Will Smith and 5 other stars who have signed million-dollar Netflix film deals
Actors don't get paid like they used to, and the days of them making US$100 million for a single role – like Will Smith did on 2012’s Men in Black 3 – are over.
Yet as traditional film star salaries have declined over time, Netflix salaries are on the rise.
More and more Hollywood heavy hitters, from Smith to Bird Box star Sandra Bullock, are turning to Netflix because they can get paid as much – if not more – than they would for a Hollywood studio film.
More and more Hollywood heavy hitters, from Will Smith to Sandra Bullock, are turning to Netflix because they can get paid as much – if not more – than they would for a Hollywood studio film
Netflix has just picked up the rights to the action film Red Notice from Universal.
Stars Ryan Reynolds, best known for his role in Deadpool and Gal Gadot, who played the title role in the film Wonder Woman, are both expected to earn US$20 million for the film, according to Variety.
Dwayne Johnson will earn more than US$20 million, Variety reported, given that he both stars in and produces the film.
Will Smith made US$20 million from the Netflix original film Bright in 2017, and will make US$35 million for its sequel, according to Variety.
It's good to note that many actors get paid a percentage of box-office earnings, which Netflix does not have.
However, Netflix is proving to be a lucrative platform for actors, especially if it buys out “back end” profits.
The greatest example of Netflix's willingness to invest in star power is Adam Sandler, who signed a four-film deal in 2014 worth US$250 million (or US$62.5 million a film). And it signed him on for four more films in 2017.
Check out six stars who have signed big deals with the streaming giant:
Ben Affleck – US$8 million for Triple Frontier
Netflix said that Triple Frontier was viewed by 52 million households in its first month of release, despite middling reviews (it has a 71 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes).
It stars Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac as former special forces operatives planning a heist in South America.
Ryan Reynolds – US$27 million for Six Underground/US$20 million for Red Notice
The Michael Bay-directed action film, Six Underground, follows six billionaires who turn into vigilantes. It will be Bay’s first film since 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight, and is expected to debut later this year.
Yet that's not the only big Netflix pay day in the works for Reynolds, with him being paid US$20 million for Red Notice.
Gal Gadot — US$20 million for Red Notice
Gadot is expected to earn about the same as Reynolds for Red Notice, according to Variety, after her salary and Netflix buys out what she would have earned from a cinema release.
Dwayne Johnson — more than US$20 million for Red Notice
Johnson's exact salary for Red Notice is unknown, but he is expected to earn more than the US$20 million his co-stars Reynolds and Gadot are being paid because of his role as producer.
Will Smith — US$35 million for Bright 2
Bright, about a human cop and his orc partner, was panned by critics with a 25 per cent Rotten Tomatoes critic score. Despite that, it was a major hit for the streamer, and a sequel is on the way.
Adam Sandler — US$250 million for four films
Sandler's Netflix films have been major critical misfires, but that did not stop the streamer from signing him for four more films in 2017 after his initial deal.
His 2015 Netflix film, The Ridiculous Six has a 0 per cent Rotten Tomatoes critic score.
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Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson will both produce and star in the film Red Notice, alongside Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds and Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot