‘Avengers: Endgame’ Box Office Earns Robert Downey Jr. Additional $55 Million Payday
Zack Sharf
“Avengers: Endgame” has earned $2.7 billion at the worldwide box office to become the second highest grossing movie ever released after James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The massive financial gross is a huge victory for Disney and Marvel Studios, but it’s also a humungous win for leading Marvel Cinematic Universe star Robert Downey Jr. A new report from Forbes breaking down Marvel salaries reveals that Downey Jr. has earned a whopping $75 million from “Endgame” alone.
Downey Jr. made an upfront salary of $20 million for reprising his role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel blockbuster. The salary makes him the highest-paid actor in “Endgame,” ahead of the $15 million earned by co-stars Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Evans. But Downey’s huge riches come more from his 8% back-end deal than it does from his starting salary. Forbes reports “Endgame” has made $700 million in profit from its box office run so far, which means Downey’s back-end deal gets him an additional $55 million payday for a grand total of $75 million.
The Forbes 100 list of the year’s highest earning celebrities includes six “Avengers: Endgame” actors: Downey, Hemsworth, Evans, Johansson, Paul Rudd, and Bradley Cooper. The six actors together have earned a reported $340 million this year alone. Cooper, who only appears as the voice of Rocket Raccoon in “Endgame,” has earned $7 million from “Endgame” back profits alone due to his 1% deal.
“Endgame” marked Downey’s final Marvel Cinematic Universe outing, closing his decade-long run as the Iron Man character. The actor kicked off the MCU with 2008’s “Iron Man,” where his salary was just $500,000. For his limited supporting role in “Spider Man: Homecoming,” Downey famously made $10 million. Tony’s death in “Avengers: Endgame” marks a big loss for the MCU, although the franchise is doing just fine as the recently-released “Spider Man: Far From Home” heads for the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
Next up for Downey is the Universal Pictures tentpole “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle,” in which he stars as the famous animal-talking doctor. The $175 million fantasy film is directed by “Syriana” filmmaker Stephen Gaghan and features a star-studded cast that includes Antonio Banderas, John Cena, Tom Holland, Michael Sheen, and Marion Cotillard. Universal is opening the film nationwide January 17, 2020.
