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Summary
Despite launching an iconic career in theDCEU , Henry Cavill ’s payroll check for his first picnic asSupermanwas just a fraction of the amount get by one of the 1978 picture show ’s most renowned actors . Cavill ’s Superman careerbegan inMan of Steel , the springboard forthe DCEU movie timeline , and several subsequent years of Cavill ’s name being attached to Superman . 1978’sSuperman , meanwhile , was a huge step towards popularizing the superhero genre in movie house . While picture show starring comic Good Book heroes were n’t unheard of at that decimal point , the ambitious scale ofSupermanpioneered what has now become one of cinema ’s most lucrative genre .
Supermanwas made on a budget of around $ 135 million and would rake in $ 300 million worldwide . A significant luck of that budget was pass on the picture ’s A - list star , fit in to the documentaryTaking Flight : The Development of Superman(viaYouTube ) with Marlon Brando alone want $ 3.7 million for his function as Jor - El . Cavill ’s fee forMan of Steel , meanwhile , was a comparatively paltry $ 300,000.The gulf between them is especially notable consideringSupermanwas a bluff other endeavour at the genre , whereasMan of Steelwas released at the height of the music genre ’s peak .
Superman films have present both the best and the worst the superhero literary genre has to proffer . Let ’s rank all the Man of Steel ’s theatrical handout .
Why Henry Cavill Made So Much Less Than Marlon Brando In His First Man of Steel Paycheck
fare off the back of 1972’sThe Godfather , Marlon Brando was one of the biggest names in Hollywood when he was approached for the role - which was kind of the point . To secureSuperman ’s smash hit status , Warner Bros want to impound big names to the project , shoot down on Brando for Jor - El and Gene Hackman for Lex Luthor . As Brando himself stated in the aforementioned documentary film , an actor ’s fee is like to any product on the market - and his happened to be $ 3.7 million for two weeks ' work .
The studio apartment trace for an unknown for the eponymic part inSupermanpartly to becharm the enigma of Kal - El ’s alien stock and superpowers .
Henry Cavill , on the other manus , was not a proven movie star . In 2013 Cavill was mostly known for his theatrical role as Charles Brandon in Michael Hirst’sThe TudorsTV serial and had yet to front a blockbuster movie of his own . This was a casting trope emulated by most superhero movies , with most Justice League actors ( and MCU champion ) entering the public eye off the back of supporting function or TV appearances - such as Jason Momoa ’s previous stint asGame of Thrones’Kahl Drogo or Gal Gadot ’s character as Gisele Yashar in theFast and Furiousfranchise .
In fact , Cavill ’s $ 300,000 is around the typical start fee for most first - time superhero actors . The true value or else hinge on the length of service of the role . At the same time , many doer let in clauses in their contract to receive a portion of the picture ’s box office ( something thatScarlet Johansson ’s legal battle with Disneybrought to the fore ) . It is unknown whether Cavill include such a clause in hisMan of Steelcontract , but it is secure to say that Cavill ’s full take - home from his DCEU career probably dwarf Brando ’s fee - even by today ’s standards .
How Much Marlon Brando’s 1978 Superman Paycheck Would Be Today
adjust for inflation , Marlon Brando ’s $ 3.7 million would be worth $ 17,793,368 today . In 2013 , whenMan of Steelwas released , this fee would have had the spending exponent of $ 13,219,952.45 . With that in intellect , Henry Cavill ’s comparative fee was just 2 % of Brando ’s - quite a far cry from the 10 % difference at face value . In direct contrast , Henry Cavill ’s $ 300,000 would have been worth $ 83,963.99 in 1978 , a fraction still of what Christopher Reeve - who was far less known than Cavill - was paid then .
Adjusting for inflation , however , Superman becomes a billion - dollar motion-picture show - something that the DCEU would not achieve out of doors of Aquaman .
How much Russell Crowe was paid for portrayingJor - El inMan of Steelis uncertain , but it seems Warner Bros was making a use of mold A - lister in the role to serve make the flick more bankable . Man of Steelended up banking $ 668 million at the worldwide Box Office which is more than double that ofSuperman ’s $ 300.5 million . line up for inflation , however , Supermanbecomes a billion - dollar movie - something that the DCEU would not achieve outside ofAquaman . With that in judgment , it is safe to say that Brando ’s star superpower was probably worth the price .
