10 Famous Films That Failed To Turn A Profit Thanks To Hollywood Accounting

As one of the longest running and most profitable film franchises of all time, you’d think Star Wars was a guaranteed moneymaker for its stars. Not so according to David Prowse, the man behind (but not the voice behind) Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, who says he’s yet to see a dime in residuals for his work on Return of the Jedi.

From its original release in 1983 to its 1997 re-release, Return of the Jedi is estimated to have made anywhere between $475 million and $572 million worldwide against a production budget of around $32.5 million, so you’d assume the film would be firmly in the black.

Apparently a victim of the old net profit scam, Prowse says he’s sent the occasional letter from Lucasfilm reminding him the movie’s never gone into profit therefore he won’t be seeing a nice little wad of cash winging its way to him anytime soon. Which is a bit of a polite slap in the face.