news culture Avatar: The Story That Cost Matt Damon $250 Million
The world of Hollywood can definitely be ruthless. As Avatar: The Way of the Water continues to panic at the box office, an old story has just surfaced (it’s a case to say). Matt Damon, the person involved in this affair, would no doubt have wanted it forgotten forever, but the smashing success of James Cameron’s latest feature film has changed the situation. 250 million dollars, that will not be forgotten…
To understand all this history, a memory is necessary. More than ten years ago, Matt Damon was offered 10% of the film’s total earnings, in addition to starring as the Avatar. Back then, James Cameron wanted him to play Jake Sully, and he worked in that direction by putting a clause in the basket – a priori – that was impossible to refuse. Despite passing the casting for the film, he ultimately turned down James Cameron’s offer. The reason ? Damon was involved in the film The Revenge in the Skin and didn’t want to let the director and film crew down. In the end, Avatar grossed $3 billion worldwide and Matt Damon would have gotten $250 million had he accepted the role. Think about it, a quarter billion dollars! In retrospect he admits:
I lost more money today than any other actor. It sucks and it’s still kind of brutal to me, but my kids have enough to eat, I’m fine.
A career outside of Avatar
The Bourne saga allowed Matt Damon to make a name for himself on the international scene and the actor became one of the most popular in Hollywood. We’ve seen him in Le Mans 66, Alone on Mars, Will Hunting, Ocean’s Eleven, Invictus… For Australian actor Sam Worthington, Matt Damon’s cancellation was a blessing in turn. The latter saw his career explode, although history doesn’t say if there was a line anywhere in his contract dictating that he should receive 10% of the earnings.
For the James Cameron anecdote, the American director seems to have suggested a role for Damon for the Avatar sequels. For the icon. This time it’s not about the 10% sales…
