The Cost of an Oscar

Many people assume that actors make millions of dollars per movie or television show, and some do, but not always. Even famous actors like Jonah Hill, Chris Evans, and George Clooney don't always make millions for appearing on screen.
Chris Evans made $300,000 for the first Captain America movie, which seems like a lot until you compare it to the $500,000 Robert Downey Jr. received for his role in the first Iron Man movie. Maybe you are still thinking, thats not too much of a difference, but when you look at the salaries for the Avengers, Chris Evans made $2 million while Robert Downey Jr. made $50 million. Now see the difference. Some times even well known famous actors don't get paid as much and one reason for that can be seen by productivity. Actors get paid extremely large salaries because of all the money the movie or tv show will earn. Because not only does productivity increase with a well known actor, it can also increase with toys, apparel, and other products made for the movie. If a movie does well other products will be made, like all the action figures of star wars characters. Many actors get paid extremely large salaries in the hope that it will attract more viewers that are a fan of that actor.
Productivity can also affect the salary of the actors. Look at the jump in Chris Evans' and Robert Downey Jr.'s salary from their first movie in that role to the next. Because the last movie made so much money, the actors got a higher salary the next. Now not all famous actors get paid extremely well as can be seen here. Some actors even turn down major films to work on smaller ones that they would rather do, and usually end up with an Oscar nomination, such as: George Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck and Jonah Hill in Wolf on Wall Street. Jonah Hill made $60,000 and Clooney made $120,000 for writing, directing, and starring in the movie. 
Now not all actors are willing to accept small salaries such as RDJ, Sandra Bullock, and Leonardo DiCaprio who are well know for being well paid as seen here. Now don't think I'm hating on them for making a lot of money because I'm not I love RDJ he's my favorite. Some companies are just willing to pay extremely large salaries because they know the revenue that these big name actors and actresses are going to bring in.

The effect that productivity has on an increase in an actor's salary can be obviously seen in the extremely famous sitcom - Friends. The salary of Friend's actor Jennifer Aniston can be seen here. The cast started off being paid $20,000 dollars for all of season 1. By the last season, the six friends made $1,250,000 per episode! This is because of all the revenue that the actors brought in. Friends received many Golden Globe nominations and even a win, along with many Primetime Emmy nominations and wins. Even today Friends is still a widely known and loved show.