Jennifer Lawrence, the 21-year-old actress who brought "The Hunger Games" protagonist Katniss Everdeen to life in the book series' first film, is now negotiating a $10 million paycheck for the sequel "Catching Fire," The Hollywood Reporter is reporting exclusively.
Lawrence, who was reportedly paid just $500,000 (plus bonuses based on box-office performance) for the first "Hunger Games," helped the film gross $683.8 million worldwide this spring.
But now the Oscar-nominated, barely of drinking age actress wants 20 times more money to shoot the sequel.
According to THR:
The actress is in the final stages of negotiating a rich deal to return for 'Catching Fire' that will pay her somewhere in the $10 million range, according to sources close to the deal. The figure is a combination of salary, bonuses and escalators. Depending on the box-office performance of the film, she could earn much more ...
Lawrence’s co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth also are said to have renegotiated their contracts, but each will receive far smaller raises, according to sources. Lawrence, whose gritty performance was central to the film, is seen as the marquee star.
But these kind of renegotiations are common for major film franchises, such as "Twilight," in which the cast received significant salary increases in subsequent movies.
In June, "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart earned the number one spot on Forbes' list of highest-paid actresses, after being paid an estimated $12.5 million per film for the last two in the franchise.
22-year-old Stewart was the youngest actress on this year's list, followed by 16-years-older Kristen Wiig.
But now Lawrence and her pay raise aren't too far behind, despite reportedly just losing out to Stewart for the coveted lead role of Peyton Loftis—a young woman in 1950s Virginia desperate to escape the confines of her dysfunctional home life—in "Lie Down in Darkness," an adaptation of William Styron's gritty 1951 novel of the same name.
Not that Lawrence or the "Hunger Games" franchise are hurting for cash.
Target recently announced they too will join on Katniss' bandwagon and sell and start to sell upscale collectors items to coincide with the first film's DVD and Blu-ray release on August 21.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, items will include a $999, 14-K gold Mockingjay pin, a $349 leather hunting jacket that resembles one worn by Katniss, and a lithograph autographed by 10 of the cast members for $699.
It's a departure for the retailer, who are known for their competitively low prices—but only 100 of each item will be available for purchase, and they will only be available on Target.com.
But not to exclude their regular customers, Target will also sell a range of "Hunger Games" memorabilia, from jewelry to picture frames, at more reasonable prices ranging of $6.99 to $37.99.
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