Keanu Reeves has reportedly beaten the likes of Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr to be named the actor who has made the most money from a single franchise in movie history.
Canadian actor Reeves, 58, played computer programmer Thomas A Anderson, AKA Neo, in all four of the Wachowski-directed sci-fi blockbusters — including 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections.
The Matrix earned $466.6 million (£387.6 million) worldwide during its theatrical run, from a relatively-modest $63 million (£52.3 million) budget.
Now, according to a “non-definitive list of actors who have received $30 million or more as compensation for their services in a single production” as reported by LadBible, Reeves has pocketed an impressive $156 million (£129.6 million) from the franchise.
Meanwhile, in joint second place were Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise and Will Smith, who all reportedly earned $100 million (£83 million) of income from their own movies.
The Standard has contacted Reeves’s representatives for comment.
The actor isn’t doing too badly on the franchise front elsewhere.
He recently reprised his role eponymous hero assassin John Wick in John Wick 4, which is released in UK cinemas from March 24.
Speaking to the PA news agency about the latest instalment at a gala screening in central London, Reeves said: “I think we wanted to be fresh and different, I don’t know if that was really our goal.
“I think we really wanted just to expand the John Wick universe, but really connect to John and the journey that he was on but also now opening it up to friendships.
“If anything, maybe the action is a little more sophisticated and complex, just in terms of all the moving parts that are now in some of the sequences.
“But our intention was just really to, as we’ve always done, is just do what we love and hopefully other people will like it too.”
He added that he had an “amazing time” filming the project but that he could not choose which was his favourite in the franchise as they are “all very special” to him.
