14 DAY TRIAL // Angelina Jolie was initially in talks to star as female lead in Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” but she dropped out because of creative differences. Sandra Bullock ended up playing the part, and her performance has been received with a lot of critical acclaim; to boot, the film has also done wonderfully at the box office, which means Sandra stands to make $70 million (€51.1 million) for this just one role.
Some big names in the film industry can afford to negotiate their contracts to make sure they make the most of a business offer. Only a handful of actors are in a position to ask for a sum of money in advance, before they start working on a project, and a cut of the end profit and, The Hollywood Reporter says, Sandy is one of them.
Insiders familiar with the big Hollywood production tell the publication that Bullock was paid “only” $20 million (€14.6 million) before “Gravity” went into production but, because she also negotiated a cut of the end profits, she stands to make a total of at least $70 million (€51.1 million) by the time the film ends its run.
Her contract includes a clause that says she gets 15 percent of first-dollar gross. “That means once her advance is covered, she will collect 15 percent of the studio's slice of the box-office pie, known as ‘film rentals,’” THR explains.
The math with this one is simple: movie studios get about 40 to 50 percent of the box office gross. “Gravity” is now sitting comfortably at $700 million (€511.4 million) on the worldwide market and is believed to cross the $750 million (€547.9 million) mark very soon. Warners’ share will be 40 to 50 percent of this amount, with 15 percent of this slice going straight into Bullock’s pocket.
THR says the actress’ deal also includes profits made from “home video, TV and ancillary revenue,” so she will continue to make money even after the film ends its theatrical run. All in all, not a bad deal for Sandy.
“The theatrical window is going to generate a third of the total revenue a movie will earn; it will get another third on DVD; and then the final third comes from pay and free TV,” an industry specialist stresses for THR.
Of course, not all actors are in a position to negotiate their contracts this way: getting a cut of the end profit is absolutely a prerogative of the A-list. Other thespians to have cut similar deals include Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr., both of which topped highest paid lists in these past several years because of it.