How Much Austin Butler Was Paid For Elvis

Austin Butler received critical acclaim (despite some criticizing his prolonged accent following filming) for his performance as the titular character in Elvis, and the actor’s efforts were seemingly reflected in his salary for the movie. The 2022 epic biographical drama film was directed by Baz Luhrmann, who co-wrote the script with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. The story chronicled the King of Rock and Roll’s life and primarily focused on his relationship with his longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. Given Hanks’ prevailing stardom, Butler reportedly earned significantly less than his co-star.

Although Butler was the face of Elvis, Hanks’ reputation precedes him, resulting in the veteran actor securing a larger salary for the 2022 movie than the man who played Elvis Presley. Of course, Hanks’ Colonel Tom Parker was a significant figure in the biopic, so it’s not completely surprising that the two main stars’ salaries differed. In the grand scheme of things, though, Butler still made a large sum of cash for his performance as the famous singer in the drama.

Austin Butler Was Paid $700,000 For 2022’s Elvis

Butler’s Leading Role Wasn’t The Biggest Salary Of The Elvis Cast

According to Cosmopolitan, Austin Butler received $700,000 for portraying Elvis Presley in the 2022 epic biographical film. Meanwhile, Sportskeeda reports that Tom Hanks made $8 million (more than 11 times what Butler earned) for his performance as Colonel Tom Parker in the movie. Despite Hanks’ significant earnings, Butler’s $700,000 is still rumored to be the second-highest salary in the cast of Elvis.

The actor’s leading role resulted in numerous nominations at prestigious award shows, so he earned a lot more than just $700,000 for playing the titular character in Elvis. Butler won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama and the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Additionally, he was nominated for Best Actor at the 95th Oscars, Best Actor at the 28th Critics’ Choice Awards, and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture at the 29th SAG Awards.

How Austin Butler’s Elvis Salary Compares To His Other Roles

Butler’s Salaries Have Grown With His Rising Profile In Hollywood

Compared to some of Austin Butler’s earnings from his other roles, his $700,000 salary for Elvis is quite grand. Unfortunately, many of the actor’s previous salaries are unknown, but some can speculate about what he made for starring in shows like The Carrie Diaries and Switched at Birth. Based on the earnings of his co-stars, Butler likely received anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000 per episode (but those numbers aren’t confirmed, of course).

Men’s Health also reported that Butler made $250,000 for playing Tex Watson in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the same amount for his scene-stealing villainous role as Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two. But other than that, the actor’s individual salaries are unknown (his net worth is reported to be around $4 million, though). Ultimately, Butler’s role in Elvis is seemingly his highest salary yet.

Austin Butler’s Notable Salaries:

How Austin Butler’s Elvis Salary Compares To Other Best Actor Nominees

Brendan Fraser Won The Oscar In 2023

Austin Butler’s Oscar nomination for his role in Elvis put him alongside some big names in Hollywood, but his salary in comparison to his own shows that he was very much a newcomer in the field. The actual winner in the 2023 Best Actor category at the Oscars was Brendan Fraser for The Whale. While the movie was seen as a big comeback for Fraser, who had been out of high-profile roles for some time, the actor still reportedly earned $12 million for his role in the drama (via Sportskeeda).

It could be argued that Colin Farrell was the biggest “movie star” name in the category at the time in 2023. Farrell has starred in big Hollywood productions, including in The Batman the same year as his Oscar-nominated performance in The Banshees of Inisherin. However, this dark Irish comedy was a smaller production, earning Farrell $3 million for his role, which was reportedly the same salary earned by his co-stars, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan (via Irish Mirror).

As for the other two nominees in the Best Actor category of 2023, Paul Mescal and Bill Nighy, their salaries are not known. Mescal was another lesser-known actor when he took on his nominated role in Aftersun. With the movie also being the smallest production out of the five movies, it is likely his salary didn’t exceed Butler’s payment of $700,000. Nighy’s role in Living comes from another modest production. However, Nighy is a rather notable name in the business, so it is possible he earned a larger salary than Butler’s payday for Elvis.

Elvis

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis tells the story of the musician’s meteoric rise to superstardom. Following Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) from his time as a young up-and-coming musician, Elvis chronicles how the titular artist met Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), his infamous agent and business partner. Elvis documents the King’s rise to the top, his subsequent career slump, his triumphant return, and his tragic end.

Release Date

June 24, 2022

Cast

Austin Butler , Helen Thomson , Richard Roxburgh , Kelvin Harrison Jr. , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Natasha Bassett , Tom Hanks , David Wenham , Luke Bracey , Olivia DeJonge , Xavier Samuel

Runtime

159 minutes

Budget

$85 million

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Source: Cosmopolitan, Sportskeeda, Men’s Health