There’s a tendency when you read about a celebrity or athlete getting a huge paycheck to sigh and wonder what they did to deserve all that money. In Robert Downey Jr.’s case, everyone knows what he did. He was the sparkplug (at least on the acting side) that made the whole Avengers thing possible. If that first Iron Man movie hadn’t been the huge hit that it was, then who knows where Marvel Studios would be today.That’s why when I read on the Hollywood Reporter that Robert Downey Jr. is set to make $50 million from The Avengers instead of sighing I think, “money well-deserved.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Downey Jr.’s reps negotiated a revenue sharing deals for Marvel Studios movies he appears in after the first Iron Man movie. While unconfirmed, a source reportedly told them the revenue share was in the 5 to 7 percent range.Apparently, some sources are even saying that Robert Downey Jr. could make more than $50 million for his Iron Man/Tony Stark role in The Avengers once all the box-office bonuses and backend compensation are figured up. As far as the other actors and actresses, The Hollywood Reporter credits sources with saying that most will make in the $2 million to $3 million range after bonuses, except for Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, who will make near twice that amount as part of their multi-film deals with Marvel Studios.If Downey Jr. does have a 5 to 7 percent revenue share deal with Marvel Studios, then the good news for fans is that Marvel probably won’t have much trouble convincing him to return for future Avengers and Iron Man sequels.
