This is topic Travolta K.O.ing Career with Salary Demands in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 03-03-2003, 11:38 AM:
 
In an acticle on todays's Imdb about John Travolta's Salary Demands. He is estranging himself again. He wants a paycheck
of $23 million dollars plus $4 million dollars in expenses.
For a project called "The Outlaw". Yes, a western set in
1899 Wyoming. None of the studio's want the project.
Maybe he will come down on the deal if the studio. Builds
him a ranch with a air field that can handle a his private
707 jetliner.

http://us.imdb.com/PeopleNews/#2

What was is last hit/good [Eek!] movie. Remember do not use Hollywood Math.
 
Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-03-2003, 01:49 PM:
 
If we can get a woman who looks like Jane Russel as she did in the 1943 Howard Huges film of "THE OUTLAW" and now that we no longer have the Haye's office restrictions regarding what can and cannot be shown on the screen that was in effect at the time, I will be first in line to buy a ticket. [Smile]

Regarding the Twenty three million fee plus four million in expenses Travolta is asking, he must be dreaming! In my opinion, he has never been worth that much to begin with. Dont get me wrong, I like him and many of his films but his time has passed. On top of that, the man has never won a Academy Award and as far as I know, has never been nominated for any of his performaces.

-Claude
 
Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-03-2003, 02:08 PM:
 
He was nominated for his performance in Saturday Night Fever. He may have been nominated for his roll in Pulp Fiction but I don't have my book with me to confirm it.
 
Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-03-2003, 02:21 PM:
 
Darryl, yes you are right. I forgot about those two films. Among his movies, "SATURDAY NIGHT FEAVER" is my favorite. I also liked "GREASE" and "URBAN COWBOY" but unlike many, I never cared for "PULP FICTION" because I was not much into Quentin Tarantino's films.

-Claude
 
Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 03-03-2003, 02:44 PM:
 
Its been a few years since those films. "Pulp Fiction" was the
last one I liked, but thats been a few years also for that one.

He's going the way Sly and Arnold did for those big salary
paycheck stars. At least Bruce is making a few smaller salaried
pictures. Just wait for "Die Hard IV" [Wink]
 
Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 03-03-2003, 03:58 PM:
 
I disagree, Travolta is worth that much, when you compare the salaries of professional sport players to Hollywood actors, the sports players contracts are more out rageous than the actors. The players get paid out enormous salaries 47 million for 5 yeas or 100 million for 10 years. [Eek!] Crazy! As the typical Hollywood actor gets what 5 million to 20 million a picture. These figures are just guesses so I'm sure I'm off, but you see my point.

The average salary for the NBA is what 1 million. Just to sit on the bench. I have no problem when an actor asks for 20 million a picture when it grosses 300 million. I'm not saying Travolta's picture will gross that much, but look at Spiderman, Star Wars or Titanic. Those movies put there asking prices into perspective.
 
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-03-2003, 05:51 PM:
 
The problem is John Travolta has never been in a movie that made the grosses of "Titanic" or "Spiderman." And in the case of those films, star talent was NOT the thing driving the box office grosses. Sheer spectacle was it in the case of "Titanic". Audiences starving for anything remotely watchable was the reason for the unlikely and largely undeserved gross for "Spiderman."

Also, to shoot some holes in the professional athlete analogy, those athletes are getting paid for continued top performance. Many of those lucrative contracts also have stipulations that take away much of that cash if the athlete totally tanks it on a season. If team owners want to pay outrageous sums of money to an athlete, that is their prerogative. They still have balance sheets to make. If they don't get enough ticket sales, TV money and other team-wide endorsement deals, they won't be able to pay such inflated salaries.

Professional athletes also do not have the shelf life of the average male A-list superstar actor. Outside of golf, I highly doubt you would find any pro athletes that were playing when "Saturday Night Fever" was released still making a lot of money playing their sport today.

I do not believe movies are anywhere near as star-driven as they used to be. Visual spectacle and viseral rollercoaster rides do more to get movie fans into theater seats than the face of some actor or actress.

Anyway, if no studio is willing to bankroll Travolta's star vehicle project, he'll have to get more realistic about his standing.
 
Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-03-2003, 06:39 PM:
 
it's good that a film can be driven to make money with out star power in them. It is bad to have a movie with star power not make any money. One thing you have to remember in some cases is that they may ask for 20 million but only see five of it personally. That's because they pay taxes on it, they pay their personal assistants and agents with it and who knows what else.
 
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-03-2003, 06:51 PM:
 
Thankfully I can't remember the name of that film he did a while back that was so incredibly bad. (that futuristic space junk) I would have thought it would have given him a little humility.
NO NO don't remind me of the title [puke]
 
Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-03-2003, 06:56 PM:
 
well, your gonna love this. He is still planning to make a sequal to that piece of [bs]
 
Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 03-03-2003, 07:01 PM:
 
What was Travolta's last good movie anyway? I know that there are those who liked SwordFish (I haven't seen it), but I cannot think of the last Travolta movie that I liked since Face/Off (unless you count Goldmember [Smile] ) I think that he needs another comeback.

Maybe thats why he needs his 24 million, to make the sequal.
 
Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-03-2003, 07:25 PM:
 
Claude, you took the words right out of my mouth (about Jane Russell -- rrowwwl.. rrowwl!)
 
Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 03-03-2003, 08:49 PM:
 
These are some of his feature films from the last 10 years.

The Travolta films I like are
 




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