How much is Gerard Butler worth after his recent string of successful Has Fallen films?

via Entertainment Weekly

In Hollywood, achieving a long and successful career can be quite tricky. Just ask Gerard Butler who has had his share of ups and downs as far as films go. The Scotland native has been a Hollywood fixture since the late ’90s.

And while one of his first roles was in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies, many consider Butler’s breakout role to be in Zack Snyder’s 300 where the actor played the brave (and hunky) King Leonidas.

And while things were picking up for the actor around that time, Butler believed that his decision to venture into romantic films was a mistake. Fortunately for the actor though, he has since managed to revitalize his career (despite his return as Mike Banning being considered a bad omen for Hollywood).

In recent years, Butler has been headlining the Has Fallen film franchise, which may partly explain his gigantic net worth today.

Gerard Butler Has Earned His Net Worth Through Action Films

Even while he was just starting out in Hollywood, Butler seemed to gravitate towards action flicks. Aside from No Time to Die, the actor later joined Oscar winner Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.

Ultimately though, it was in 300 when fans really got to see Butler in his top physical form. It’s the movie that truly showed off his ability to carry an action film on his own.

Interestingly enough, it wasn’t really any of Butler’s past films that landed him the part of King Leonidas. Instead, it was a meeting at Starbucks.

“I met him for coffee in the valley. I came in like a force of nature, but I was met with an equal force of nature, and the two of us came together like a whirlwind,” the actor recalled during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Snyder, for his part, similarly recalled the force of nature that was Butler that day. “He stood up and he ranted around the coffee shop. He posed, he had the book with him,” he told Film School Rejects. “And when I left I said, ‘Wow, that guy is… he’s the King.’ You know, he’s the guy.”

When asked about considering other actors, Snyder remarked, “You know, after I met Gerry, honestly I stopped looking.”

Since 300, Butler appeared in several action films such as Law Abiding Citizen and Machine Gun Preacher. He then took on the action-comedy The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston and the crime drama Shattered where Butler reunited with Pierce Brosnan.

Not long after, the actor starred in Olympus Has Fallen. It was one of those movies that excited Butler from the very beginning. “So it was amazing how in cahoots and how co-ordinated Antoine [Fuqua, director] and I were about creating this project,” Butler told Den of Geek.

“Because when I first got the script the second that C130 flies in and you go, ‘Oh, wait a minute what have I gotten myself into here!’”

How Much Is Gerard Butler Worth Now?

Today’s estimates indicate that Butler’s net worth is anywhere between $30 to $45 million. While it is unclear how much action is being paid for his work, it is worth noting that Butler has served as a producer in several of his films with his own production company, G-BASE Entertainment, Inc. That essentially entitles the actor to a generous backend pay.

In 2021, Butler even filed a lawsuit against producers Nu Image/Millenium Films, alleging that they still owe him around $10 million in backend compensation from Olympus Has Fallen. According to a copy of the actor’s filing, the producers “never intended to pay Butler his share of the grosses and profits.”

It added, “Producers understated their own receipts and profits from Olympus by over $11 million, including by failing to report approximately $8 million in payments to Producers’ own senior executive.”

Butler is seeking around $10 million in damages. The actor’s legal team is demanding that the case be brought in front of a jury trial. For now, there hasn’t been any update regarding the cast itself. However, Nu Image/Millenium did issue a statement saying that Butler’s claim has “no merit.”

Meanwhile, aside from acting and producing, Butler has been raking in some serious money with his various brand partnerships.

Years ago, the actor succeeded Ryan Reynolds as the new face of Hugo Boss fragrance, Boss Bottled. Butler has been the brand ambassador for Festina Watch since 2016. The actor continues to be the brand ambassador for men’s fashion brand OLYMP.

Fans will be glad to know that Butler is set to star in several upcoming films. This includes the comedy All Star Weekend, which marks Oscar winner Jamie Foxx’s directorial debut. Aside from Butler, the movie stars Robert Downey Jr., Benicio Del Toro, Eva Longoria, and Jeremy Piven.

At the same time, it seems Butler is gearing up for another installment in the Has Fallen franchise. The latest entry is reportedly titled Night Has Fallen. Other than Butler, it is unclear who among the franchise’s cast members will be returning. That said, it is likely that fans will see Morgan Freeman reprise the role of President Trumbull.