Report: Robert Downey Jr. Made $75 Million for ‘Infinity War’ Role

Report: Robert Downey Jr. Made $75 Million for ‘Infinity War’ Role
Robert Downey Jr. will reportedly produce and star in a project envisioned by the late Steve McQueen titled 'Yucatan.' (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
Jack Phillips
5/1/2019
Updated:
5/1/2019
Warning: Contains spoilers

Robert Downey Jr. made a significant amount of money for his role in “Avengers: Infinity War,” which made $2 billion around the world.

The 54-year-old “Iron Man” star made at least $75 million for a financial arrangement he had with Marvel Studios’ head, Kevin Feige, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Downey Jr., 54, will receive backend pay, which means he gets a percentage of the box office success for “Infinity War,” THR noted. “Endgame” also made about $1.2 billion in its first weekend, which means his final check might be massive as well.
Robert Downey Jr. at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Jan. 3, 2015. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images for PSIFF)
Robert Downey Jr. at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Jan. 3, 2015. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images for PSIFF)
However, according to entertainment website Verdict in May 2018, Downey Jr. likely made closer to $20 million for “Infinity War.”

“So a very rough (and early) estimate of Marvel’s final profit on Infinity War would be around $410 million,” it says. “Some 2.5% of this is $10.25 million. Therefore, Downey Jr’s final estimated pay from Infinity War is: $10 million + $10.25 million from film profit = $20.25 million.”

For three days of work on “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in 2017, he made $5 million each day.

Scarlett Johansson also made about $20 million for “Black Widow,” the report said.

Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, and Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, are making approximately $15 million to $20 million for “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” THR reported.

From left, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, the character Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Scarlett Johansson in a scene from "Avengers: Endgame." (Disney/Marvel Studios via AP)
From left, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, the character Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Scarlett Johansson in a scene from "Avengers: Endgame." (Disney/Marvel Studios via AP)

“Especially for Avengers movies, bonuses don’t kick in until the film hits at least $1.5 billion,” the website reported, citing a Marvel source.

Meanwhile, according to director Anthony Russo, Downey Jr. had mixed feelings about the ending of “Endgame.”

“A lot of the actors are not opinionated about what we do. They like the fact that we are sort of in control of these stories and we are driving where they should go and we have a vision for where they should go and they trust in that. I think Downey may have had mixed emotions about thinking about [where Tony Stark ends up in ‘Endgame’], but I think at the end of the day, he totally accepted it,” Russo, who directed the movie with his brother, told THR in another article.

‘Endgame’ Breaks Record

“Avengers: Endgame” shattered the record for biggest opening weekend with an estimated $350 million in ticket sales domestically and $1.2 billion globally, reaching a new pinnacle in the blockbuster era that the comic-book studio has come to dominate.
The “Avengers” finale far exceeded even its own gargantuan expectations, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie had been forecast to open between $260 million and $300 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, but moviegoers turned out in such droves that “Endgame” blew past the previous record of $257.7 million, set last year by “Avengers: Infinity War” when it narrowly surpassed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($248 million or about $266 million in inflation adjusted dollars), The Associated Press reported.

“Endgame” was just as enormous overseas. Worldwide, it obliterated the previous record of $640.5 million, also set by “Infinity War.” (“Infinity War” didn’t open in China, the world’s second largest movie market, until two weeks after its debut.) “Endgame” set a new weekend record in China, too, where it made $330.5 million.

In one fell swoop, “Endgame” has already made more than movies like “Skyfall,” ″Aquaman” and “The Dark Knight Rises” grossed in their entire runs, not accounting for inflation.

“This has got to be the biggest weekend in popcorn history,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “Think of the gallons of soda and the hot dogs sold. This is going to continue all week and beyond. This is going to have long-term playability for sure.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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