Discuss
I don’t think most actors get paid that much. A handful of the top professionals in their field get paid a lot, like other professions such as sports. But in an industry driven by name recognition, that handful can pretty much get whatever it wants.
How about some facts first - how much did they pay the snakes?
Because that’s what the market says they can get. 
I’m sure the snakes were treated very well and had lots of snake treats and snake union breaks, as per contract. The snake handlers were paid very well and treated like shit by everyone else on set.
I actually can’t believe this is a movie. I can’t wait to rent it.
I didn’t think it was. I thought Miltown was just messing with us, but apparently it’s real.
imdb.com/title/tt0417148/
And why not? They’ve done earthquakes, floods, tornados, sharks, bees, plague, aliens, etc. What else is left?
The best part is where Samuel Jackson says “I have had it with these motherfuckin’ snakes on the motherfuckin’ plane!”
I didn’t think it was. I thought Miltown was just messing with us, but apparently it’s real.
imdb.com/title/tt0417148/
And why not? They’ve done earthquakes, floods, tornados, sharks, bees, plague, aliens, etc. What else is left?[/quote]
Oh no. You’re fucking kidding. I thought I was going to get a link to another brilliant satirical blog. What the fuck next? Are they actually going to paint the planes red, white, and blue and write Team America on them? Good grief. Tell me the film is a comedy…
I think this is the perfect place to state that miltownkid’s avatar could very much be a young Samuel L Jackson (in the role of Elijah Price (Unbreakable))
…
Samuel L Jackson…Miltownkid
The movie is real, but the snakes are computer generated.
As for how much actors get paid, yes, some of them get a tremendous amount of money. How much they get doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is what they do with it.
I didn’t think it was. I thought Miltown was just messing with us, but apparently it’s real.
imdb.com/title/tt0417148/
And why not? They’ve done earthquakes, floods, tornados, sharks, bees, plague, aliens, etc. What else is left?[/quote]
Black widows … as in spider … on the plane, boat, train … 
Not all of them. I saw some special on TV with the handlers and stuff.
Yep, that kind of sums things up nicely. I like the “Snakes on a Plane” example. It pretty much shows why Samuel gets what he gets. For instance, if they had put me in that movie instead, it may have just been #6 (;)) or so in the box office, costing the investors millions.
I know what you’re saying, but why should it bother you? Shouldn’t they be able to do whatever they want with it (within the bounds of legal of course.) They all can’t be Angelina. It’s nice that some of them are though.
[quote=“irishstu”]I think this is the perfect place to state that miltownkid’s avatar could very much be a young Samuel L Jackson (in the role of Elijah Price (Unbreakable))
…
Samuel L Jackson…Miltownkid[/quote]
There’s one problem though. Seems like the hair style should get cooler as he ages 
You know. It’s a shame. I’m sure there’s a scene in the movie where’s he’s got a hairstyle "just " like your avatar, but there are very few photos of that movie on Google. I may even dig out the DVD and screenshot it at the weekend. I really am that anal. 
You might be right. The above is probably his toned down business professional look.
The New York Times had an article a couple of weeks ago that focused on an economist discussing his study of top actors’ salaries. According to his study, and contrary to belief even within the movie industry, A-list stars simply weren’t worth the money they received because they tended to bring about US$2 million (IIRC) to a picture, well under the eight-digit fees they received for their services.
Unfortunately, the article’s already behind the subscription wall. For those who have subscriptions, the link is here: Risky Business.
I would like to here more about this. If that really is the case it seems like there would be people “undercutting” the market. I remember hearing/reading that Johnny Depp “saved” Pirates of the Caribbean: Legend of Jack Sparrow.
[quote=“Wikipedia”]Jackson’s films have grossed between $2.1 billion[1] and $3.8 billion,[2][3] placing him as either the eighth highest or #1 highest-grossing actor of all time.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_L._Jackson[/quote]
With numbers like this, I don’t know what an economist is to do to figure they only bring 2 million per picture.
the-numbers.com/people/records/index.php
There are 2 other sites listing totals: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_L._ … te-boxmojo
Not all of them. I saw some special on TV with the handlers and stuff.[/quote]
The article I read didn’t mention live snakes.
I know what you’re saying, but why should it bother you? Shouldn’t they be able to do whatever they want with it (within the bounds of legal of course.) They all can’t be Angelina. It’s nice that some of them are though.[/quote]
I’m not advocating for them to give it all away, but they are in a position to do something to help their fellow man.
They should be able to go out and buy their toys, just like the rest of us. What bothers me are the TV programs that show how celebrities have pissed it all away. Lifestyles Of The Rich and Stupid, anyone?
I don’t have the time at the moment to read the links. (I’m burnt out, and watching West Wing again 
)
Here’s my take on why actors make so much
You have , let’s say a 20 million dollar movie.
The studio is banking on (counting on=studio terminology) the star to bring in an audience that will recoup the cost of making the film.
Now consider that we live in an age of technology= downloading, bootlegging,etc. An actor, while it may seem not worthy to make 3 to 20 million a picture at the moment, is worthy of that income. Why? The studios own the rights to the film, domestically and internationally. A studio can recoup it’s loses via DVD sales, international distribution, and tie-ins. An actor makes his bucks for his role upon signing his/her contract. If he or she is smart, they will find a way to become a producer (extra $$$), have a part in international rights(more $$$), and points (net income).
The industry isn’t simple anymore. Actors can be treated as simpletons if they aren’t wise to the game. In other words, [color=darkred]hate the game, not the players. [/color]
I found another copy of the article, which I misremembered somewhat: On paper, stars don’t make financial sense.
[quote]Eliashberg is part of a growing cadre of academics studying how movies are made, financed and distributed. Most are finding that the studio’s assumption that big stars will lift a movie’s bottom line is wrong.
“There is no statistical correlation between stars and success,” said S. Abraham Ravid, a professor of economics and finance at Rutgers University in New Jersey, who in a 1999 study of almost 200 films released between 1991 and 1993 found that employing a star had virtually no discernible impact on the box office.[/quote]
The article provides contrary opinions as well.