In a revealing conversation on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, actor James McAvoy opened up about his experiences with residuals in the film industry, highlighting the unexpected financial success of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2016 psychological thriller, Split.
Consistent Income from Split
During the interview, McAvoy shared that while residual income can often be unpredictable, Split stands out as a film that has provided him with consistent returns. “The only one that really consistently pays me is Split,” he disclosed to host Josh Horowitz. McAvoy elaborated on the film’s modest budget of around $6 million, combined with an advertising spend of approximately $30 million, which resulted in an impressive $40 million box office gross during its opening weekend.
“So, we were in profit. So our first residual check came at the end of the first weekend. It was bonkers,” he recalled, underscoring the financial success of the project.
Insights on M. Night Shyamalan
McAvoy also expressed admiration for Shyamalan, praising the director’s intelligence and preparedness. He noted, “The thing that I took away from him was his preparedness because you know he made that film and Glass on incredibly modest budgets and was very focused.”
He further emphasized Shyamalan’s ability to maximize shooting time through effective communication with the crew and thorough preparations.
The Reality of Residuals
While he has benefitted from Split, McAvoy was candid about the other side of residuals, specifically regarding his role in the 2008 film Wanted. “You’ve always got a good back end and there’s some in your contract, you get back end here and back end there. I very rarely see anything from anything,” he confessed. The actor humorously recounted receiving checks for minuscule amounts, including “like a couple hundred quid here” or even “checks for like 25 cents,” noting, “It literally costs more to post this than it did for me to check it.”
