Warner Bros. and DC generally sign up-and-coming actors to three picture deals for their franchise roles with incrementally increasing salaries. That’s why both Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill, relative unknowns with a few key credits before landing the roles of Wonder Woman and Superman, respectively, were paid $300,000 each for their first DC Extended Universe appearances. But following Wonder Woman‘s mammoth success ($822 million worldwide) and Gadot’s well-received turn in the otherwise forgettable Justice League, she’s getting a massive raise for Wonder Woman 1984.
The repeated release delays 1984 has been forced to endure has not stopped Gadot from cashing in on her rising popularity. The Israeli actress reportedly earned $10 million for the highly-anticipated sequel, which isn’t quite yet Avengers money but is still a 233% raise.
Salary ranges between low- to mid-six figures is standard practice for Hollywood tentpoles starring actors with short track records and/or little mainstream footprint. For example, Chris Hemsworth was paid $150,000 for 2011’s Thor while Adam Driver earned $500,000 for 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Following an Oscar nomination, Felicity Jones was paid upwards of $1 million to lead 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
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Director Patty Jenkins had nothing but superlatives to describe Gadot when speaking to Vanity Fair recently: “Gal is someone whose primary focus is doing good with her character, and that is such a special thing, to have a Wonder Woman like that in the role. She’s not looking for glory or fame — she’s always asking, ‘What can we do with this that will be good for the world?’”
Under normal circumstances, Wonder Woman 1984 was expected to arrive in theaters on June 5 and threaten the $1 billion mark at the global box office. Gadot and Wonder Woman served as steady foundations amid the early turbulence in the DCEU. With the brand seemingly righting the ship under president Walter Hamada, many expected 1984 to outpace its predecessor in ticket sales. Now, given the coronavirus pandemic and uncertain future of movie theaters, box office analysts are unsure what to expect from the film.
Wonder Woman 1984 is now scheduled to arrive on December 25.
