How much did the big three get paid for doing KOTCS?

So how much money did Harrison, Lucas and Spielberg make by doing Indy 4?
For a comparison, here's how much money they made on other films they made (source was IMDB.com):

Harrison Ford salary
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) $25,000,000 + 20% of the Gross
What Lies Beneath (2000) $20,000,000
Random Hearts (1999) $20,000,000
Six Days Seven Nights (1998) $20,000,000
Air Force One (1997) $22,000,000
The Devil's Own (1997) $20,000,000
Clear and Present Danger (1994) $1,000,000
Patriot Games (1992) $9,000,000
Presumed Innocent (1990) $12,500,000
Star Wars (1977) $650,000
American Graffiti (1973) $500/week
A Time for Killing (1967) $150/week
Luv (1967) $150/week
Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) $150

Steven Spielberg salary
Jurassic Park III (2001) $72,000,000
Schindler's List (1993) $0 (Asked not to be paid.)
Jurassic Park (1993) $250,000,000 (gross and profit participations)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) $1,500,000 + % of gross

George Lucas salary
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $400,000,000
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) $2,500,000 + net profits
Body Heat (1981) $250,000 + 5% of profits
Star Wars (1977) $200,000 + 40% of the net profits
American Graffiti (1973) $50,000 + 15% of gross
THX 1138 (1971) $15,000
The Rain People (1969) $3,000
Finian's Rainbow (1968) $3,000

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-indianajones21apr21,0,3480460.story

According to these people, Paramount spent about $185 million to make the movie and will pay at least $150 million to market it worldwide . The studio will earn a distribution fee of 12.5% of the revenue it receives from the film's release in all media, including theaters, DVD and television .

"Crystal Skull" will have to generate around $400 million for Paramount for the studio to make its money back and earn its distribution fee. Only at that point will Lucas, Spielberg, Ford and smaller profit participants, including screenwriter David Koepp, begin collecting their portion.

Paramount will take 12.5 cents from every dollar thereafter, while Lucas and company will earn 87.5 cents.

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So the film made approximately $786 million. Subtract $400 million, that's $386. The studio gets about $48.25 million which means Lucas, Spielberg and Ford end up splitting about $337.75 million. So basically, we were able to put another $112.58 million into the pockets of Lucas, Spielberg and Ford, each.

And God knows how fat their wallets get after you factor in DVD sales.

yah. i'm sure they made a buttload. but i doubt that at least Ford and Spielberg did it for the money.

Disgustingly too much for "The Phantom Menace".

Benraianajones said:

Disgustingly too much for "The Phantom Menace".

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It's subjective I suppose. I guess proportionally speaking, it's a reasonable percentage of what the movie made (based on his involvement/responsibilities).

Personally speaking, I have trouble with these type of sums when there are people starving/dying in the world. This applies to pop stars, movie stars, sports stars and high flying corporate business heads too. But who am I to question?

Darth Vile said:

It's subjective I suppose. I guess proportionally speaking, it's a reasonable percentage of what the movie made (based on his involvement/responsibilities).

Personally speaking, I have trouble with these type of sums when there are people starving/dying in the world. This applies to pop stars, movie stars, sports stars and high flying corporate business heads too. But who am I to question?

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All of those, and the fact it was just plain awful.

Interesting to see Harrison Ford's salary rise through the years.

I'm sure George made a load off TPM because of the merchandising.

Texas said:

Clear and Present Danger (1994) $1,000,000

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????

Anyone has any idea of why Harrison got so little money for that movie, shot when he was already very famous and in the middle of a successful franchise such as Tom Clancy saga???

Professor Jones said:

????

Anyone has any idea of why Harrison got so little money for that movie, shot when he was already very famous and in the middle of a successful franchise such as Tom Clancy saga???

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I can't offer a reason, but I will say that the IMdB is not the most reliable of information sources, so their estimates can be off or completely wrong, as the pages can be edited by anyone.

Forbidden Eye said:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-indianajones21apr21,0,3480460.story



So the film made approximately $786 million. Subtract $400 million, that's $386. The studio gets about $48.25 million which means Lucas, Spielberg and Ford end up splitting about $337.75 million. So basically, we were able to put another $112.58 million into the pockets of Lucas, Spielberg and Ford, each.

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Now imagine if they all donated some of that to help rebuild the American economy? I don't know... it just bugs me that here in America we're facing a recession, the Big 3 automakers are going under, the American public will have to face the brunt of a $750 billion dollar bailout, and Hollywood stars are making that kind of money? Something seems really wrong with that? Imagine if every major star in Hollywood and professional sports donated a portion of their ridiculous salaries to help the failing economy?

Sorry I'll quit ranting now!!

Benraianajones said:

Disgustingly too much for "The Phantom Menace".

