Akshay Kumar increases Acting Fees for 2022 Films

Akshay Kumar has reportedly increased his acting fees even further for his films which are set to be released in 2022.

It is claimed that the actor increased his fees due to excessive demand on the market.

A source told Bollywood Hungama: “Over the last few months in the lockdown, Akshay Kumar has gradually hiked his fees from Rs. 99 crores (£9.9 million) to Rs. 108 crores (£11 million) and finally settled in on Rs. 117 crores (£11.7 million) for the films he signed recently.

“Every producer wants to have Akshay on board, considering his low risk, low budget, and assured return model, leading to excessive demand in the market.

“Akshay too has followed the economic formula of higher the demand, higher the price, as with every film offer coming his way, he hiked his fees.

“For the films which are slated for a 2022 release, Akshay will charge a bomb of Rs. 135 crores (£13.6 million) per film.”

The source added that the upfront charges will not be a burden on Akshay’s films.

“The production budget of most Akshay Kumar films will be in the range of Rs. 35 to 45 crores (£3.5 million – £4.5 million), in addition to Rs. 15 crores (£1.5 million) more for print and publicity, taking the total in the range of Rs. 50 to 60 crores (£5 million – £6 million).

“Taking the number of his acting fees into account, the overall budget of his films would be in the range of Rs. 185 to 195 crores (£18 million – £19 million).

“Doing a backward calculation in the account, his films earn approximately Rs. 80 to 90 crores (£8 million – £9 million) from the sale of satellite and digital, whereas Rs. 10 crores (£1 million) more comes from the sale of music rights, leaving an amount in the range of Rs. 95 to 100 crores (£9.5 million – £10 million) for recovery from theatres, meaning lifetime box-office collections of Rs. 210-220 crores (£21 million – £22 million) in India.

“This isn’t as big a number for him to achieve, given his stardom and trust among the audience.

“And in 2021, it’s a rather easy number for a superstar like Akshay.”

Despite the hefty fees, the source said that Akshay Kumar has given a discount to his producer friend, Sajid Nadiadwala, charging 20% below his market rate.

This is because Sajid plans to make a film which has a higher production budget than his other films.

“Akshay doesn’t want to burden his film with unrealistic expectations, and the films which warrant a bigger budget, he is open to negotiating on his acting fees in tandem with the hike in the budget, however, will make up for the same by asking for a share in profit.

“He knows the box-office market as also his appeal among the audience, and setting realistic targets for film to be a rather safe venture.”

Akshay’s upcoming films include the likes of Sooryavanshi, Atrangi Re, Prithviraj, Ram Setu, Mission Lion and Raksha Bandhan.