Even with the film’s phenomenal $765 million box office success, Robert Pattinson’s pay was at the bottom of the Batman wage league.

Owing to his roles in critically acclaimed films like The Lighthouse and Good Time, Robert Pattinson is one of the most sought-after actors of the modern era. But this wasn’t enough for him to secure an adequate salary for donning the cape and cowl. The actor reportedly received only $3 million for his role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

Batman, one of the most adored superheroes in DC Comics, provides actors with an excellent bargaining tool. Several actors have worn the cowl and cape over the years, each adding their own touch to the role. Christian Bale and Michael Keaton, two former Batman actors, were well aware of this and have used their well-established reputations to negotiate high salaries.

In contrast, Pattinson, whose main source of fame stemmed from his role in the Twilight series, didn’t boast the same superhero clout. Thus, his relatively little experience in the superhero world may have had an impact on his pay. Moreover, his ‘low’ salary may also have been influenced by The Batman’s relatively low budget.

Robert Pattinson in The Batman

Was Robert Pattinson’s Batman the Lowest Paid?

It is possible that some people thought an actor who plays a superhero would have made more money, but the reality is that not everyone becomes Robert Downey Jr. According to Variety reports, Robert Pattinson earned $3 million for his role as The Batman’s title character.

Looking at some other superhero salaries makes it clear that the first time wearing the superhero suit, the actors usually get paid the least. As per LADbible, Chris Hemsworth received a mere $150,000 for his initial role as Marvel’s Thor. And according to Style Caster, Gal Gadot received a meager $300,000 for Wonder Woman.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight

Obviously, playing Batman on the big screen would be incredibly lucrative because he is one of the most well-known superheroes in history. When it comes to the Batman actors’ salaries, Pattinson’s salary for portraying the Caped Crusader is ranked pretty low.

Following Lewis Wilson in 1943 and going all the way up to George Clooney, Adam West, Michael Keaton, and Val Kilmer, Pattinson is just the most recent in a long and illustrious line of actors to portray Bruce Wayne and Batman on screen. Naturally, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck are also well-known actors who have portrayed Batman in 21st-century films: The Dark Knight trilogy and DC’s Justice League franchise, respectively.

The Batman roles portrayed by Bale, Affleck, and Pattinson were distinct from one another, as was their pay. As per ScreenRant, Bale received $54 million for the entire The Dark Knight series, which translates to roughly $18 million per movie. Michael Keaton received $10 million for Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), while George Clooney earned nearly $18 million for his role as Batman in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.

Christian Bale as Batman

The Batman: Why Did Robert Pattinson Receive Only $3 Million?

Robert Pattinson’s lower pay for The Batman can be chalked down to a variety of reasons. First, the budget of The Batman was considerably low, when we looked at its contemporary DC films. It was made on an approximate budget of $185–200 million, which is quite modest compared to MCU as well as DCEU films of the time. Moreover, the $765 million film was not set in the then-DCEU timeline, and looking at the franchise’s performance in the past, the studio might’ve not been too confident in Pattinson’s portrayal.

The lower salary can also be traced back to Pattinson almost vanishing from Hollywood after his Twilight stint. His role as Edward Cullen brought him fame but also got him typecast, which took him years to get rid of. That placed him outside of the list of A-list celebrities, which would have made his expected salary higher.

Robert Pattinson as Batman

The Batman might have been one of the biggest success stories in recent times. However, that didn’t mean the biggest paycheck for the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire actor.

Stream The Batman on Max.