Franchise films have long been a fixture at the box office, but every once in a while, a franchise can come along and completely change the game. Star Wars got it started and the MCU is currently on top, but during the 2000s, the Lord of the Rings franchise came into the picture and left a lasting impression on the movie industry. To this day, it’s heralded as perhaps the best trilogy ever.

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Elijah Wood starred as Frodo Baggins in the films, and his journey to Mordor captivated viewers from the very first film. Wood cemented his legacy with the trilogy, but when some numbers were released about his pay, some felt that maybe he was underpaid for the role. Let’s take a look and see if Elijah Wood was underpaid for Lord of the Rings.

Updated on November 1, 2021, by Michael Chaar: Elijah Wood made a name for himself as part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and of course, The Hobbit in the role of Frodo Baggins. His screen-time certainly catapulted his career to great heights, allowing him to amass a net worth of $20 million. Despite being worth millions today, the actor wasn't paid nearly as much as fans might think for playing Frodo. For the LOTR trilogy, Wood was paid $250,000, all while earning $1 million for his appearance in The Hobbit. When compared to the salaries of actors in the MCU, Star Wars, or Harry Potter franchise, it's evident that Elijah was, in fact, underpaid, especially when taken into consideration the popularity the LOTR films have.

He Was Paid $250,000 Base Salary For The Trilogy

It is easy to look back at the Lord of the Rings films and see why they wound up becoming a global success, but while it was being made, there was simply no way of knowing what it would become. The studio decided to make all three movies at once, and they were balancing a fine budget during that time.

It has been estimated that Elijah Wood was paid a base salary of $250,000 for all three films that he appeared in. That is a whole lot of work for a rather modest check, but things would work out in the long run. The filming of the trilogy took place over the course of a year or so, and this is far more work than most actors put into a single role.

Now, while $250,000 is a modest base salary, Wood, along with the rest of the primary cast, would get a bump in pay once the films were released into theaters and hauled in billions of dollars overall. There is no official number on what he was able to pocket overall, but we have to imagine that it was a decent chunk of change.

Interestingly, the original trilogy would not be the only time that Elijah Wood had an appearance in the overall franchise.

Related: Amazon’s $1 Billion ‘Lord Of The Rings Series’: What We Know So Far

He Was Paid $1 Million For His Hobbit Appearance

The Hobbit trilogy may not have been on the same level as the original trilogy in terms of overall acclaim and fanfare, but those movies were wildly successful and did manage to rope in a huge audience that wanted nothing more than to venture back to Middle Earth for an unexpected journey.

It has been estimated that Elijah Wood was able to land himself $1 million for his brief cameo in the trilogy. That is a hefty amount of money to hop back into the saddler for, and it is four times as much as his base salary was for an entire trilogy.

Those Hobbit films, despite not holding a candle to the trilogy, were all massively successful, with each of them grossing at least $900 million, according to The-Numbers. It is fascinating to see that most people have completely forgotten about those flicks altogether, but most are still all too happy to have an original trilogy marathon.

There is a Lord of the Rings series coming to Amazon, and fans are hoping that it becomes as loved as the original trilogy. The story will have nothing to do with what fans found on screen the first time around, and there is hope that it can expand the overall lore, much like The Mandalorian has done for Star Wars.

Related: The Real Reason Why Ian McKellen Declined Playing Dumbledore In The ‘Harry Potter’ Franchise

How His Pay Stacks Up To Other Franchises

Now, when looking at Wood's pay and whether or not he was underpaid for his time as Frodo Baggins, we need to look at some other franchise films and how much the leads were able to pocket for their performances.

Related: The Real Reason Why ‘The Hobbit’ Movies Were So Bad

Iron Man was the film that got the MCU rolling back in 2008, and for his work in the film, Robert Downey Jr. was able to pocket $500,000, according to Business Insider. This is twice as much as Wood got, and as we got to see, Downey would take his salary to unprecedented heights as time went on.

Even back in the 70s, Mark Hamill was able to get more money for Luke Skywalker. Per Quora, Hamill was paid $650,000 for playing the iconic character in A New Hope. This is even more than Downey got, and Star Wars was a total unknown at the time unlike the character Iron Man who had spent years in Marvel Comics.

So, was Elijah Wood underpaid? For his base salary, it sure seems that way. Hopefully, he made a mint on the backend of things.

How Much Is Elijah Wood Worth Today?

Despite the actor being what fans consider to be underpaid for his stellar role in Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit, it's evident that the roles catapulted him to immense stardom, allowing him to appear in over 60 projects throughout his career. The actor just wrapped up his time in the TV short, Summer Camp Island, and is now readying for his newest roles in L.A Rush and The Toxic Avenger.

Luckily for Wood, his time in the spotlight has allowed him to amass an impressive net worth of $20 million, which is definitely worth being proud of. His growing worth has contributed to his stellar real estate portfolio, which he expanded back in 2013 after moving to Austin, Texas. Well, after nearly a decade, the actor put the home up for sale for nearly $2 million.

Next: Why Daniel Day-Lewis Turned Down ‘Lord Of The Rings’