Keanu Reeves has reportedly earned more money from The Matrix films than any other actor in a single movie franchise.
The actor, 58, has played computer programmer Thomas A. Anderson aka Neo in all four of the Wachowski-directed sci-fi blockbusters, including the most recent offering The Matrix Resurrections.
And according to reports, following the success of the movies, Keanu has beat the likes of Mission Impossible’s Tom Cruise and The Avengers’ Robert Downey Jr. to be crowned the biggest earner among the movie franchise greats.
The Matrix earned $171.4 million domestic and $466.6 million worldwide during its theatrical run, from a relatively-modest $63 million budget.
And according to a ‘non-definitive list of actors who have received $30 million or more as compensation for their services in a single production’ as reported by LadBible, Keanu has bagged a whopping $156,000,000 from the franchise.
Copy link to paste in your message
Kerching: Keanu Reeves has reportedly earned more money from The Matrix films than any other actor in a single movie franchise
Copy link to paste in your message
Role: The actor, 58, has played computer programmer Thomas A. Anderson aka Neo in all four of the Wachowski-directed sci-fi blockbusters (pictured in 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded)
Meanwhile, in joint second place were Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise and Will Smith, who all reportedly earned $100,000,000 of income from their own movies.
MailOnline have contacted Keanu’s representatives for comment.
In 2021, a report from Variety, which broke down the ever-changing landscape of movie star salaries in the streaming era, said Reeves earned between $12 and $14 million as a base salary for The Matrix Resurrections.
That figure is just a few million more than the $10 million base salary Reeves earned for movie that started the franchise, 1999’s The Matrix.
The report added that Reeves would receive, ‘back-end payment’ on top of his base salary after The Matrix Resurrections finished its theatrical run.
While it was unclear at the time how much the actor stood to make, a 2006 ABC story revealed that Reeves earned an additional $25 million from back-end deals from the first movie.
The film bagged a whopping $467.2 million at the box office, cementing it as one of the most successful sci-fi films ever.
The movie’s success lead to two more sequels being filmed back to back by the Wachowski siblings (then Larry and Andy, now Lana and Lilly) to film two sequels simultaneously, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
Copy link to paste in your message
Success: Keanu has beat the likes of Mission Impossible’s Tom Cruise (pictured) and The Avengers’ Robert Downey Jr. to be crowned the biggest earner among the movie franchise greats
Copy link to paste in your message
Big earner: The Matrix earned $171.4 million domestic and $466.6 million worldwide during its theatrical run, from a relatively-modest $63 million budget (The Matrix, 1999)
While Reeves’ salary for Reloaded and Revolutions was not revealed, Celebrity Net Worth claimed he earned over $120 million in bonuses from both sequels.
And judging my the latest reports, the money kept on rolling in for the Hollywood star.
While Keanu earned a tidy sum from his role in the hit movies, the generous actor also gave quite a lot of money away to good causes throughout his career.
Reeves reportedly agreed to reduce his salaries on The Devil’s Advocate and The Replacements by millions of dollars so they could afford other co-stars.
The ABC report revealed Reeves agreed to shave off ‘a few million’ of his paycheck on The Devil’s Advocate so they could secure Al Pacino, and that he did the same so The Replacements could afford Gene Hackman.
He also gave back to some unsung heroes of the first Matrix movie, signing over his profit-sharing points to the special effects and costume design teams.
‘He felt that they were the ones who made the movie and that they should participate,’ an unnamed studio executive said of Reeves’ altruistic decision.
Copy link to paste in your message
Nice guy: While Keanu earned a tidy sum from his role in the hit movies, the generous actor also gave quite a lot of money away to good causes throughout his career
It comes after Keanu revealed the touching reason why he keeps returning to star in the John Wick films 10 years on from his debut as the titular character.
The stars were out in force for the John Wick: Chapter 4 premiere in London on Monday night where the actor chatted about the film.
He said of why he still plays the role: ‘I like his humour, I like his will, I like his grief and it’s really fun to play him in these films, these films are fun.’
Suggesting that the character of John tested his limits, Keanu added to Metro: ‘I try really hard, but with John, you have to try just a little bit harder.’
