For Movie Stars, the Big Money Is Now Deferred

Movie stars, who not so long ago vied to make $20 million or even $25 million a picture, have seen their upfront salaries shrink in the last several years as DVD sales fell, star-driven vehicles stumbled at the box office and studios grew increasingly tightfisted.

How bad is it? Pretty bad. Most of the three-dozen or so top-billed actors in the 10 films up for best picture in this Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, including blockbusters like "Up" and "Avatar," appear to have received relatively minuscule upfront payments for their work. When the estimated salaries of all 10 of the top acting nominees are combined, the total is only a little larger than the $20 million that went to Julia Roberts for her appearance in "Erin Brockovich," a best-picture nominee in 2001, or to Russell Crowe for "Master and Commander," nominated in 2004. Peter Dekom, a film industry lawyer who co-wrote the book "Not on My Watch: Hollywood vs. the Future," pegged the general devaluation of movie stars to a lack of interest among younger viewers.