This Marvel Movie Paid Robert Downey Jr. $1.25M per Minute of His Screen Time!

Robert Downey Jr. has surely had a lot of ups and downs in his decades-long Hollywood career, but after his breakthrough performance in Iron Man, the actor ascended to international stardom in a matter of days. This movie started the MCU as we know it today, and Downey Jr. was the flagship of the new era of superhero movies.

Apart from his role in the MCU’s success, the Iron Man actor has also always been universally loved by the fans, so it was only natural that he quickly became Marvel’s highest-earning star. Most people don’t realize just how much Downey Jr. is earning, though, but this story should give you a rough idea of what his time is worth.

In 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tony Stark doesn’t exactly play a huge role. Sure, he’s Peter Parker’s mentor and friend, but the main focus is never on him: Iron Man’s presence is felt throughout the movie and not seen. In the entirety of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Robert Downey Jr. has just eight minutes of screen time.

Eight minutes, keep that in mind. How much do you think he was paid for this cameo?

Lo and behold: these eight minutes of Downey Jr.’s time cost Marvel $10M. If we do the math, one minute of the actor’s screen time in Spider-Man: Homecoming cost $1.25M.

We’re pretty sure that this is the most any actor has ever been paid for a minute of their screen time, and honestly, we’re not surprised to learn that it was Robert Downey Jr. to set this mind-blowing record. The MCU would’ve never been the same without the man, after all… It’s still bizarre, regardless, though.

And apart from that, many Marvel fans were shocked to learn that Downey Jr. only had eight minutes of screen time in the movie at all. His presence was so powerful that most people were convinced he was there the entire movie; but if we had to guess, this is partially the reason he’s paid so much. He’s everywhere, all at once.

Even if he only has eight minutes.

Source: Film Facts via X (formerly Twitter)