The action genre struck gold with the John Wick franchise. It finds its place in one of the very few franchises that get better with each installment. Aging like fine wine, Keanu Reeves’ John Wick has found a place in the hearts of every action fanatic who fell head over heels for the puppy-loving hitman.
Keanu Reeves as John Wick
Since Keanu Reeves is four movies deep into the world of John Wick (and more incoming), it is interesting to think about just how hefty of a paycheck the actor took home with every installment. While he made a lot more for John Wick: Chapter 4 than the previous 3 installments, you might be shocked to learn how much he made per word. Hint: It is almost twice more than what Arnold Schwarzenegger made for Terminator 2.
How Much Did Keanu Reeves Make for John Wick 4 Per Word?
Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Keanu Reeves’ John Wick is certainly not a man of many words. He is the literal embodiment of ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words.’ Therefore, anyone who has seen the films is familiar with the fact that Reeves does not have much dialogue in the movies. In fact, for John Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves spoke only 380 words in the almost three-hour-long film, as calculated by The Wall Street Journal.
However, do not be fooled by the number of words Reeves uttered in the film. John Wick 4 helped the actor take home a hefty, hefty paycheck of $15 million. In other words, Reeves made $15 million for a role with 380 words worth of dialogue. After doing a little math, this means that the Constantine actor made about $40,000 per word. Well, $39,473 to be exact.
Taking a look at the earnings of the film, so far John Wick 4 has made $428 million at the international box office, with a bit more to come. The film is even yet to be released in Japan.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Made Less than Keanu Reeves Per Word
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2
Arnold Schwarzenegger went ahead and got himself the nickname, The Governator, thanks to his run as the Governor of California and his time on the Terminator franchise.
Schwarzenegger’s Terminator (1984) flaunts a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, therefore, fans were super excited for the film’s sequel. Terminator 2: Judgement Day, performed incredibly at the box office and received a ton of praise from fans and critics. This leads us to the question of how much Schwarzenegger was paid for the movie.
Just like Reeves, the True Lies actor reportedly made $15 million for Terminator 2 despite having only 700 words in the film. This means that Schwarzenegger made almost $21,430 per word. Comparing it to Reeves’ $39,473, Reeves clearly made almost double of what Schwarzenegger made for each word.
And now that Lionsgate Films has officially confirmed a fifth John Wick movie, we wonder how much Reeves will be making this time around!
John Wick: Chapter 4 is currently in theatres.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
