New Spider-Man Takes a Pay Cut
Posted 07.06.10 by Ryan
Andrew Garfield had to be thrilled when he found out he won the title role in Sony's upcoming Spider-Man reboot. A relative unknown outside of the U.K., Garfield is taking over a franchise that has made more than $2 billion dollars in worldwide box office, gets to work with up-and-coming director Marc Webb, and become rich beyond compare. Eventually. Deadline reports that the entire reboot is taking a pay cut, including Garfield, who will earn $500,000 in his first outing as Peter Parker.
Think about it: Bringing that paycheck back to the U.K. will split it in half after calculating the exchange rate, taxes will take another huge chunk, then there are agency fees, and once you deduct all that you only get ... a sum of money that is still more money than most people will make in a year.
To put Garfield's salary in perspective, however, SlashFilm reports that former Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire made $4 million for Spider-Man with paychecks that only became more obnoxious as the trilogy went on. However, 2002's Spider-Man had a budget of $140 million, while the reboot will be made for a much leaner $80 million. Before anyone starts to feel bad for Garfield, the actor stands to earn $1 million for a sequel, and $2 million for a second sequel, still less than Maguire's $17.5 million and $15 million, but the sympathy party can safely end for now.
The real question remains: Can Webb and Garfield deliver a movie that will please fans who embraced the original trilogy? With Sam Raimi and Maguire moving onto other things, will the reboot find the same success?
And who is the villain? Seriously.