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Hollywood's A-List Stars Who LOST Money After Starring in Massive Blockbuster Films — Including Brad Pitt, Kevin Costner and More

Photo of Kevin Costner, Brad Pitt
Source: MEGA

Hollywood stars don't always make a fortune doing a movie, even when it's a hit.

April 2 2025, Published 8:30 p.m. ET

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Even the biggest names in Hollywood have experienced failure.

RadarOnline.com can reveal the stars who ended up losing a massive amount of money from movie roles they accepted during their careers – including Brad Pitt, Rebel Wilson, and Kevin Costner.

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Patricia Arquette – 'Boyhood'

patricia arquette boyhood
Source: Movieclips/YouTube

Patricia Arquette was paid peanuts to do the 2014 flick, 'Boyhood.'

How much would you shell out to win an Oscar? Just ask Patricia Arquette, who was paid peanuts to do the 2014 flick and walked away with a golden statue.

She explained: "It's important to me as an actor to be able to make a living, but I'm going to tell you something — I paid more money to my babysitter and my dog walker than I made to be in Boyhood."

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Jack Black – 'Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny'

jack black tenacious d in the pick of destiny
Source: Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers/YouTube

Black has talked about making a sequel to the 2006 bomb.

Taking a $1 million salary for the musical fantasy comedy, which Jack Black split with band member Kyle Gass, instead of his normal $12 million to bring his movie to theaters, the film Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny made $13.9 million and cost $20 million.

They say that time heals all wounds, and that must include financial fiascos, as Black has talked about making a sequel to the 2006 bomb.

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Kevin Costner – 'The Postman'

kevin costner the postman
Source: Warner Bros. Rewind/YouTube

Costner insisted he thought it was 'a really good movie.'

Long before Horizon: An American Saga, Kevin Costner put his money where his mouth was with 1997's The Postman, which cost $80 million to produce and returned just $17 million in the U.S.

Costner said: "Well, I always thought it was a really good movie! I know that if you revisit the movie, that's a good thing to do. You can go back and revisit some movies that made well over $100 million and you might not care anything about them. And you can go back and maybe review a movie like that — you know, it was a pretty big, epic movie."

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Sharon Stone – 'Basic Instinct'

sharon stone basic instinct
Source: StudiocanalUK/YouTube

Sharon Stone's salary didn't cover her clothes to promote her film.

Sharon Stone's salary didn't cover her Oscars gown and outfits to promote the 1992 megahit.

Stone said: "I didn't get paid to do Basic Instinct. I made a little bit of money. Michael [Douglas] made $14 million and has points. I made not enough money to buy my dress to go to the Oscars the next year. I was in this weird limbo where I was suddenly famous, but didn't have any money."

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Brad Pitt – 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'

brad pitt the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford
Source: Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers/YouTube

Brad Pitt was excited for the film that ended up flopping.

Brad Pitt had loads of excitement for the 2007 film, but passion doesn't pay the bills! The Western with the mile-long name drew a lousy $15 million against a $30 million budget.

Pitt said: "The way producers get us actors on is if it's something we love and have to do, we do it for a price and get the movie made. It actually cost me money in the end. I paid to work on that one, and I think the film still lost money, but it was one of my favorites and one of the most rewarding to me."

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Rebel Wilson – 'Bridesmaids'

rebel wilson bridesmaids
Source: MEGA

Rebel Wilson admitted she ended up losing money.

Her $3,500 salary wasn't enough to cover her expenses to walk the red carpet!

Rebel Wilson revealed of the 2011 comedy: "I basically made no money. I lost money because I had to pay to go to the premiere, like to buy my dress and everything. That was a really skint year where I was living on $60 a week in L.A. once I'd paid my rent and my car hire. I wasn't partying or living this [A-list] life. It was basically having that focus, trying to write for myself, like going to auditions."

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Will Smith – 'After Earth'

will smith after earth
Source: Rotten Tomatoes Trailers/YouTube

Will Smith called the flop 'painful.'

Calling it "the most painful failure in my career," Will Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment production company shelled out $150 million to make the 2013 movie and spent another $100 million to promote it. It brought in a mere $243 million.

Smith philosophized: "What I learned from that failure is how you win. I got reinvigorated after the failure of After Earth. I stopped working for a year and a half. I had to dive into why it was so important for me to have number-one movies. And I never would have looked at myself in that way."

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John Travolta – 'Battlefield Earth'

john travolta battlefield earth
Source: MEGA

John Travolta had no regrets.

John Travolta remained proud of the movie he made in 2000, even though it cost $73 million to create and banked just $29.7 million at the box office. Any regrets?

He said: "No way, are you kidding? Why would I ever regret that? I had the power to do whatever I wanted, and I chose to do a book that I thought was worthy of making into a movie. It's a beautiful film. It's a good movie."

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George Clooney – 'Leatherheads'

george clooney leatherheads
Source: Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers/YouTube

George Clooney was left in about $17 million in the hole.

George Clooney wore many hats making the 2008 football comedy — he co-wrote, directed and starred in it through his Smokehouse Pictures. Hopes for a hit were intercepted as it raked in $41.3 million but cost $58 million to make, leaving him about $17 million in the hole.

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