Chapter 83: Depp's Salary

In the face of these two choices, Pirates of the Caribbean, with its bloodthirsty allure, snatched a portion of The Lion King's future box office, securing a crucial indicator for its own success.

Upon learning of the overwhelming popularity of Pirates of the Caribbean, Kevin and Hayek had no choice but to abandon their plan to watch the movie themselves.

Even they could only purchase tickets for the evening show. Kevin didn't have the patience to wait all day just to watch a movie. As the director, he had the entire plot of Pirates of the Caribbean in his mind.

For a director to watch their own film is actually the least interesting thing to do.

To make up for not being able to accompany Hayek to watch the movie, Kevin had to play the role of an ATM, treating Hayek to a crazy shopping spree.

That was his way of compensating for not being able to watch the film with her.

Of course, during the day, Kevin acted as an ATM, but at night, he transformed into a human sower, tending to Hayek attentively.

As he touched Hayek's skin, Kevin couldn't help but feel a sense of fondness. Being of Mexican descent, perhaps due to dietary habits, Hayek's skin was not as rough as that of the average American Caucasian woman.

Compared to Julie and Mila Jovovich, her skin appeared smoother and more delicate.

The two lay on the bed, with Hayek lying on Kevin's chest, a satisfied expression on her face. After resting for a while, she asked, "Kevin, does Elizabeth only have three parts?"

Kevin had already told her that in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Elizabeth, as the female character with the most screen time, only appeared in three movies. After that, a completely new story would unfold.

Seeing how popular Pirates of the Caribbean was, Hayek couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Lying on the bed, caressing Hayek's back, Kevin casually said, "Pirates of the Caribbean is destined to be Captain Jack Sparrow's show. Although you are technically the female lead, your character's importance in the movie is not significant."

"Even if you had more screen time in this movie, it wouldn't make much of a difference. What you need is a leading role in a major production that truly embodies gender equality."

Kevin's words immediately plunged Hayek into deep thought.

He was right.

In today's Hollywood, the status of female actors is far from that of male actors.

Not to mention the fact that there are many more male actors than female actors who break the $10 million salary mark.

Pirates of the Caribbean didn't do much to elevate her status in Hollywood. From her previous $3 million salary, it increased by only $2-3 million.

She could try demanding an $8 million salary for her next film. Of course, the actual negotiations would determine whether she could achieve that amount.

As for Captain Jack Sparrow...

Hayek couldn't help but feel jealous.

Kevin had signed a contract with Johnny Depp, starting with a $10 million salary for the first film, $15 million for the second, and $20 million for the third. For the subsequent Pirates of the Caribbean films, Depp's contract stipulated a $5 million increase for each installment.

This was practically hand-holding Johnny Depp to become a Hollywood superstar.

It should be noted that in Hollywood, the difference between a star and a megastar lies in this $20 million salary.

If you receive a $20 million salary, you are recognized as a Hollywood megastar. Without it, no matter how much the company promotes you or how devoted your fans are, you won't gain recognition in Hollywood.

Kevin naturally didn't know that the Hayek in his embrace was currently envious of Johnny Depp's salary.

The reason he offered such a high price was to use the contract to bind Johnny Depp in a fair and reasonable manner.

Although the film company was an absolute upper power in Hollywood, sometimes they had to compromise when facing these mega-stars.

With this significant salary increase, Kevin successfully secured a fixed salary contract with Depp, which was already a huge advantage.

Although the first three films might not have been advantageous for Kevin personally, once the trilogy was released and the influence of Pirates of the Caribbean spread worldwide, Kevin would have gained a tremendous advantage.

It should be noted that in the original trajectory, Depp's salary skyrocketed from the fourth film onward.

For example, in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Depp received a $55 million salary, and even then, it was unanimously believed by Disney executives that he had gotten a great deal.

Compared to the $20 million salary for the third installment, it tripled in a surge.

For the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film, Johnny Depp actually demanded a salary of $90 million, which shows how extravagant it became.

This was also the reason why Disney had to replace Johnny Depp; the cost was simply too high.

If the film made money, most of the revenue would go to Depp.

But if it incurred losses, the investors would suffer greatly.

Due to these considerations, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 had been delayed. The investors were undecided, and at that time, Depp was unwilling to reduce his salary, along with the scandal that emerged, making the investors even more hesitant.

By restraining Depp's salary growth through Kevin's contractual obligations, it became the greatest benefit for Pirates of the Caribbean.

In this way, Kevin could fully produce sequels 5, 6, 7... 9 without being hindered by Depp's salary.

As for not allowing Depp's salary to rise so high, Kevin could only say that he was still too young.

An actor's value can be evaluated using various data. If Kevin had gone too far, the actor's union wouldn't take it lightly.

However, before Pirates of the Caribbean became a major hit, with such a superior contract, Kevin directly signed a contract with Johnny Depp, and no one could refuse this contract.

If Depp breached the contract, the consequences would be even more severe, in addition to financial penalties.

No major productions would want to work with him anymore. Everyone would know that once a film becomes a huge success, he would make outrageous demands, ultimately ruining his own career in Hollywood.

In any case, Kevin was very cautious about these contracts.

Of course, Mission: Impossible was an exception. He intentionally did it to trick Paramount Pictures.

If he were to make further Mission Impossible films, and Paramount wanted to invite Tom Cruise to act in them, they would not expect to offer him a smaller portion of the box office proceeds, in addition to his excessive salary.

According to the treatment of a megastar, it could range from 10% to 20%.

These earnings would be enough to compress Paramount's profits to a very tight situation.

Thinking about this, Kevin couldn't help but laugh.

His laughter made Hayek in his embrace move unknowingly, causing Kevin to couldn't resist flipping over and pressing Hayek beneath him...