Hollywood: The Greatest Showman - Chapter 248: Salary Game

Chapter 248: Salary Game

“By the way, what are the crew’s plans regarding the salary budget?”

Andy’s words were filled with laughter, friendly and cordial, as if he were inquiring about lunch options. However, his words were straightforward and directly to the point.

Neil wasn’t surprised by this.

The tug-of-war between the “Fast & Furious 5” crew and Dwayne Johnson was known across half of Hollywood. It was widely known that the root of the dispute lay in the crew’s belief that Dwayne’s cost-effectiveness didn’t justify the $3.5 million they were being asked to pay, whereas Dwayne and his agent believed his importance to the crew absolutely warranted the $3.5 million.

However, as time went on, it evolved into a battle of wills between actors and producers. Currently, the average salary level in Hollywood had risen to a new high—even the $20 million club was no longer the ceiling. This emboldened agents and actors, increasing their price at a faster rate. But from the perspective of producers and production companies, this was an unwelcome development.

This was the fundamental reason why Ron chose to support Neil.

Now the crew decided to choose someone else, whether it be an actor like Bruce Willis who might demand a starting price of $6 million, which, although more expensive than Dwayne’s salary, promised a worthwhile market return; or a relatively unknown but promising actor like Renly Hall, who might not ask for much in salary but would gain more promotional resources.

However, agents are savvy; they know this is their opportunity. Having given up on collaborating with Dwayne, regardless of who the replacement was, the agents behind them would not easily back down and would definitely take advantage of the situation. Nevertheless, everyone would be mindful of the scale.

Comparatively, the space for raising the price for newcomers was quite limited, which was also why Neil chose Renly.

“What are your plans?” Neil naturally wouldn’t reveal his hand first; this was the art of negotiation.

Andy paused slightly. Over the past period, he had thought about the specifics repeatedly and was naturally familiar with them. The plan quickly ran through his mind, “One percent of the box office gross.”

Neil’s expression paused for a moment, a look of surprise barely concealed. Fortunately, he chose to communicate via phone; if it had been face-to-face, he would have been caught off guard by Andy’s sudden move—because, indeed, he had not anticipated that Andy was aiming for gross participation!

No wonder Andy had leveraged Steven Spielberg’s name! When he initially heard that Steven had personally approached Ron to recommend Renly, Neil thought Andy was out of his mind, completely overusing a valuable connection.

After “The Pacific” aired, everyone could see Steven’s admiration for Renly. Tom Hanks also frequently mentioned the amusing story of the audition in private. With the endorsements of these two industry giants, it meant that Renly was officially on the candidate list for major projects from top-tier production companies, and with proper use, this could be his chance to soar.

But, Andy had used this relationship just for “Fast & Furious 5,” which was completely overkill. Not to mention, “Fast & Furious 5” was just a hundred-million-dollar investment project, and this role wasn’t even a leading position; it simply didn’t require a heavyweight like Steven.

This had lowered Neil’s evaluation of Andy by several notches.

But now, it seemed that not only Neil but most industry insiders had underestimated Andy. They hadn’t realized that Andy’s ambition was never just for “Fast & Furious 5,” but for Renly’s entire career trajectory.

In Hollywood, there is an unspoken rule about actor salaries—there are stringent hierarchical systems. Under $3 million, $3 to $8 million, $8 to $15 million, and then the $20 million club. Details might vary, but it’s certain that every actor wanting to raise their salary needs the right timing, favorable conditions, and human assistance. Otherwise, Dwayne Johnson wouldn’t have hit a wall this time.

As for actors wanting to reach the level of gross participation, that’s even more challenging. Just like Johnny Depp in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” actors can’t get gross participation without proving themselves, especially in commercial films. Those independent art films with box office often below $10 million are, of course, a different story.

A commercial film’s box office is divided among multiple parties: the production company, the distribution company, and the theaters. The gross split typically is 40-45% to the production company, 15-20% to the distribution company, and the remaining 40% to the theaters. For top-tier companies like Universal Pictures, which handle both production and distribution, the part for the distribution company and the production company all goes to Universal.

