The Avengers may work together to fight evil in the blockbuster film currently ruling the box office. But the man behind Iron Man is set to make more money from the superhero smash than the rest of the team.
Robert Downey Jr. is on track to make $50 million from “The Avengers,” once box-office bonuses and back-end deals are factored in — a far larger sum than his superstar co-stars will take home, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Downey’s reps struck a sweet deal with Marvel after the first “Iron Man” movie turned out to be a hit. His agents and lawyers renegotiated his deal to include a portion of Marvel’s revenue from future movies in which he plays Iron Man. One source pegged Downey’s cut at 5 to 7 percent.
But Marvel struck smaller deals with the film’s other superheroes. Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo all signed on for small upfront fees and will ultimately make $2 million to $3 million on “The Avengers” with bonuses. Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson are said to be making roughly twice that.
The film itself has already made more than $1 billion worldwide.