Fifty Shades of Greywas a rare phenomenon that was absolutely crucified by critics (it has a paltry 25 percent score on reviews aggregatorRotten Tomatoes) but made major bank at the box office (about $570 million worldwide, as perBox Office Mojo).Adding to the movie’s bizarre trajectory, original director Sam Taylor-Johnson wasbooted from the sequelsover disagreements with EL James, who penned the source novels, andrumors swirledthat starsDakota JohnsonandJamie Dornancouldn’t stand each other.
Still, regardless of whether anybody involved genuinelyenjoyedthe process of making (or watching) theFifty Shadesflicks, there’s no denying how successful they ultimately were, and how quickly they launched the careers of Johnson and Dornan into the stratosphere.
After inspiring two sequels, and with a $570 million box office haul, it’s reasonable to assume that the film’s stars were paid handsomely for taking part, too, right?
The 50 Shades stars had to renegotiate their contracts
Although the BDSM-themed romance was a box office hit,Dakota Johnsonand Jamie Dornan made peanuts for appearing in it.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter,the stars ofFifty Shades of Greywere paid just $250,000 each plus an undisclosed piece of the box office pie.
They didn’t receive any backend compensation though, hence why, when the time came, both Johnson and Dornan renegotiated their salaries.
At the time, insiders advised they were looking to take a leaf out of the books of franchise stars fromTwilightandThe Hunger Gamesto figure out a reasonable salary for the sequels.
Jennifer Lawrence, for example, renegotiated a $10 million payday forCatching Fire,a remarkable increase from her $500,000 salary for the firstHunger Gamesfilm.
Of Johnson and Dornan’s initial deal, an industry source reasoned, “It was a very basic franchise starter deal,” perThe Hollywood Reporter.
Considering bothJohnson’sandDornan’snet worth is estimated to be around the $14 million mark, it’s safe to say they managed to take home a decent amount for every subsequentFifty Shadesmovie.
