This story first appeared in the March 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
With Fifty Shades of Grey looking to top out at more than $550 million worldwide, it should come as no surprise that stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan will be seeking a big payday for a second outing in the red room of pain.
Sources say the pair received $250,000 each (plus tiered box-office
bonuses) to star in Universal's erotic hit based on the first of EL James'
trilogy of novels, and both signed three-picture deals. But like most
stars of franchise films, they will try to renegotiate for seven-figure
raises for Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. Neither Johnson, 25, nor Dornan, 32, received any backend compensation on the first film, according to sources.
Though the two leads probably are six months away from any renegotiations, insiders say they'll take a page from the Twilight stars and Jennifer Lawrence's Hunger Games deal as a jumping-off point (Lawrence landed a $10 million payday for Catching Fire — a significant bump from her $500,000 Hunger Games salary).
"It was a very basic franchise starter deal," says an insider of the terms of Johnson's and Dornan's contracts. "Look at Twilight and Hunger Games, and that's where it is heading."
