Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals huge Batman & Robin fee for movie flop

You'd be forgiven for not remembering the start-studded Batman & Robin film from back in the 90s, given that it was possibly one of the biggest flops in the DC universe, despite its overwhelming cast choices.

Starring the likes of George Clooney as Batman, Chris O'Donnell as Robin, and Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy on the anti-hero side of things, the villains were also backed with quite a buffed Hollywood stalwart in Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was hot off the back of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. 

Having netted a mere $238 million at Box Office and going down in history as one of the worst films of all time - even killing off future Batman films such as Batman Unchained - the all-bicep Mr Freeze actor has now revealed that he earned a colossal fee from the film, making him the "highest-paid entertainer in the history of Hollywood".

Arnold Schwarzenneger reveals colossal Batman & Robin fee for Mr Freeze cameo

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Covered head to toe in silver-blue paint to mimic an ice-capped appearance, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr Freeze fee has now been revealed, and it's clear to see why the Hollywood A-lister was rolling in the cash.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the former bricklayer revealed that he went from $5,000 for building walls in the 70s to making $30 million in his role in Batman & Robin.

Schwarzenegger said, "It was Batman & Robin where they gave me over $30 million. I became the highest-paid entertainer in the history of Hollywood."

The actor has teased some more involvements in a Hollywood and gaming industry collab with a role as Zeus in a God of War movie, but rumours of this haven't surfaced again since its original hype in 2022.

Arnold Schwarzenegger explains why he was the 'highest-paid entertainer' in Hollywood

Having become a staple figure in Hollywood during the 80s and 90s, with his back-to-back The Terminator films being accompanied by lead roles in Predator and Total Recall, his reputation as a hard-hitting actor pushed his Batman villain role to come in as the highest fee of that era.

Other actors such as Jim Carrey (for The Cable Guy), Tom Cruise, Kevin Costner, and Julia Roberts used to net around $20 million per film, but never as much as that of Mr Freeze.

With Arnie making more than 12% of the film's total Box Office sales, and Clooney and Thuram also likely to have been on large fees too, it's no surprise that Batman & Robin (1997) was the nail in the coffin for the series, which wasn't revisited until 2005 with Batman Begins.