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Wide ScreenRobert Downey Jr.’s $50 million pay day for ‘The Avengers’
Being one of Marvel's big screen "Avengers" has its advantages. Sure, you've got to fight off an alien invasion or a cartoonish supervillain from time to time, but in between those gigs you'd be doing all right. Robert Downey Jr., Marvel's go-to franchise superhero Iron Man, is set to do rather well for himself in light of the billion dollar-plus success of "The Avengers." Earth's mightiest heroes: Saving the planet and getting paid.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, insiders are saying that because of certain clauses worked into his contracts -- namely, a percentage of the gross -- Downey Jr. could personally net between 5 and 7 per cent of "The Avengers" total box office haul. That number would be about $50 million at the moment, and could potentially increase as the film continues its rise as one of the highest grossing movies of all time. The actor will also reportedly get a piece of any future money made from films in which he plays the genius playboy. Not a bad pay day for the once-troubled actor.
As Marvel's leading comic book player, Downey's massive haul dwarfs what the other "Avengers" took in. Although they're all signed for multiple sequels and spin-offs, Chris Evans (Captain America), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) were only able to nab relatively small fess, standing to make about $2 million to $3 million each from "The Avengers." A laughable pittance, to be sure.
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) have been appearing in Marvel Studios films almost as long as RDJ, and as a result the actors were able to get slightly more for their work on "The Avengers" -- somewhere in the neighbourhood of $5 million or $6 million. Chump change!
It's all pretty ridiculous money, but as "The Avengers" has proven, comic book movies are big, big business. The actors fees -- even one as big as Downey Jr.'s -- are a drop in the bucket for these billion dollar tent-poles.
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