Last year, the trade papers estimated that Margot Robbie likely made about $50 million on her backend deal for Barbie. Barbie grossed $1.446 billion at the box office, and Margot was not only the lead, she executive produced the film and put the whole thing together. Margot was the one who pitched Mattel, and she was the one who hired Greta Gerwig. I would not be surprised if Margot’s backend was a lot more than $50 million. But… I would also not be surprised if Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer backend was even bigger. Variety says that is so, especially now that Oppy won Best Director and Best Picture at the Oscars.
Christopher Nolan took home two Oscars on Sunday night for director and producer of “Oppenheimer.” But his ultimate haul for the period drama was so much bigger. Nolan’s final payday for the film, which traces the life of titular scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in creating the atomic bomb, is just south of $100 million, according to knowledgeable sources.
That figure represents a combination of salary, backend compensation, box-office escalators and a bonus for his twin Academy Awards. A representative for the filmmaker didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The Universal film — which nabbed seven Oscars total, including trophies for actor Cillian Murphy and supporting actor Robert Downey Jr. — was made on a budget of $100 million. After its release on July 19, becoming half of the one-two “Barbenheimer” punch, the film earned $958 million worldwide, a mammoth sum considering “Oppenheimer’s” R rating and three-hour running time. (Both are typically considered barriers in luring a so-called four-quadrant audience.) It also marks the highest-grossing best picture winner since 2004’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
“Oppenheimer” is being rereleased in 1,000 theaters this weekend with its newly minted best picture status. That should run up the film’s final box-office tally and eclipse the $1 billion threshold, thus triggering an additional bonus for the director.
Now all eyes are on what Nolan — who wrote, directed and produced “Oppenheimer” — will do next. Some say it will be a remake of the mystery-thriller “The Prisoner,” based on the 1960s TV series created by and starring Patrick McGoohan, which Nolan was attached to in 2009. But the sci-fi project vanished from Nolan’s dance card that same year, when AMC released its own “The Prisoners,” a six-part miniseries led by Jim Caviezel as the ill-fated agent Number Six alongside Ian McKellen and Ruth Wilson. Others say he will begin writing a new screenplay now that the awards season is behind him.
It actually sounds crazy to me that his ultimate payday is just below $100 million? Like, one tenth of the film’s gross goes to the director, not taking into account the cost of the production & promotion? While Nolan’s achievement with Oppenheimer was noteworthy and award-worthy, it feels like Margot Robbie should take this article to Warner Bros and tell them to cut her another check. If Nolan’s getting $95 million or so, why can’t Margot? As for Nolan’s next projects… I hope he gets a female cowriter who helps him figure out how to write female characters. All that money in the world and he cannot write women at all.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.