10 Things You Didn’t Know About Christopher Reeve’s Superman
4. Reeve Wasn't Paid Much, And Didnt Get Top Billing Until Film No. 3
Christopher Reeve may be the actor that everyone associates the most with the 1978-1987 Superman cinematic franchise, but that doesnt mean that he made the most money out of those movies. In fact, in the first place, he was paid peanuts in comparison to some of his co-stars.
Reeve was paid just $250,000 for filming both Superman: The Movie and Superman II. In contrast, for the first movie alone, Marlon Brando received $3.7 million to play Jor-El and Gene Hackman took $2 million for his Lex Luthor performance. This made Brando the highest-paid movie star ever, at the time, while Reeve played the title character for much less money.
This discrepancy was reflected in the opening credits of Superman: The Movie, in which Brando and Hackman both appeared higher than Reeve. It was only when the third film came out which didnt feature Brando or Hackman that Reeve took top billing.
The Superman actor didnt publicly complain about this, though, instead saying that I feel actually that Superman brought me many opportunities, rather than closing a door in my face. Brando, by comparison, sued the Salkinds for not paying him enough and eventually took $14 million from them for appearing in just ten minutes of the movie.