Surprise! When we told you that the Omaha Beach scene cost $11m of the movie's entire $70m budget, you probably assumed that was the most expensive scene in the entire film. It wasn't. The D-Day scene managed to not only match but exceed it, coming in at a total cost of $12m.
The reasons for the incredible cost are largely the same as they were for the Omaha Beach scenes; the sheer number of trained extras and military personnel required for the shoot, as well as all of the real military equipment and the special effects. D-Day is arguably the best known of all the battles in the Second World War, playing a decisive role in the outcome of the war and the final defeat of the Nazis. Nothing less than perfection would do for Spielberg when it came to recreating it, and as with anything, perfection costs a lot of money.