Deadpoolis thebiggest movie of 2016thus far, and a cultural phenomenon to boot. It has broken a ton of box office records on its way to earning $497 million at the global box office. So it should stand to reason that the team behind the movie is due for a hefty pay increase as they embark on the already green lit sequelDeadpool 2. But with the follow-up set to maintain its low budget roots, just how big will that bump be?
Ryan Reynoldsis currently preparing to renegoatiate his contract with 20th Century Fox forDeadpool 2. While director Tim Miller doesn’t even have a deal to return yet, though he’s expected to helm thesequel. The first movie is set to cross the $500 million mark less than three weeks in release. This is coming from a project that only cost $58 million to make. So, how will these big numbers be split up amongst all that were involved?
Ryan Reynolds, who stars asWade Wilsonand also serves as a producer, reportedly earned $2 million up front for his services. He is said to be the only actor who participated in the comic book adaptation that is eligible for box-office bonuses and backend compensation. It’s speculated that he’ll make more than $10 million from the movie when all is said and done. But that number could rise, especially if the movie reaches $800 million globally, as many suspect it will.
When it comes toDeadpool 2, the star is expected to receive a big pay day. The success of the movie has surprised some, especially sinceRyan Reynoldswas coming off two hugeblockbusterbombs with 2011’sGreen Lanternand 2013’sR.I.P.D.
TheDeadpoolopening credits poke fun atRyan Reynoldsand his creative team. The actor is referred to as “God’s Perfect Idiot”, while the two writers behind the project, the much championedRhett ReeseandPaul Wernick, are refered to as the “Real Heroes” behind the production. Tim Miller’s dig is a little bit more harsh, as it calls him an ‘Overpaid Tool’, which is certainly not the case. At 50 years old, the visual effects supervisor makes his directorial debut withDeadpool. He was only paid $250,000 for his services. But when the movie ends its box office run, he may clear a couple million dollars. This is said to be a semi-standard fee for a first time director.
Tim Miller currently holds an option for a future Fox movie that will up his pay to $500,000, and like his leading man, he will definitely benefit from box office bonuses. For the extra cash to start kicking in, the film needed to reach a benchmark of $150 million, which it cleared less than a week in release. This milestone is said to have likely resulted in bonuses between $100,000 to $150,000.
It’s speculated that the movie will also distribute ‘goodwill’ bonuses to some of the key players behind making the Marvel adventure such a smash hit. This includes the aforementioned writers, who are already hard at work penning the sequel script. This whole scenario is amazing, seeing as how the project sat in limbo for so long. It wasn’t until test footage leaked in summer 2014 that Fox realized it might have a hit franchise on its hands. Stellar fan response convinced the studio to move forward on the movie. And the rest is history. Now, the studio is ready to pony up and pay out a hefty sum to keep its creative team together.
