With Netflix snatching up big-name stars and filmmakers for its slate of original films, you have to imagine that the streaming service is more than willing to write the checks to cover the costs of having these A-listers. But we really didn’t realize that the company is willing to write the biggest checks to land names like Will Smith and Ryan Reynolds.
For those older film nerds like myself, you may remember a time when it was routine that stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, and Will Smith would command massive $20 million paydays to appear in films. However, in recent years, as the film industry has gone through its latest evolution, those numbers have dwindled. And in a new report from Variety, we can see that if you’re a big star and you want to make a massive payday, then streaming might be where you’ll find that guaranteed money.
That’s the key word in this discussion though — “guaranteed.”
Nowadays, if you want a huge check to appear in a film, you’re likely not going to get it. Not even Robert Downey, Jr. is able to command much more than $20 million for a film. Gal Gadot, who is arguably the biggest star in Warner Bros’ superhero franchises, can only get $10 million for “Wonder Woman 1984.” The trick, in today’s Hollywood, is to take a smaller guarantee and then get a cut of that profit on the back-end. Although, as we’ve seen with many supposed “blockbusters,” that profit is not something you can totally count on.
That’s where Netflix comes in.
The streaming service doesn’t have any options for back-end profits. No matter how many times a film gets streamed, Netflix doesn’t see any more money from that project. That means the actors don’t have the option for a cut. What you’re left with is the streaming service paying Ryan Reynolds a reported $27 million to appear in the upcoming Michael Bay film “Six Underground,” and Will Smith reportedly asking for $35 million to reprise his role in “Bright 2.” And guess what? Netflix has the money to do that.
Smith is the best example of showing this disparity. As mentioned, Variety says that he’s asking for $35 million to appear in “Bright 2.” Compare that number to the reported $17 million he’s receiving to show up in “Bad Boys for Life.” That’s a 50% cut in pay for a role in what is arguably a film that has a bigger fanbase and will make more money. But we’re going to assume that Smith gets a percentage of ‘Bad Boys’ back-end.
Now, there’s another thing worth noting in the report about salaries from Variety — the gender disparity. If you look at the actors that have landed the biggest paydays, the top 6 are all men. The first woman you come across is Emily Blunt, who is getting a reported $12-$13 million to show up in “A Quiet Place 2.” After Blunt, the next highest is Gadot’s $10 million for ‘WW84.’ Arguments can be made that both actresses mean more to their respective franchises than Jason Statham does for “Hobbs & Shaw.” No offense to Statham, but that film is being made because Dwayne Johnson is attached. Nevertheless, the British action star is set to earn $13 million for his role in the film.
All that being said, this is ridiculous amounts of money for all involved. Obviously, we’re talking about the type of money that 99.9% of the world’s population will never see. But if you are lucky enough to be a major star in Hollywood, how about giving Netflix a call?
