Marvel Studios is easily one of the most powerful studios in Hollywood right now. Its parent company Disney is a name unto itself that has a stronghold in the entertainment industry. Another competitive studio that’s active in the superhero genre is DC films which look after the eponymous comic book stuff.
Unlike the golden era or even in the 1990s, actors in Hollywood are not getting paid hefty sums anymore. Things changed after studios shifted to focus on content rather than chasing big stars. Let’s find out how much these two studios are paying their actors.
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Marvel And DC Means A Huge Payday For Actors
The days of actors getting hefty sums from studios is a thing of the past ever since the focus shifted toward the scripts in the early 2000s. That gave birth to films like ‘Batman Begins‘ etc.
Nowadays, only Marvel and DC are paying their actors comparatively well. A decade ago, Robert Downey Jr. took home $50 million for the first ‘Avengers‘. Putting aside the exceptions, even the A-listers aren’t getting that much these days.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, most studios often see iconic characters like Batman or Spiderman as something more important than the actors. A seasoned Marvel star earns between $20 million to $25 million.
Florence Pugh is reportedly going to receive an eight-figure salary for her next two Marvel films, including leading the ensemble villain-centric ‘Thunderbolts.’ However, these actors don’t receive the same amount of payment for other roles.
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The Ever-Changing Landscape
The payment is mostly based on the experience of the actors or directors with a first-timer getting a mid-six-figure salary for the past decade for both the Marvel and DC universe films. That fee can jump to two to five times that for a sequel.
However, fees for television show adaptions of comic books are lower than those for films. One writer was offered just $300 per episode for ‘Hawkeye’ while another one is yet to receive a payment.
Several actors have been coming back to the genre because of the money. Michael Keaton, who portrayed Batman back in the day, came out for a trio of roles. This includes the upcoming ‘The Flash’, a cameo in ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, and ‘Batgirl‘.
Keaton received $2 million for ‘Batgirl‘, the $90 million film that was shelved. As one source put it, “If you want to get paid, you have to put on a cape.”
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