Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool, revealed that his salary for the 2016 film was surprisingly modest, despite the movie’s massive success. In an interview with Collider, published on December 24, 2024, Miller shared that he earned just $225,000 for directing the movie, a figure that seems low given the film’s box office performance.
Miller, 60, admitted that being a first-time director in Hollywood doesn’t always bring large financial rewards. He explained that the $225,000 he received was spread out over two years of work. He acknowledged that, while it sounds like a lot of money, it wasn’t particularly lucrative for the amount of effort and time he put in.
Despite Deadpool earning over $782 million at the box office, Miller’s salary was relatively small. He expressed that he felt fortunate to have been involved in the project, which led to Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. However, he wished that his deal had included a portion of the film’s merchandising profits.
Miller’s co-star and co-producer Ryan Reynolds didn’t profit much from Deadpool either. In a 2024 interview, Reynolds shared that he didn’t expect the film to be successful when it was greenlit. He even sacrificed his own pay to help fund the project, ensuring that his co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick could join the set and work with him.
Reynolds explained that he believed the lack of time and money actually helped the film’s creativity. He felt that focusing on character development rather than spectacle allowed for a deeper and more authentic story. Reynolds believed this approach contributed to the movie’s success and said that working on Deadpool reminded him of his passion for the creative process.
After his work on Deadpool, Miller went on to create the animated anthology series Love, Death & Robots. He also directed Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019. Despite the modest payment for Deadpool, Miller’s career has continued to flourish, showcasing his versatility in various genres.
