10 Co-Stars Paid Vastly Different Salaries For The Same Film
5. Jack Nicholson & Michael Keaton - Batman
On paper, there's nothing remotely unexpected about the slight pay gap between Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson on Tim Burton's 1989 Batman.
Keaton, a controversial casting choice at the time and better known for his comedy roles, netted $5 million to play the Caped Crusader, while the considerably bigger star Nicholson edged him out with $6 million.
Except, Nicholson was playing an incredibly shrewd game here, as he willingly took a pay cut from his usual fee of $10 million in exchange for profit participation on the film's box office and Joker merchandise sales.
It's since been estimated that, per Batman's box office and merch success, Nicholson made as much as $90 million from the movie - an astronomical leap from what Keaton got.
Then again, one can argue that the Joker is the real attraction of the movie - no shade to Keaton - and Nicholson's casting and performance certainly helped get a ton of butts in seats.