Anyone who appears in a film will also receive money later if further sales are generated through television repeats or new home cinema releases. However, it is rarely known what sums are involved.
Before “Titanic” became one of the most famous films in history and an important part of global pop culture, there were initially doubts about what exactly James Cameron was doing. Although he had already celebrated huge successes with “Aliens” and the first two “Terminator” films, But the budget, which had ballooned to a then-unheard-of $200 million, fueled expectations that “Titanic” could end up as a mega-flop.
But it’s a pity: instead of becoming a flop, the romantic catastrophe drama became a success the most successful film of all time up to that pointwhose global box office grosses exceeded anything ever seen before. In the end, more than two billion dollars were raised – that was twice (!) what the most successful film to date, “Jurassic Park,” had grossed!
Although the undeniable stars of the film are of course Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the unforgettable roles of Jack and Rose, “Titanic” had a huge ensemble of actors and thousands of extras. Some of them, including Billy Zane, Bill Paxton and Kathy Bates, are of course still known today. But there are also a number of supporting roles that we couldn’t get out of our minds – like Cora, the sweet girl who danced with Leonardo DiCaprio at the third-class party and for whom a tragic end awaits.
Another character who is hardly important to the plot, but who still left a lasting impression, was by the actor Reece Thompson embodied, who was only five years old at the time. He appears in a total of three scenes in “Titanic” and even says a sentence. In the end, the child and his family, who were traveling with him in third class, die when the “Titanic” sinks after colliding with an iceberg. But the actor, who subsequently only played smaller roles but remained connected to the industry, continues to earn money from this single line of dialogue.
Stream “Titanic” now on Disney+*
A little movie star
At the time of Titanic, Thompson might have been able to make a lot more money for less work in a commercial. But both he and his mother opted for his small role in the big film. This decision was not only worth it because it is of course great to have appeared in what has been the most successful film in history for years – in retrospect, it also absolutely paid off financially.
Because Even 27 years later, “Titanic” Thompson still makes money every year. After receiving wages for his hours worked on the film, the actor received an additional payment of around $30,000 due to the film’s huge success. According to him, his family owes a considerable sum Business Insider invested mainly in his training in 2018.
All that money for a single sentence
In the following years, however, there were further annual residual payments, each of which was worth a few thousand dollars, with the peaks occurring in the years when there were new developments in the home theater market, such as the first release on DVD or Blu-ray. The events associated with the 20th anniversary also brought additional income.
In the long term, however, the checks became smaller and smaller, and apart from the recent 25th anniversary events, annual amounts have ranged from $100 to $250. A sum that, according to statements in the interview, Thompson is not eagerly awaiting, but it is still good news for him when he receives the check.
By the way, he owes all this money to just his single line of dialogue – because pure background extras who don’t say a line don’t receive any such payments for their participation in films…
If you want to know which “Titanic” character actually exists and the incredible way in which he survived the accident, then read the following article:
I didn’t know for 25 years that this “Titanic” character really existed: the story of her survival is absolutely incredible
This is an updated republication of an article that previously appeared on FILMSTARTS. A similar post previously appeared on our Spanish sister site Sensacine.com.
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