<P> The film was granted a production budget of $60 million, with $30 million funded by New Regency . Brett Ratner's RatPac - Dune Entertainment, a joint venture between Ratner's RatPac Entertainment and 20th Century Fox's former financing partner, Dune Entertainment, also funded the film . Worldview Entertainment, who also co-financed Birdman, was originally set to fund the film but backed out in July 2014 due to the departure of its CEO, Christopher Woodrow . New Regency approached 20th Century Fox for additional funding, but the company declined, citing the pay - or - play contracts made for both DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, which would require that the actors be paid regardless of whether the film is completed . Annapurna Pictures' Megan Ellison entered negotiations to finance the film shortly after . The Chinese company Guangdong Alpha Animation and Culture Company partially financed the film . </P> <P> Principal photography for The Revenant began in October 2014 . A planned two - week break from filming in December was extended to six weeks which forced Tom Hardy to drop out of Suicide Squad . In February 2015, Iñárritu, who shot the film using natural lighting, stated that production would last "until the end of April or May", as the crew is "shooting in such remote far - away locations that, by the time we arrive and have to return, we have already spent 40% of the day". Brad Weston, president and CEO of New Regency Pictures, stated that principal photography had been challenging due to the ambitious nature of the film . Ultimately, principal photography wrapped in August 2015 . </P> <P> The film was shot in twelve locations in three countries: Canada, the United States, and Argentina . In Canada, filming took place in Calgary and Fortress Mountain in Alberta, in Kananaskis Country west of Calgary, the Badlands near Drumheller, and at Squamish and Mammoth Studios, Burnaby, in British Columbia . The scenes in the waterfall were filmed at the Kootenai Falls near Libby, Montana . While the initial plan was to film entirely in Canada, the weather was ultimately too warm, leading the filmmakers to locations near the Rio Olivia at the tip of Argentina with snow on the ground, to shoot the film's ending . </P> <P> Crew members often complained about difficult shoots, with many quitting or being fired . Mary Parent was then brought in as a producer . Iñárritu stated that some of the crew members had left the film, explaining that "as a director, if I identify a violin that is out of tune, I have to take that from the orchestra ." On his experience filming, DiCaprio stated: "I can name 30 or 40 sequences that were some of the most difficult things I've ever had to do . Whether it's going in and out of frozen rivers, or sleeping in animal carcasses, or what I ate on set . (I was) enduring freezing cold and possible hypothermia constantly ." </P>

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