The hit film “Wonder Woman” won high praise from critics and audiences alike upon its release in 2017. The blockbuster became the second-ranked superhero film of all time in terms of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and it raked in $821.9 million at box offices worldwide, making it the tenth-most profitable release of the year. The film was also largely applauded for its strong female main character.
The success of “Wonder Woman” propelled the career of lead actress Gal Gadot into the stratosphere, along with that of director Patty Jenkins. Now, according to Glamour, Jenkins is set to make more than three-times what she made directing “Wonder Woman” for her writing and directing roles on the as-yet-unnamed sequel to the film, which is due to be released in 2019.
According to MovieWeb.com, “Jenkins took it upon herself to negotiate a deal on par with what other directors, namely top-notch male directors, can command in Hollywood. To say the least, she was successful as she is reportedly set to make $9 million for her work on the sequel.”
The salary will make her the highest-paid female director ever. Even so, the seemingly massive paycheck is still $241 million less than what Steven Speilberg made for the 1993 smash hit “Jurassic Park”.
Still, the salary Jenkins negotiated is being heralded as a big step forward for women in Hollywood, where the #timesup movement – along with recent gender pay equity scandals – has recently focused attention on the pay inequity common in the entertainment industry.
(Hollywood aside, nationally, the average woman makes only 78 cents for every dollar earned by the average man. Read more about the gender pay gap in PayScale’s report, The State of The Gender Pay Gap in 2018.)
Jenkins was apparently very aware of her opportunity to advance pay equity while negotiating her contract for “Wonder Woman 2”.
“I’ve never been more aware of a duty than I was in this deal,” she said, as quoted by Glamour.
“I was extremely aware that I had to make sure I was being paid what the male equivalent would be. Women who have not been in a system that allows them to build up the same level of pay as men are not able to be paid the same as men forever if that’s the way it continues. You have to ask for it to happen, and you have to ask when you’re the appropriate person.”
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
What do you think about Patty Jenkins’ salary negotiation? We want to hear about it! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
Leave a Reply