# How much does it cost to make a feature-length AI movie?

**Short answer:** Our 42-minute feature The Fall of Kalak cost $113 in video for 427 shots, and would have cost about $59 on the budget model alone. At list prices a 45-minute film runs from about $155 on the cheapest model we track to about $2297 on Seedance 2.5 at 1080p, with re-renders included.

URL: https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-an-ai-movie
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Our feature, shot by shot

[The Fall of Kalak](https://arc.katechon.technology/films/the-fall-of-kalak) is a 42-minute, 9-episode dark-fantasy feature with 13 characters and 21 locations, made in Arc. We rendered episode 1 on Seedance 2.0 and the rest on Seedance 2.0 Mini, all at 720p. All 427 shots rendered in one day.

The Fall of Kalak: video spend by model (provider billing):

| Scope | Model | Clips | Spend | Per clip |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Episode 1 | Seedance 2.0 720p | 53 | $61 | $1.15 |
| Episodes 2–9 | Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p | 374 | $52 | $0.14 |

Moving episodes 2–9 to Mini cut their video cost by roughly a factor of eight. At Mini's per-clip cost, all 427 shots would have come to about $59. [The Wolf Mother](https://arc.katechon.technology/films/the-wolf-mother), a 47-minute film, used 431 successful generations on Seedance 2.0 Mini.

## A 45-minute film at list prices

A feature built from six-second shots needs about 450 shots for 45 minutes. Adding 15% re-renders, here is the video cost at list prices quoted 2026-10-17:

45 minutes of finished video plus 15% re-renders, list prices:

| Video model | USD per second | Video cost |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p | $0.121 | $376 |
| Wan 3.0 720p | $0.100 | $309 |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast 720p | $0.194 | $601 |
| Kling 3.0 Pro | $0.168 | $520 |
| Seedance 2.0 720p | $0.243 | $752 |
| Veo 3.1 1080p | $0.400 | $1238 |
| Seedance 2.5 1080p | $0.742 | $2297 |

Model prices on this page are Atlas Cloud list prices quoted 2026-10-17 with its free /calculate endpoint, as published in our [AI video price index](https://arc.katechon.technology/ai-video-price-index). (Source: Atlas Cloud model catalog and /calculate list prices, https://www.atlascloud.ai/models, checked 2026-10-17)

## What else a feature needs

- Narration or voice where clip audio is not enough. We used ElevenLabs narration on The Wolf Mother.
- A score and sound pass, chapter cards and captions, usually in an editor outside the generator.
- Optional upscaling: Topaz upscaling to 4K cost us about $0.07 per output second, roughly $190 for 45 minutes.
- Time. A feature is hundreds of shots; plan for a few days of review even when rendering takes one.

## In Arc credits

In Arc, 45 minutes on Seedance 2.0 Mini at 720p in six-second clips is about 29,395 credits, and about 232,581 on Seedance 2.0. Organization covers the Mini version in a month.

## Where Katechon Arc fits

Arc handles a feature as a set of episodes or chapters that share one cast and one set of locations, which is how we made our own 40-plus-minute films.

Arc renders shots and assembles a cut; for a theatrical-grade finish you will still edit, score and grade in a desktop editor.

## People also ask

### Can AI make a full-length movie?

Yes. We have released several AI films between 40 and 56 minutes long, each assembled from hundreds of short clips that share the same character and location references.

### How many clips does a feature-length AI film need?

Hundreds. The Fall of Kalak used 427 shots for 42 minutes, about six seconds per shot.

## Related answers

- [How much does it cost to make an AI short drama?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-an-ai-short-drama): Rendering a 30-episode AI short drama costs roughly $302 in video at list prices on a budget model, and we measured $2.26 per finished…
- [How do you make an AI movie?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-make-an-ai-movie): You make an AI movie the way you make any film, but every shot is generated: write the script, fix the look and the cast as reference…
- [How many AI clips does a film need?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-many-clips-does-an-ai-film-need): Roughly 6 to 12 clips per finished minute, plus retakes.
- [How long does it take to make an AI movie?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-long-does-it-take-to-make-an-ai-movie): Rendering is quick: all 427 shots of our 42-minute feature The Fall of Kalak rendered in 1 day.
- [How do you upscale AI video to 4K?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-upscale-ai-video-to-4k): Render at 720p, edit the cut, then upscale only the finished master with a dedicated video upscaler.

## Sources

- Atlas Cloud model catalog and /calculate list prices: [www.atlascloud.ai/models](https://www.atlascloud.ai/models), checked 2026-10-17