A Comedy Gamble That Paid Off
Arnold Schwarzenegger, known worldwide for his action roles in blockbusters like The Terminator and Predator, stunned fans when he revealed that his biggest personal payday came from a film that didn’t require a single bullet fired. During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Schwarzenegger shared that the 1988 comedy Twins ended up earning him more than any movie he ever made — over $40 million. What made it even more surprising was the fact that he didn’t receive a traditional salary.
Instead of upfront payment, Schwarzenegger and his co-star Danny DeVito struck an unconventional deal with director Ivan Reitman. The trio agreed to forgo salaries in exchange for a sizable percentage of the film’s back end. “We got no money for the salary but ownership with a piece of the back end,” Schwarzenegger said. “It was fantastic. We went all the way to the bank with that.” He added that this clever arrangement led to a final payday that exceeded even his massive action films.
Schwarzenegger confirmed that his take from Twins not only surpassed $20 million but comfortably cleared $40 million. “It was more than that. It was more than any movie I ever made,” he told Cohen. For an actor whose name is synonymous with box office success, this revelation added a fascinating layer to his legacy — one built not just on muscle and mayhem, but on strategic risk-taking.
The Unlikely Birth of a Hit
When Schwarzenegger first considered stepping into comedy, the studios balked. He was Hollywood’s reigning tough guy, the face of R-rated carnage and muscle-bound dominance. Casting him as a comedic lead seemed laughable to industry insiders. “They said, ‘Are you crazy? The more people that this guy kills on-screen, the more money we make. Why would we change that?’” Schwarzenegger recalled in a recent Variety interview with his son Patrick.
But the actor was undeterred. Alongside DeVito and Reitman, he hatched a plan to flip the script. If the trio skipped their salaries, they could shoot the movie for just $16.5 million. That budget-slashing proposal turned what was perceived as a casting risk into a financially viable project. The deal included a 40 percent share of the film’s profits, which ultimately became Schwarzenegger’s most lucrative financial move in Hollywood.
Released in 1988, Twins proved that Schwarzenegger could not only carry an action film but also charm audiences with deadpan humor and brotherly chemistry. The film grossed $216 million at the global box office and pulled in even more through home video sales. What started as a gamble turned into a genre-defying smash.
The Sequel That Never Came
Despite the film’s success and the enormous profits it delivered, a sequel to Twins never made it to screen. Over the years, there were multiple attempts to revive the story, including a project titled Triplets that was set to bring Eddie Murphy into the fold. Fans were eager to see the mismatched brothers return, this time alongside another unexpected sibling.
Plans for Triplets had gained real momentum, but tragedy interrupted the process. Ivan Reitman, the original film’s director and one of the driving forces behind its creation, passed away before production could begin. With his death, the momentum behind the sequel faded, and the project was quietly shelved.
Still, the legacy of Twins remains intact. It’s remembered not only as a box office hit but as a brilliant financial play that reshaped how some actors approached their deals. Schwarzenegger’s comedy detour didn’t just diversify his portfolio. It proved that taking a creative leap backed by sharp business instincts could pay off bigger than any action franchise ever could.