Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom Salary Will Look Small When You Learn How Much Did George Lucas Pay an Oscar Winner For Star Wars (2024)

Featured Video

SUMMARY

• Alec Guinness earned an estimated $95 million from the Star Wars franchise, thanks to his 2.25% share of the backend grosses.
• Guinness' savvy negotiation doubled his initial salary and secured additional profits, making him one of the highest-paid actors in the franchise.
• In comparison, Robert Downey Jr.'s salary for his Doctor Doom role is reportedly over $100 million for two films but still falls short of Guinness' impressive Star Wars earnings.

Robert Downey Jr. is one of the biggest actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And since his success and recently earning his first Oscar, his worth has certainly increased manifold. Having made a fortune already through his Marvel career, the actor is expected to earn a high paycheck when he returns as Doctor Doom.

However, his salary is nothing compared to that of one Star Wars legend, who made a fortune with just a single movie appearance in the first film.

The Star Wars actor who struck gold with Star Wars: A New Hope

George Lucas‘ Star Wars has a long list of A-list actors, but none like the British actor Alec Guinness. A respected name and an Oscar winner, Guinness was already a cinematic legend when he was contacted by Lucas for a role in his space opera franchise.

However, the Lawrence of Arabia star was not very happy to star in the film and felt the script was boring and dialogues dull. Yet, having seen Lucas’ previous work, he agreed and was offered over $150,00 to play Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, he had the initial offer doubled and demanded a 2 percent of the backend grosses, which Lucas threw in another .25 to as a goodwill gesture after the shooting ended (via Parkinson Talk Show).

While he had his doubts about the film and its success, as we know very well, it all disappeared once the film hit the big screens. Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope ended up earning $775 million worldwide (a huge figure in 1977) against a budget of just $11 million (via Box Office Mojo).

The result was that he immediately ended up earning more than $7 million from the profits and an estimated $95 million by the time he passed away at the age of 86 in 2000. Despite just 20 minutes of screen time, the actor made a fortune with just a single appearance (via The Hollywood Reporter). Although his salary for The Empire Strikes Back is not known, we expect it might have been a similarly lucrative offer.

Robert Downey Jr.’s Doomsday salary is nothing compared to what Alec Guinness made with Star Wars

Robert Downey Jr. is and will always be one of the best actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Downey, the one who literally laid the foundation of the MCU with his epic portrayal of Iron Man/ Tony Stark, has racked up a fortune through his appearance in the many Marvel projects since its inception in 2008 (via CBR).

And now he is to return in a while as a new character in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Starring as the villainous Doctor Doom, Downey will reportedly earn a huge paycheck, thanks to his upfront salary to the backend grosses as well as bonuses. As Matthew Belloni of Puck News reports, he will earn more than $100 million for the two films. Moreover, Variety reveals that he will also be getting a few perks like private jet travel, security, a ‘trailer encampment; and more.

Reportedly the highest-paid actor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his salary for Doomsday is considerably less, in comparison to Alec Guinness’ Star Wars salary, since he is making $100 million for two movies. Yet, there is a chance that he might get even higher returns in profits and the many perks he is receiving alone makes the paycheck worth it.