When it comes to big money in Hollywood, the amounts that pass between an actor and a studio on a project are sometimes unknown. However, it happens that information on very big blockbusters is filtered out, and this allows us to answer the question: Which star was the highest paid in a DC movie?
The DC Universe is about to reboot and casting is already underway!
And let’s end the suspense immediately: regardless of the era, it’s still Jack Nicholson for the role of Jack Napier / Joker in Batman (1989). But how much did he get exactly?
In 1989, Jack Nicholson was cast by the studio over Tim Burton as the psychopathic clown. The actor agreed to take on the role of the character, taking a pay cut from his usual 10 million to “only” 6 million to play Batman’s nemesis. But there was a clause in his contract that made him a rich man.
In exchange for “losing” $4 million in salary, Nicholson demanded a percentage of the film’s earnings if it was successful and produced any merchandise. Batman, which cost $35 million to make, grossed $411 million worldwide, a fortune at the time, nearly $1 billion adjusted for inflation.
in his book Nicholson: A BiographyBiographer Mark Elliott believes that the actor exposed by Easy Rider would have received a little less. an additional 90 million dollars. In 2023, if the same clause were signed, Nicholson would receive almost $223.3 million! A great deal, which therefore puts his salary above all DC actors in recent years.
Estimated salaries of other DC stars
We intentionally left out the Justice League because we didn’t have enough information, as well as the appearance of the rest of the Justice League in Batman V Superman. We couldn’t find salary information for Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever and Danny DeVito in Batman: The Challenge.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger: 25 million (48 million today)
- Ben Affleck: 14 million for Batman V Superman + 12.5 million for appearing in Suicide Squad
- Christian Bale: 54 million for three films
- Dwayne Johnson: 22.5 million for Black Adam
- Ezra Miller: 4 million for The Flash
- Gal Gadot: 11 million for two Wonder Women
- Heath Ledger: 5 million (7.1 million today)
- Henry Cavill: 14 million for Man of Steel + $500,000 for his cameos on Black Adam and The Flash.
- Jared Leto: 7 million for Suicide Squad
- Zachary Levy: 2.5 million for Shazam 2 (no data for first film)
- Jason Momoa: 18 million for two Aquamans
- Jim Carrey: 5 million (10 million today)
- Joaquin Phoenix: 24.5 million for two Jokers
- Margot Robbie: 18.76 million for both Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey
- Michael Keaton: 16 million for The Two Batmans (36 million today) + 2 million for The Flash
- Michelle Pfeiffer: 3 million (6.5 million today) and a percentage of the income
- Tom Hardy: 2.5 million
- Uma Thurman: 5 million
- Will Smith: 13 million
These figures are based on reports in specialized American media (Deadline, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter) or in interviews.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
