Brad Pitt & George Clooney Reportedly Paid $35 Million Each for Apple’s ‘Wolfs’

Brad Pitt and George Clooney reportedly received $35 million each for their roles in Jon Watts’ upcoming Apple action comedy Wolfs.

According to The New York Times, the large pay cheques for Brad Pitt and Clooney, along with a $15 million charge for Watts, bring the total amount spent on talent to $85. This figure does not include the rest of the film’s budget, raising issues about the financial justification for such a significant investment.

Apple’s Changing Strategy After Recent Box Office Flops

Wolfs was originally scheduled for a standard theatrical release, but has subsequently been moved to a limited one-week run in theatres beginning September 20 before releasing on Apple TV+ on September 27. This modification occurred after the announcement of a sequel starring Pitt and Clooney.

Apple’s decision to shift Wolfs’ releasing strategy echoes larger changes within the firm, following a string of high-budget films that underperformed at the box office.

For example, Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle earned only $96.2 million worldwide on a $200 million budget, while Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson’s Fly Me to the Moon earned only $41.3 million on a $100 million budget.

Despite these unsatisfactory results, Apple is allegedly still dedicated to sponsoring ambitious projects. However, there are indications that the business is reconsidering its strategy, notably following the underperformance of films such as Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon last year.

Wolfs is part of a larger trend of pictures that, despite their high star power, may not deliver the box office returns that distinguished the “movie star” era.