Lord of the Rings Earned $3 Billion, But How Much Did LotR Cast Make?

Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, bearing the same name, is arguably as renowned as the source material itself. It introduced millions of people to the wondrous world of Middle-earth and, for some, the fantasy genre.

For many of the actors, the trilogy was their ticket to the big time, catapulting them into the realm of Hollywood A-listers and permanently establishing their status as household names. We know the three films grossed approximately $3 billion at the box office, but how much did the cast earn?

Orlando Bloom

At the time, Bloom was a relatively unknown actor (the successful Black Hawk Down was released a month after The Fellowship of the Ring), and so he was offered a compensation of — wait for it — only $175,000. However, no information on royalties or residuals has ever been disclosed, so we can only assume that the total amount he would have made from the films by the time the third instalment came out would have been far greater.

Sean Astin

Sean Astin, who played Sam, was significantly more famous at the time. However, his compensation wasn't that much greater at only $250,000 for all three films.

Sean Bean

The legendary dead-man-walking Sean Bean, then known for his popular television role as Major Richard Sharpe, also received $250,000 for his performance as Boromir in The Fellowship of the Ring.

And if he'd been paid a cent for every You-Can't-Simply-Walk-Into-Mordor meme that ever got shared, he'd be the wealthiest man in human history now.

Elijah Wood

Like Astin and Bean, the actor's starting compensation for the role of Frodo Baggins was $250,000. By the third instalment, however, the pau for the central role of the ring-bearing hobbit had risen to $1 million.

Andy Serkis

Although it was the role of Gollum that brought Serkis widespread fame, he was still a much better-known actor at the time of the first film. It is worth noting that he was offered $1 million for his motion capture role from the very start.

Liv Tyler

In addition to being Steven Tyler's daughter, Liv had starred in several blockbusters by the time she was cast in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She was paid $2 million for the first movie. Unfortunately, her compensation for the next two movies was never disclosed, but we can safely assume it could only have gone up.

Viggo Mortensen

Regrettably, Viggo's compensation was never disclosed, but it is known that he was one of the highest-paid actors in LotR. And given his importance to the plot, as well as his fame even before the first instalment, we believe it's safe to assume that he would have been paid at least as much as Liv Tyler.

Ian McKellen

But it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that Sir Ian McKellen, of stage and screen fame, received one of the highest compensation packages. He made a total of $14 million from the first two films.

Source: Celebrity Net Worth.