Before ‘Titanic’ became one of the most famous films in history and a staple of global pop culture, there were initial doubts about what exactly James Cameron was doing. Although he had already achieved great success with ‘Aliens’ and the first two ‘Terminator’ films, But the budget, which had ballooned to a then-unheard of $200 million, fueled expectations that “Titanic” could be a mega-flop.
But it’s a shame: instead of being a flop, the romantic catastrophe drama became a success the most successful film of all time up to that point, whose worldwide box office returns surpassed anything ever seen before. In the end, more than two billion dollars were raised – that was double (!) what the most successful film to date, “Jurassic Park”, had grossed!
Although the undeniable stars of the film are of course Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the unforgettable roles of Jack and Rose, “Titanic” had a huge ensemble of actors and thousands of extras. Some of them, including Billy Zane, Bill Paxton and Kathy Bates, are of course still famous. But there are also some supporting characters that we couldn’t get out of our minds – like Cora, the sweet girl who danced with Leonardo DiCaprio at the third-rate party and for whom a tragic end awaits.
Another character who is barely important to the plot, but still leaves a lasting impression: belonged to the actor Reece Thompson embodied, who was only five years old at the time. He appears in a total of three scenes in ‘Titanic’ and even says a line. Ultimately, the child and his family, who traveled with him in the third class, die when the “Titanic” sinks after colliding with an iceberg. But the actor, who went on to play only smaller roles but remained connected to the industry, continues to make money from this one line of dialogue.
A little movie star
At the time of Titanic, Thompson might have been able to make a lot more money for less work in a commercial. But both he and his mother opted for his small role in the big movie. This decision was not only worth it because it is of course great to have starred in what has been the most successful film in history for years – in retrospect it also absolutely paid off financially.
Because Even 26 years later, “Titanic” Thompson is still making money every year. After receiving pay for the hours he worked on the film, the actor received an additional payment of approximately $30,000 due to the film’s huge success. He says his family owes a significant amount of money invested mainly in his training in 2018.
All that money for one single sentence
However, in subsequent years there were further annual residual payments, each worth a few thousand dollars, with the peaks occurring in the years when there were new developments in the home theater market, such as the first release on DVD or Blu-ray. The events surrounding the 20th anniversary also generated additional income.
In the long run, however, the checks became smaller and smaller, and excluding recent 25th anniversary events, annual amounts have ranged from $100 to $250. An amount that Thompson, according to statements in the interview, is not eagerly looking forward to, but it is still good news for him when he receives the check.
Besides, he owes all this money to just his single line of dialogue – because pure background characters who don’t say lines don’t receive such payments for their participation in films…