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Like the movie or not, that is one staggering figure...

deckard24 said:

Now imagine if they all donated some of that to help rebuild the American economy? I don't know... it just bugs me that here in America we're facing a recession, the Big 3 automakers are going under, the American public will have to face the brunt of a $750 billion dollar bailout, and Hollywood stars are making that kind of money? Something seems really wrong with that? Imagine if every major star in Hollywood and professional sports donated a portion of their ridiculous salaries to help the failing economy?

Sorry I'll quit ranting now!!

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That's capitalism for yer...

Playing the Devils Advocate, I guess Spileberg and Lucas would probably argue that they employ hundreds of people, and boost the economy through their various businesses.

deckard24 said:

Now imagine if they all donated some of that to help rebuild the American economy? I don't know... it just bugs me that here in America we're facing a recession, the Big 3 automakers are going under, the American public will have to face the brunt of a $750 billion dollar bailout, and Hollywood stars are making that kind of money? Something seems really wrong with that? Imagine if every major star in Hollywood and professional sports donated a portion of their ridiculous salaries to help the failing economy?

Sorry I'll quit ranting now!!

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I see your point and definitely agree... to an extent.

But to be the devil's advocate as Darth Vile nicely said, all them could argue that they spend the money on highly expensive stuff(certainly they don't just put money under their beds and collect dust?) and in it's own way, that's really all the economy can ask for... more customers of products.

Also needs to be put into consideration: Lucas, Spielberg, Ford etc. aren't stock brokers, accountants, Wall-Street journalists or even politicians. They're filmmakers. And there's probably not a lot for them to do considering such work usually requires an advanced education that all of them don't have.

But I still agree with your point, why not put focus on thr issues that our actually affecting our country on not put so much emphasis on(imo) such amusingly irrelevant topics like the environment.

deckard24 said:

Now imagine if they all donated some of that to help rebuild the American economy? I don't know... it just bugs me that here in America we're facing a recession, the Big 3 automakers are going under, the American public will have to face the brunt of a $750 billion dollar bailout, and Hollywood stars are making that kind of money? Something seems really wrong with that? Imagine if every major star in Hollywood and professional sports donated a portion of their ridiculous salaries to help the failing economy?

Sorry I'll quit ranting now!!

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The film business is about as capitalist as it gets.

The automakers didn't make cars people wanted and with the "Green" energy craze, they fell behind the times. The cars they did make (SUV's & trucks) dropped in demand with the high price of oil. Same goes for a lot of other products. Unions in this country make it tough to manufacture in the states. The average autoworker makes about $70 per hour plus they receive a lot of benefits. The average American makes about $24 per hour. If a forgeign worker is paid even less to manufacture, then even with import tarrifs, the car will still be cheaper or for the same price will likely be built better.

On top of that, many people who experienced "false wealth" (by sucking the equity out of their newly purchased homes by getting loans they couldn't afford) in the past few years decided to live the high life (not Miller) and bought BMW's, Mercedes and other foreign cars because they had the extra money. This hurt the domestic auto industry too. The only way to fix the auto industry is to let it fail (which they should have done for the banks too, and I work for a bank!).

The movie unions have similar issues which is why so many movies are made in Canada and Australia now.

If American movies got crappier then you might see more interest in other world cinema which would cause the failure of some studios like the car companies. The only reason American movies are so popular is the language barrier. Too many people don't want to read subtitles.

I will say that at least SS, GL and HF give a fair share of money to political and charitable causes. I may not agree with everything they do, but they do give back which is more than can be said of many wealthy people.

Forbidden Eye said:

I see your point and definitely agree... to an extent.

But to be the devil's advocate as Darth Vile nicely said, all them could argue that they spend the money on highly expensive stuff(certainly they don't just put money under their beds and collect dust?) and in it's own way, that's really all the economy can ask for... more customers of products.

Also needs to be put into consideration: Lucas, Spielberg, Ford etc. aren't stock brokers, accountants, Wall-Street journalists or even politicians. They're filmmakers. And there's probably not a lot for them to do considering such work usually requires an advanced education that all of them don't have.

But I still agree with your point, why not put focus on thr issues that our actually affecting our country on not put so much emphasis on(imo) such amusingly irrelevant topics like the environment.

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Darth Vile and Forbidden Eye,

I see where you're both coming from, and if anyone has watched the making of docs for KOTCS they'll see just how many people were employed to make that film! My issue resides moreso with the amount of money that Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford made off of KOTCS, not the fact that they made money for their art! $112.58 million each is a ridiculous amount of money, and it just seems wrong that people are starving in this country, homeless, out of work, our economy is failing miserably, and we're entering a recession, yet Alex Rodriguez signs a contract to make $275 million dollars over the next ten years to play baseball? Not to mention it just really seems unfair that the people whose jobs are the most important and life affecting: teachers, cops, fireman, paramedics, nurses, social workers, tradesmen, farmers, etc...all make next to nothing compared to the money of Hollywood and professional sports!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WaterCooler/story?id=124545&page=1

I will say that at least SS, GL and HF give a fair share of money to political and charitable causes. I may not agree with everything they do, but they do give back which is more than can be said of many wealthy people.