Of the gross that the production company receives, part goes to the company itself, and the rest is divided among the director, screenwriter, producer, and actors.

If the producer is Steven Spielberg, he alone could take 15% of the box office gross, leaving the other members to split the remaining amount. Hence, in Tom Cruise’s films, he prefers to collaborate with second or third-tier actors, as well as directors and screenwriters of similar levels, to ensure his share of the gross isn’t diluted.

In short, the profit share for the crew is limited, and crew members must compete for it. Producers certainly do not want actors encroaching on their profits.

The importance of salaries also lies in setting a precedent. Once a precedent is set, it determines an actor’s level and rank. If an actor receives $15 million for one film, the next film’s asking price will naturally be around that figure unless the actor chooses to lower their salary voluntarily or for friendship; similarly, if an actor receives a gross participation deal once, it’s expected in the next film too.

In this profit-driven modern world, gross participation is akin to carving a slice off the capitalists’ pie, which is naturally not easy.

However, this is Hollywood, the dream factory. Overnight fame stories abound, and it’s not uncommon for an actor’s salary to skyrocket from $3 million to $15 million after just one film.

This was also Andy’s goal, so much so that he didn’t hesitate to use Steven’s personal connections.

But why was Andy so confident in Renly? The ambition in his plan! Just one film, “Buried,” doesn’t reveal much. There are countless fleeting moments of brilliance in acting talent.

“Gross participation? You know that’s impossible.” Neil was only momentarily surprised before regaining his composure, laughing as he spoke. He didn’t even discuss the percentage, directly refusing the concept from its root.

Andy remained unflustered, “If it were impossible, you could hang up the phone right now.” In his nonchalant tone, he displayed decisiveness and firmness, “We both know that one percent is nothing.”

The first three “Fast & Furious” films didn’t have stellar box office performances, with the best, the first film, grossing $144 million domestically. The third one even lost money. The series was revived because Universal Pictures, not good at developing sequels, ran out of cards. They had no other choice and surprisingly achieved a small success with the fourth installment.

In a dire situation, the fourth film unexpectedly grossed $155 million domestically, with a well-controlled budget of $85 million, eventually earning a small profit globally, leading to the fifth film.

In other words, even based on the fourth film’s domestic gross, one percent of the gross is just $1.55 million.

Renly was a complete newcomer. His salary was around $50,000 at most. With the boost from the Dwayne Johnson incident and the buzz from Toronto and Telluride, his salary could rise to around $80,000 to $100,000, which was Neil’s expected range. (A/N: If these figures are inaccurate please do tell me…)

Now, Andy proposed one percent of the gross and was prepared to negotiate down. Purely from a numbers perspective, it wasn’t outrageous. However, salaries are never just about the numbers, are they?

“One percent might not be much, but it depends on who it’s for.” Neil still didn’t budge.

Andy instead laughed, “It’s a matter of supply and demand. The key is what the buyer’s market needs.”

The issue circled back to the starting point—why did Neil choose Renly? Why not Jason Statham, Keanu Reeves, Bruce Willis, or Kiefer Sutherland?

Neil could choose other actors, of course. In Hollywood, no one is indispensable. He already passed on the best-choice Dwayne and chose Renly. Similarly, he could pass on Renly and choose someone else.

But the question is, is there a more suitable choice than Renly?

With thousands of actors in Hollywood, finding a replacement isn’t difficult, but the “Fast & Furious 5” crew is racing against time. And… Neil suddenly remembered Steven Spielberg. Andy’s move was truly ingenious.

Timing, location, and human harmony.

Neil shook his head, denying once more, “One percent is absolutely impossible.” However, he didn’t say “gross participation is impossible,” focusing instead on the number.

Andy smiled, satisfied, “Then how about 0.5 percent?”

“I’m listening,” Neil responded, knowing the negotiation wasn’t over yet.