How Much Previous Superman Actors Were Paid For Their DC Movies
Much like average jobs , the pay of Superman movie player are kept pretty closely to the chest for the most part . It is safe to strike , however , that the handsome Pearl Sydenstricker Buck did not get rolling in until Christopher Reeves made his fool on the character . Kirk Alyn was the first to portray Superman in two serials , though he reportedly state ( via an interview withsuperman.nu ) that the pay was not much , and that he embodied the role out of passion more than financial gain .
Superman Actor
Superman Movie
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
Release Date
Salary
conform For rising prices
Christopher Reeve
Superman
1978
$ 250,000 ( viaCNW )
$ 1,202,254.60
Superman II
Superman, directed by Richard Donner, stars Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent, an alien from the planet Krypton living on Earth who adopts the persona of Superman to protect humanity. Released in 1978, the film features Gene Hackman as the villain Lex Luthor, who creates a plan that threatens millions of lives. Margot Kidder co-stars as Lois Lane, a journalist at the Daily Planet and Clark Kent’s colleague.
1980
$ 500,000 ( viaCNW )
1,902,597.09
Superman III
1983
$ 1 million ( viaCNW )
$ 3,148,072.29
Superman IV : The Quest for Peace
1987
Man of Steel is a 2013 reboot of the Superman franchise, directed by Zack Snyder. Henry Cavill stars as Clark Kent, who discovers his extraterrestrial origins and extraordinary powers.
$ 2,760,105.63
Brandon Routh
Superman return
2006
$ 1,555,297.62
Henry Cavill
Man of Steel
2013
$ 300,000 ( viaThe Hollywood Reporter )
$ 403,784.39
Batman v Superman : Dawn of jurist
2016
nameless
N / A
Justice League
2017
George Reeves , meanwhile , present Superman in a goggle box show that spanned 104 episodes between 1952 - 1958 , with reports suggest he was bring in anywhere between $ 2,000 - $ 5,000 per episode . Today , that would equate to between $ 24,000 - $ 60,000 per episode . GivenSuperman and the Mole - Menwas a Pilot Movie intended to launch this television show , it might be good to assume that Reeves was pay off around that same ballpark for the moving-picture show at the time .
adjust for pompousness , it is plain to see thatChristopher Reeve got the best mountain ab initio for his debut as the Man of Steel . report border Cavill ’s pay for his tenure are unreadable follow his introduction inMan of Steel , though it is safe to take up that his salary skyrocketed in subsequent appearances . The widely misreported $ 14 million that he purportedly received forMan of Steel(which was cleared up by THR ) may instead have been derived from his fee forJustice League , for instance , though there is no means to be certain .
The first major superhero to be make , Superman is one of pop culture ’s enceinte icons , and here are all the actors who ’ve played him in resilient - action .
Henry Cavill Was Paid Almost As Much For His Black Adam Cameo As Man Of Steel
By the timeBlack Adamwas released in 2022 , Cavill was a well - established name thanks in no little part to his Superman career . This mean that he could exact a cool $ 250,000 for simply appearing at the death ofBlack Adamwith no lines , harmonise to Umberto Gonzalez viaTwitter / X. Such a fee is indicative of what the actor might have been raking in for his starring role inJustice League , but it also goes to show just how far the actor came since earning just $ 50,000 more for star in an entire movie .
This cameo was supposed to precede aMan of Steelsequel , which Cavill begin promote presently after before the announcement of the DCU reboot would swiftly turn out his tenure unforesightful . The fact that Cavill ’s starring roles land in the top 6 of theDCEU ’s highest - grossing moviesshows just how democratic the actor was in the theatrical role , and why his expiration was meet with such widespread disappointment . Now , with David Corenswet in the lead use , the DCU appears poised to repeat the decade - onetime tactic of casting less - knownSupermanactors ; and hopefully , this one goes the length .
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Cast
Superman , directed by Richard Donner , star Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent , an alien from the planet Krypton living on Earth who adopts the persona of Superman to protect humanity . Released in 1978 , the film features Gene Hackman as the villain Lex Luthor , who create a architectural plan that threatens million of life-time . Margot Kidder co - stars as Lois Lane , a diarist at the Daily Planet and Clark Kent ’s fellow worker .
Man of Steel is a 2013 reboot of the Superman franchise , directed by Zack Snyder . Henry Cavill stars as Clark Kent , who discovers his extraterrestrial origins and extraordinary powers .
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