Jennifer Lawrence Will Reportedly Nab a Bigger Payday Than Chris Pratt for Their Next Movie (and Why It's a Big Deal)

Jennifer Lawrence Will Reportedly Nab a Bigger Payday Than Chris Pratt for Their Next Movie (and Why It's a Big Deal)

Consider this our "hell yeah!" moment of the day: Thanks to the success of Jurassic World^[1], the sci-fi megaflick Passengers (starring Jennifer Lawrence^[2] and Chris Pratt^[3] as astronauts) has just gotten the green light from Sony—and with that green light comes a major payday for the two stars. After the movie breaks even, Pratt will reportedly take home $12 million and Lawrence will walk away with a cool $20 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter^[4].

That $8 million gap between Lawrence and Pratt's salaries for this project is significant, and we're not just referring to the sheer dollar amount (although, that's true, too). Lawrence earning more than her male co-star is a big deal for a lot of reasons—here's a look at some of the most important ones.

For one thing, the gender pay gap is as real and present a problem as ever. The figure tossed around most frequently is that women still only earn 77 cents to every dollar men make for the same jobs—and that's true across nearly 99 percent of all job categories, according to some estimates^[5]. But in this case, J. Law and Chris Pratt are performing the same job, and she's the one walking out on top for a change.

But in Hollywood, the gap is way—WAY—larger. According to 2013 Forbes data^[6], Hollywood's highest paid actors earned two-and-a-half times as much as the highest paid actresses. That equates to actresses taking home just 40 cents for every dollar actors rake in—meaning Lawrence's paycheck is not only a Hollywood rarity, but a much-needed example to set.

And actresses are putting their proverbial feet down. No wonder Meryl Streep cheered like her horse had just won the Triple Crown when Patricia Arquette took a stand in her Oscars acceptance speech^[7]: "It's our time to have wage equality once and for all," Arquette demanded.

Plus, this comes at a time when Chris Pratt's stock couldn't be higher. Jurassic World has shattered all kinds of box office records^[8] in its opening weekend. Last summer, his Marvel hit Guardians of the Galaxy had a No. 1 opening weekend and earned more than $700 million worldwide^[9]. Pratt brings in nearly equal box office dollars^[10] as Jennifer Lawrence, according to 2014 figures, so his negotiating power for top (or equal) dollar is strong. On the flip side, paying J. Law more makes an even bigger statement now given Pratt's recent star-power.

We're not advocating for a reverse gender pay gap, where women out-earn men for the same roles. We're just virtual high-fiving J. Law for nabbing a dominant paycheck in an industry that heavily favors men when it comes to salary—and hopeful for a day when this is not major news.

Photos: Getty Images

References

1. ^{^} Jurassic World (www.glamour.com)
2. ^{^} Jennifer Lawrence (www.glamour.com)
3. ^{^} Chris Pratt (www.glamour.com)
4. ^{^} The Hollywood Reporter (www.hollywoodreporter.com)
5. ^{^} some estimates (abcnews.go.com)
6. ^{^} 2013 Forbes data (www.forbes.com)
7. ^{^} Oscars acceptance speech (www.glamour.com)
8. ^{^} shattered all kinds of box office records (www.nytimes.com)
9. ^{^} earned more than $700 million worldwide (deadline.com)
10. ^{^} nearly equal box office dollars (screenrant.com)

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