Jamie Lee Curtis owes her rise to stardom to the Halloween movie franchise, which propelled her career with its first movie in 1978. Curtis is the youngest daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Although her mother’s famed performances in horror movies possibly influenced her casting in Halloween, the Knives Out actress did not have a privileged entry into films.
According to reports, Jamie Lee Curtis was paid a surprisingly low salary for her debut performance. Her role as Laurie Strode only earned her $8000 for a movie that grossed $70 million at the box office.
Was Jamie Lee Curtis’s Salary For Her Debut Movie Fair?
Although Halloween was Jamie Lee Curtis’s first movie, the meager salary was hardly fair to the Freaky Friday actress, given the movie’s success. The fact that she was the daughter of two legendary actors made Curtis a valuable addition to the movie. However, it is also worth noting that Halloween began as an indie film but turned into a super successful franchise.
While the salary might seem unjust for Halloween as a standalone movie, Curtis went on to star in multiple sequels of the movie spanning over decades and made a fortune from the franchise. Curtis has made more than $20 million from the franchise which is a considerable portion of her $60 million net worth.
How Much Did Jamie Lee Curtis Make From The Halloween Movies?
After her disappointing salary in the first outing, Jamie Lee Curtis was paid $100,000 for the second installment. The You Again actress’s star power also increased bolstering her ability to pull audiences to the theatre. She began appearing in big-budget productions following the Halloween movies. For the 1998 movie in the franchise, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Curtis’s paycheck was a whopping $5 million.
For the more recent installments starting from Halloween 2018, the Everything Everywhere All at Once actress negotiated deals with the producers to get a share of the profits. Interestingly, Halloween 2018 was a huge success gaining $255 million from the box office and Curtis’s deal would have earned her anywhere near $5 to $10 million for the movie. Such deals made it difficult to get an exact number of what Curtis made from these movies.
Jamie Lee Curtis Was Even Cast In The First $100M Budget Movie In Hollywood
Jamie Lee Curtis was cast opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action comedy film, True Lies. The movie marked Hollywood’s first production to cross $100 million in budget. True Lies was a blockbuster at the box office raking in over $378 million worldwide. Schwarzenegger played a spy leading a double life, while Curtis played his wife, Helen Tasker, who was having a midlife crisis and wanted some adventure in her life.
The Fierce Creatures actress won a Golden Globe for her performance in the film. Though Curtis’s salary for the movie is unknown, the big-budget movie in 1984 could have earned her somewhere near $5 million. The film was helmed by director James Cameron under his production company Lightstorm Entertainment.
For those interested, all Halloween movies are available for rent on AppleTV, while True Lies is now available for streaming on Paramount Plus.
Source: The Things
