Throughout the silent era, the cost of film-making grew steadily as films became longer and more ambitious and the techniques and equipment became more sophisticated. It is not known for certain which was the first film to cost $1 million or more to produce, and several myths have grown over time: D. W. Griffith's "Intolerance" (1916) was reputed to have cost $2 million, but accounts show that it only cost $385,906.77; additionally, "A Daughter of the Gods" (1916) was advertised as costing a million dollars, but "Variety" estimated its true cost at $850,000. The first film that is confirmed to have had a $1 million budget is "Foolish Wives" (1922), with the studio taking advantage of its exorbitant price and advertising it as "The First Real Million Dollar Picture".