So, it's pretty universally accepted now that Christian Bale's Batman was the best of all of the Batman movies, no? But the real question is, was he paid like the best?
Well, luckily there always seems to be an answer to the most intriguing and ultimately least important questions in life, and this one is no different: The Richest broke down the earnings of all of the Batmans, and Bale does indeed take the cake.
Bale totaled $54 million for his three movies, averaging $18 million per picture. Oh, and here's an interesting little nugget from the article:
"Bale was reportedly offered $50 million to return to Gotham in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, but turned the role down," The Richest reported. "In an interview with Entertainment Weekly Bale said, 'We were incredibly fortunate to get to make three [Batman films]. That's enough. Let's not get greedy. It's a torch that should be handed from one actor to another.'"
Holy schnikes, that's a lot of money. Just Batman vs. Superman alone would've doubled Bale's Batman take if he had accepted the role.
Coming in second place was a tie between George Clooney and Michael Keaton, who both received $10 million for their roles as the Caped Crusader (Keaton's pay for Batman Returns was the only one listed). I think it's fairly obvious which of those two did better work for their money (hint: it was the one without the nipple suit). You could probably argue Keaton made more based on a few years' inflation.
Bringing up the rear was poor ol' Val Kilmer for Batman Forever at $3 million, which was actually my favorite of the original four movies.
How much do you think Ben Affleck is getting for his role as Bats?
