14 DAY TRIAL // There aren’t many actors out there who can command huge paychecks and negotiate their contracts so they can get a cut of the backend, but Robert Downey Jr. is definitely one of them. Forbes reports that he is Hollywood’s highest paid actor for the second year in a row, even though he didn’t make a single movie in that timeframe.
Between June 2013 and June 2014, Forbes estimates that RDJ cashed in about $75 million (€55.4 million), which is exactly the same amount he made between June 2012 and June 2013, thanks to “Iron Man 3” and “The Avengers.”
The surprising part is that, to make this kind of money for the second year in a row, the actor didn’t as much as lift a finger (his cameo in Jon Favreau’s “Chef” doesn’t count). What he did, though, was play it smart: this is money coming in from “Iron Man 3” and “The Avengers” total revenue, because he made sure he negotiated a cut of the films’ backend.
In other words, the more money these two movies continue to make, the more he will cash in. For all time.
The actor is now shooting for the “Avengers” sequel, “Age of Ultron,” which comes out in May 2015. Word on the street is that he played total hardball with Marvel when they started discussing his salary, making sure he got an even better deal than he had for the first “Avengers” movie.
As Forbes puts it, things being what they are, Marvel had no other choice but to comply with his demands.
“Downey reigns as the highest paid man in Hollywood because at this point, it would be incredibly difficult for Marvel to continue making Iron Man and Avengers films without him. Marvel movies starring Downey have earned almost $4 billion [€2.95 billion] at the global box office and millions more on home video, not to mention the millions the movies have generated in merchandise,” Forbes writes.
Given how much money RDJ is making these days, it seems impossible to think of a time when he was box office poison and tabloid fodder, back in the day when his drug addiction had completely taken over his life and nearly ran his career into the ground.
His comeback is one of the most spectacular ever in the history of cinema, and the kind of money and public support he’s getting are proof of that.
If you’re not convinced, have a look at the other high earners in top 10 for the year that passed, and notice the huge gap between him and the occupant of the second spot, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who made $52 million (€38.4 million) in the same timeframe.
Bradley Cooper — $46 million (€34 million) Leonardo DiCaprio — $39 million (€28.8 million) Chris Hemsworth — $37 million (€27.3 million) Liam Neeson — $36 million (€26.6 million) Ben Affleck — $35 million (€25.8 million) Christian Bale — $35 million (€25.8 million) Will Smith — $32 million (€23.6 million) Mark Wahlberg — $32 million (€23.6 million)