Arnold Schwarzenegger is the undisputed king of action movies. Audiences first took notice in the early '80s with "Conan the Barbarian" (1982), "Conan the Destroyer," and finally, the original "The Terminator" (1984).
That's when Schwarzenegger's golden era kicked into high gear. Over the next decade, he delivered what many fans consider his greatest action hits: "Commando," "Predator," "Total Recall," "True Lies," and "Terminator 2," which audiences embraced even more than the original (the first film scores 8.1 on IMDb, while the sequel earned an impressive 8.6).
Source:
imdb.com
But despite its cult status and career-defining importance for the Austrian Oak, the original "The Terminator" netted Schwarzenegger a modest $75,000 as a single flat fee, according to ScreenRant. No bonuses, no profit participation, no additional payouts whatsoever. Adjusted for inflation, that's roughly $227,000 in 2025 dollars – still pretty modest by today's Hollywood standards.
The contract reflected the reality of the time: a low-budget project ($6.4 million) starring a relatively unknown actor in Hollywood. Schwarzenegger earned $4,400 for every word he spoke, with just 17 lines of dialogue total. While the film earned twelve times its budget, pulling in $78.3 million worldwide, the actor didn't see a penny beyond his original 75 grand.
Schwarzenegger's base salary for "Terminator 2" (1991) jumped to $15 million (about $35.4 million in 2025 money). With 700 spoken words this time around, each one cost $21,428. That means the iconic "Hasta la vista, baby" line cost Carolco Pictures a cool $85,714.
His paycheck for the third "Terminator" film in 2003 hit a record-breaking $30 million (roughly $52.5 million today). He sat out the fourth installment while serving as California's governor. For his return in "Terminator Genisys" (2015), he pocketed $20 million.
His Most Profitable Film
According to Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, his biggest payday came from 1988's "Twins." Zoomboola.com reminds us: "Twins" is a comedy where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito play twins separated at birth. The stark difference in their appearance – which drives half the film's comedy – is explained by a genetic experiment. The difference in their personalities comes from their environments: Arnold's character grew up in sterile conditions with strict discipline, while DeVito's was raised in a rough neighborhood.
Source:
https://www.imdb.com
Here's why it worked out so well. Universal's project was risky since it was Schwarzenegger's first major comedic role, and it didn't have a huge budget. The studio couldn't afford big upfront salaries, so Schwarzenegger, director Ivan Reitman, and Danny DeVito agreed to a back-end participation deal.
This is a form of deferred compensation where actors, directors, or other crew members receive a percentage of the film's profits instead of (or in addition to) a fixed upfront fee.
The actor received about 20% of all revenue from the project – not just from theatrical release (the film made $216 million worldwide) but also from TV rights, video sales, and merchandising. Combined, "Twins" earned Schwarzenegger over $40 million. In today's money, that's about $109.2 million.
Variety quoted Schwarzenegger's words from Andy Cohen's show:
Back in 2016 on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, the actor called it his best decision. According to Schwarzenegger, Universal never made another deal like it: "It became such a historic deal that the studio never offered anything like it again."It's more than that [$40 million]. It's more than any movie I've ever done.
Fact Check
Arnold's example inspired other stars. Tom Hanks, for instance, turned down fixed salaries for "Forrest Gump" and "Saving Private Ryan" in favor of percentage deals on worldwide box office. According to ScreenRant, "Forrest Gump" earned him $60 million, while "Saving Private Ryan" brought in an estimated $30 to $40 million.
"Terminator 2" is Arnold Schwarzenegger's most profitable film
- Verdict:
Arnold Schwarzenegger's most profitable film was "Twins" from 1988. It brought him more than $40 million thanks to an unusual profit-sharing format that was atypical for cinema at that time.