James McAvoy says Split is only film consistently paying residuals

Actor James McAvoy revealed on the Oct. 15 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast that M. Night Shyamalan’s 2016 thriller Split remains the only film in his career that consistently generates reliable residual payments.

McAvoy Receives Trivial Residual Checks

During his appearance with host Josh Horowitz, McAvoy discussed the unpredictable nature of actor compensation across his three-decade career. He noted that while he has starred in major releases, most residual checks amount to trivial sums. “You get the odd check for, you know, a couple 100 quid here or sometimes you get checks for, like, 25 cents and you’re like, ‘It literally costs more to post this than it did for me to cash it,'” McAvoy said. When Horowitz suggested he must receive substantial ongoing income from the 2008 action movie Wanted, McAvoy clarified that the project yields minimal ongoing revenue. McAvoy jokingly agreed with the host about his “sweet ‘Wanted’ money,” stating, “I don’t get too much money from ‘Wanted.'” The Golden Globe nominee also noted that actors’ contracts can include back-end deals, but he “very rarely” saw anything like that from his other projects.

Box Office Profitability and the Success of Split

In contrast to his other projects, Split delivered immediate financial returns due to its low production budget. McAvoy explained that the thriller was made for approximately $6 million, with an estimated $30 million spent on advertising. Because the film grossed $40 million domestically in its opening weekend, it entered profit immediately. “Our first residual check came at the end of the first weekend. It was bonkers,” McAvoy stated.

Box-office tracker The Numbers records the film’s production budget at $9 million and a $40 million domestic opening following its Jan. 20, 2017 release. The movie held the number-one spot at the box office for three consecutive weekends and accumulated a worldwide gross of more than $278 million, combining $138.29 million domestically and $140.16 million internationally.

McAvoy Notes Lack of Awards for Horror Performances

During the sit-down, Horowitz recalled that there was “real talk” at the time about McAvoy’s performance being “recognized” during awards season. McAvoy discussed not being nominated for any major awards for the film, addressing a broader lack of representation for horror and scary movie performances. Acknowledging that the projects recognized are “generally really good,” McAvoy said he believes there are “20, 40 [or] 50 equally or better out there” that just aren’t “part of the club.” He added, “Some horror performances or scary movie performances are kind of breaking through now, but even then it’s not that many,” stating that for the amount of good work done in that field, he still does not see enough representation and feels that way about all awards shows of every genre.

Directorial Influence and Current Projects

Beyond financial terms, McAvoy praised M. Discussing his future behind the camera, McAvoy joked that acting pays more, noting, “I don’t get paid two bucks 50 for being a director, so like I’ll probably need to act.”

Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.