UPDATE: ‘Brand New Day’ actually just hit $800M domestic in its 19th day of release, the fastest a movie has ever attained that milestone. The $2 billion worldwide mark will also be hit within the next few hours.
EARLIER: TheWrap is reporting that Tom Holland is poised to earn at least $100M for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” putting him firmly as Hollywood’s highest-paid star. Actually, it’s either him or Robert Downey Jr. who signed that insane deal to return as Dr. Doom for ‘Doomsday.’
Three sources familiar with his deal say Holland received a $25M upfront salary, roughly double his “No Way Home” payday, plus a lucrative box-office backend as the film hits $2 billion worldwide by tonight. Most strikingly, his backend is reportedly uncapped, meaning his final compensation will rise substantially above $100M.
Can anybody say retirement money?
Remember when Holland publicly stated, “maybe I’m done with Spider-Man”? Yeah, I’m convinced that was a negotiating strategy. He now has extraordinary leverage with Sony.
This current deal represents an insane escalation from Holland’s early Spider-Man paydays. He made just $250,000 for his 2016 debut in “Captain America: Civil War,” followed by $500,000 for “Homecoming,” $4M for “Far From Home” and $10M for “No Way Home.”
The comparison drawn is with Robert Downey Jr., whose compensation exploded as Iron Man became the MCU’s core character. Downey eventually received ridiculous backend deals, ultimately earning more than $100M from “Infinity War” and “Endgame.” One unnamed exec tells TheWrap that Holland is “the new Robert Downey Jr.”
The big question now is what happens after ‘Brand New Day.’ Marvel chief Kevin Feige and Sony chairman Tom Rothman have indicated that they want to continue with Holland, but the actor’s existing contract apparently does not lock in additional Spider-Man movies.
If Sony and Marvel want Holland back after this profitable run of movies, they will have to negotiate another mega-deal for the actor — potentially making Holland one of the very few actors capable of commanding nine-figure compensation for a single film.
No surprise, “Practical Magic 2” is not doing well with critics. We all saw it coming. The first was also hammered with bad reviews. The only reason we’re getting a sequel is due to its cult base and ‘90s nostalgia.