Marvel Cautiously Offers Low Salaries For Movies

There's no question that actors get paid a lot of money.  I suppose you could argue that they deserve it since their private lives become public.  Plus the studios usually make a killing on the box office sales plus DVD distribution and all that.  Now that the economy isn't doing as well as before and there's still rumblings with the SAG possibly striking, studios are giving actors less than their normal rates.

Variety has posted a story about some of the actors that have taken cuts in their normal salaries in order to do their next film.  What's interesting is how much Mickey Rourke is allegedly getting for Iron Man 2.

Then there is comeback kid Mickey Rourke, who is poised to follow his Golden Globe-winning performance in "The Wrestler" with an offer to play the main villain in "Iron Man 2"  but at a lowball opening offer of $250,000 from Marvel; Marvel's tactics have already prompted Samuel L. Jackson to swear off playing Nick Fury because of a similarly low offer.

Guess now we know why Sam Jackson was kind of bitter.  I wonder if they work in some other deal along with that.  If the movie is a huge success, they should obviously get paid more.  Otherwise, why would actors want to work for less and let the studios make more.  Yes it's the studios taking the risk, banking on the success of a film but if an actor helps make it a success, they should be rewarded.  It seems that's what Jim Carrey did for "Yes Man."

Hopefully studios won't have to cut their budgets and make less spectacular movies as a result or cast their second or third choice for actors.