. That works out to around $27 million per episode. This is a huge jump up from season 3, which set Netflix back $175 million, averaging $21.8 million per episode, which wasn't far off from season 2's total cost of $176.3 million.
To put that massive season 4 budget into perspective, the show is working with more or less the same amount of money that some of this year's biggest blockbusters had. James Gunn's Superman cost an estimated $225 million to make, as stated by TheWrap, and Marvel's Fantastic Four reportedly set Disney back anywhere from $200-$250 million, as per Variety.
Not only is The Witcher season 4 the most expensive season of the video game adaptation, but the show is also one of the most costly seasons per episode the streamer has ever made. Stranger Things season 4 currently tops that list, as the sci-fi series' penultimate season set the streamer back over $30 million per episode.
In terms of the series as a whole, season 4 has boosted The Witcher's total budget right up to a whopping $720 million, not counting the many spin-off projects. This means that The Witcher is currently Netflix's most expensive show, sitting in front of The Crown at around $650 million, and Stranger Things at just under $500 million. However, this may well change when the total cost of Stranger Things season 5 is revealed, as per Collider.
So, why is Netflix spending so much money on The Witcher? Despite being one of the site's most popular shows, the series has recently seen a bit of change. With fan-favorite Cavill leaving the franchise and being replaced by Hemsworth, it seems as though the streamer may be doing everything it can to keep fans on board.
Will the extra dosh be worth it in the end? We will see when The Witcher season 4 drops on Netflix on October 30, 2025. For more, check out our picks of the best shows on Netflix. As for The Witcher games, check out our list of the best games like The Witcher 3 to play right now.