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Sandiegojones,

That's true they give back, at least I know Spielberg and Ford do! I'm not up to date on Lucas' charitable donations though. Ford's cause is the enviroment, and Spielberg's seems to be more human suffering related ie. The Shoah Foundation.
http://www.looktothestars.org/news/71-forbes-generous-celebrities-list

no matter what industry - you create a phenomenally successful 'product' and you usually make a ton of money. if you create something like indiana jones or star wars and strike such a huge chord with much of the world - then you deserve to rake it in, in my opinion.

deckard24 said:

Darth Vile and Forbidden Eye,

I see where you're both coming from, and if anyone has watched the making of docs for KOTCS they'll see just how many people were employed to make that film! My issue resides moreso with the amount of money that Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford made off of KOTCS, not the fact that they made money for their art! $112.58 million each is a ridiculous amount of money, and it just seems wrong that people are starving in this country, homeless, out of work, our economy is failing miserably, and we're entering a recession, yet Alex Rodriguez signs a contract to make $275 million dollars over the next ten years to play baseball? Not to mention it just really seems unfair that the people whose jobs are the most important and life affecting: teachers, cops, fireman, paramedics, nurses, social workers, tradesmen, farmers, etc...all make next to nothing compared to the money of Hollywood and professional sports!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WaterCooler/story?id=124545&page=1



Sandiegojones,

That's true they give back, at least I know Spielberg and Ford do! I'm not up to date on Lucas' charitable donations though. Ford's cause is the enviroment, and Spielberg's seems to be more human suffering related ie. The Shoah Foundation.
http://www.looktothestars.org/news/71-forbes-generous-celebrities-list

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I don't disagree with you. These are, after all, obscene amounts of money we're talking about. It's probably worth noting that, in relative terms, the amounts of money that sports stars, movie/television stars earned 20/30 years ago was just as obscene. I.e. It?s not a new phenomenon... and one could argue that what we are seeing now is an inevitable consequence of capitalism. And Spielberg, Ford and Lucas (like them or loathe them) create entertainment/art in that economic/political system.

deckard24 said:

I see where you're both coming from, and if anyone has watched the making of docs for KOTCS they'll see just how many people were employed to make that film! My issue resides moreso with the amount of money that Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford made off of KOTCS, not the fact that they made money for their art! $112.58 million each is a ridiculous amount of money, and it just seems wrong that people are starving in this country, homeless, out of work, our economy is failing miserably, and we're entering a recession, yet Alex Rodriguez signs a contract to make $275 million dollars over the next ten years to play baseball? Not to mention it just really seems unfair that the people whose jobs are the most important and life affecting: teachers, cops, fireman, paramedics, nurses, social workers, tradesmen, farmers, etc...all make next to nothing compared to the money of Hollywood and professional sports!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WaterCooler/story?id=124545&page=1

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I agree mostly, but being successful is the American dream. Plus, you can bet that about half of the money they make goes to income taxes, so they actually pay a lot more individually than thousands of middle class people combined!

With that said, don't you think it's funny that the most liberal people are in Hollywood and many of these celebrities (who do drugs, make sex tapes and get drunk and get into accidents, etc) try to tell the "average Joe", who does real work and doesn't make millions, what to think. Unfortunately, many people think celebrity is more important than people who actually work hard and provide a public service (like police, firemen, nurses, teachers, etc). Too many people are worried more about "American Idol" or "Survivor" than important issues that effect us all.

I don't blame GL, SS or HF for that though.

BTW, Lucas has given millions to his University and also has donated to many public projects in San Francisco.

sandiegojones said:

I agree mostly, but being successful is the American dream. Plus, you can bet that about half of the money they make goes to income taxes, so they actually pay a lot more individually than thousands of middle class people combined!

With that said, don't you think it's funny that the most liberal people are in Hollywood and many of these celebrities (who do drugs, make sex tapes and get drunk and get into accidents, etc) try to tell the "average Joe", who does real work and doesn't make millions, what to think. Unfortunately, many people think celebrity is more important than people who actually work hard and provide a public service (like police, firemen, nurses, teachers, etc). Too many people are worried more about "American Idol" or "Survivor" than important issues that effect us all.

I don't blame GL, SS or HF for that though.

BTW, Lucas has given millions to his University and also has donated to many public projects in San Francisco.

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I knew Lucas was charitable, but I wasn't quite sure where he donated his money!

Yeah it's pretty funny how people think of celebrities as being more important then the real heroes of society(teachers, nurses, doctors, firemen, cops, etc...)! I understand these people provide an outlet, and a fantasy life to project oneself into, but at the end of the day they are just regular people like you and me, who happen to have gotten very lucky and fell into a career that provides them with such luxury. I don't doubt they work hard at what they do, but it's not nearly as hard as say a teacher or cop, who either risk their lives or give of themselves completely to better society!

It's a funny world we live in!