Hollywood is definitely known for the big bucks, with actors making tons of money from movies, commonly in the millions. In today’s world, A-list actors are some of the highest earners in the world. Historically it wasn’t always like this, and the biggest stars in Hollywood ended up being seriously underpaid.
Jim Carrey happened to be an example of this. At least initially. For the film “Yes Man,” he did not get a cent upfront. Later it turned to be a real success, and the actor ended up making $35 million from the movie after its box office success.
More Success
Of course, you can't wow them forever. Carrey had rightfully earned his spot in the hall of great actors, but as a comedian to his very core, the actor went back to good old funny movies. He would continue to land more comedies, some hits, and some, a little more lukewarm at the box office.
Some of these films included "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Fun with Dick and Jane." These were the quintessential Jim Carrey movies that people were guaranteed to love.
Unstoppable
Carrey's incredible ability to go from comedy to drama kept being displayed. Carrey's resume is filled with both. In the early 2000s, he went from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," a kids movie based on Dr. Seuss's book, to "The Majestic," a drama about a blacklisted Hollywood writer who loses his memory.
Carrey's career continued like this for some time. Another hugely daring film came in 2008, where he wowed audiences as a gay conman in "I Love You Phillip Morris," in which he starred alongside the great Ewan Mcgregor.
Being a Yes Man
There was a reason this happened, and it was actually due to his personal choice. Before "Yes Man," Carrey made a film called "Fun with Dick and Jane" starring Tea Leoni. It had a $100 million budget and was written by Judd Apatow. The 2005 film had a lot going for it, but it turned out to be a total flop and lost millions at the box office.
For "Yes Man," Jim Carrey refused upfront payment for the movie, meaning he shot a whole movie without getting any salary. What he did do, which was rather clever, was that he negotiated for 36.2 percent of the movie's profits. That good thinking got him roughly $30 million.
Mixed Reviews
While "Yes Man" was technically a commercial success, the critical feedback was a mixed bag. Fortunately for the audience, they could count on Jim Carrey’s hilarious antics for a good laugh, but people didn't take to the film's plot too much.
The film earned itself a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 46 percent rating, Metacritic also gave it a 46 out of 100. Even so, these reviews did not seem to affect commercial success strongly, and he ended up making 223.2 million dollars.