Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the first famous wrestler to have a successful career in Hollywood.
Others tried it before him, but The Rock went further and became one of the most profitable stars in Hollywood.
The salary he received for starring in Fast and Furious Hobbs & Shaw proves this as he earned more than Idris Elba and Jason Statham.
Hobbs & Shaw is a spinoff film from the Fast and Furious franchise, designed to expand on the characters of Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw.
Played by Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham respectively, they are both part of the Fast saga as villains turned allies.
On the other hand, Idris Elba plays Brixton Lore, a cybernetic villain who wants to dominate the world.
This cannot be invented.
Hobbs & Shaw was a box office success, grossing over $760 million on a budget of $200 million.
With that in mind, one could argue that whatever fee Johnson asked for was worth it.
Still, it’s hard to believe that he managed to come home with a salary that’s (almost) double that of Jason Statham.
Indeed, although the two actors are co-protagonists and share roughly the same screen time, Johnson was paid $20 million upfront, while Statham “only” received $13 million. .
Idris Elba, meanwhile, received $8 million.
It’s worth noting that Statham and Johnson were also credited as executive producers, meaning they also earned a percentage of the box office revenue.
What is certain is that the making of these films requires a lot of money.
The Fast saga is one of Hollywood’s most successful franchises and it’s still profitable, even though the budget seems to increase with each film.
Even the latest film, Fast X, managed to turn a profit despite a production cost of $340 million.
Ludacris, who plays Tej Parker on the show, spoke openly about the matter in a recent episode of the “All The Smoke” podcast.
“People ask us why we keep making these movies,” Ludacris said.
“That’s because no matter what industry we’re in, it’s about results.
“If you spend $200 million and you make a billion, who’s going to tell you to stop making movies?
He’s not wrong.