In the latest issue of Forbes’ magazine, a profile on director Michael Bay reveals some startling facts. They rely on a concrete acceptance of box office numbers, but otherwise the piece seems to vilify Mr. Bay before acknowledging that the man can buy you eighty times over with the money he makes between now and the time it will take you to finish this sentence. The piece starts off amusing, as you read stories of Bay making extras take time-outs in the corner, and berating his female talent for not being fit. And then… they break out the numbers.
After taking a straight-up fee for his first three pictures, Bay demanded back-end pay entirely dependent on studio profit for “Pearl Harbor.” This is frequently suicide, as most back-end deals (Tom Cruise’s is especially big) demand a lion’s share of the gross even if the film doesn’t reach a profit margin. While this means Bay doesn’t get paid if the film doesn’t reach a profit, it was still a comfy enough deal to net him $40 million for that movie, roundly considered one of the worst films ever made.
His “Transformers” experience was even more beneficial, as he took in $80 million from the first film, and is prepared to net even more on the sequel considering he kept budget costs down by essentially making feature-length commercials, agreeing to accept ad dollars from companies like General Motors. His relationship with the military is especially eye-opening, the article showcasing just how simpatico he is with the armed forces, to the point where one lieutenant colonel gives this memorable quote: “Fighting alien robots isn’t realistic, but if we did fight alien robots, this is the way we’d do it.”
To read more, including Michael Bay’s role in a major Oscar contender from last year, click here.