How Much Money Was Actually Stolen in Hollywood's Biggest Heist Films?

The stakes are high in any good heist film, but just how high? Some movie heists involve millions of dollars—but others involve billions. The van insurance experts at Gocompare.com crunched some numbers to figure out how Hollywood's biggest heist movies stack up, comparing the hauls from heists in movies like Die Hard, The Italian Job, Goldfinger, Now You See Me, and even The Pink Panther.

Die Hard—both the first and third installments in the series—sits high on the list of most expensive movie heists. Die Hard With a Vengeance, the third installment, was a battle over $140 billion; in the original, the bad guys were trying to get away with $640 million. Compare that to Heat’s $1 million.

The movies, dating back to 1956, are ranked numerically based on the value of their stolen goods. The infographic also notes the primary motive for the crime, the getaway vehicle, and whether or not the perpetrators were successful. (Spoiler alert: only 41 percent were.)

There are a few reasons why the numbers may not be perfect, though. Some of the values come from the films themselves, but where that wasn’t possible, the creators calculated the estimated value of the items stolen instead. They didn't adjust for inflation, either, which could be relevant in the case of some older films. CBC News has previously calculated the value of the gold in Goldfinger to be much lower than is tabulated here—at $86.4 million based on the price of gold today, but more like $12.5 million when you consider the value of gold in 1964. But then again, what thief wouldn’t exaggerate their haul?