UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor is set to make his film debut in the upcoming remake film, Road House. The recently dropped trailer featured a face-off between McGregor and the star of the film, Jake Gyllenhaal. While the exact compensation for each actor remains undisclosed, McGregor has claimed that he now holds the title of the highest paid debut actor, surpassing Dwayne Johnson for the top spot.
McGregor promises to deliver an adrenaline pumping experience in the new movie similar to its original 1989 version. During the UFC 285 fight week in March, McGregor surprised fans when he announced that the Road House crew would be filming a scene there at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Conor McGregor May Be The Highest Paid Debut Actor With His Road House Role
After the release of the trailer for the new Road House movie on Thursday, Conor McGregor took to X to gauge his fans’ response to the new trailer. Among other positive things he shared about the film, McGregor claimed that he had “officially” become the highest paid first time actor of all time. He noted that he surpassed Dwayne Johnson‘s record to reach the top spot. He has since deleted the tweet.
Amazon MGM Studios is yet to reveal how much they paid each actor in the film, but McGregor’s claims could hold true, considering his star status in the UFC. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Johnson was paid a whopping $5.5 million for his debut in The Mummy Returns and its spinoff The Scorpion King. The website also noted that it was the highest paycheck offered to a first time actor in Hollywood.
McGregor first made the claim of highest paid debut actor in another deleted tweet from November 2023. His statement was in response to a tweet by Halle Berry. When the John Wick actress posted a fun tweet asking, “tell me something I don’t know”, McGregor replied, “I am the highest paid first time actor of all time.” The UFC star later deleted his response.
McGregor also revealed in his recent deleted tweet that he performed all of his stunts in the movie by himself. He even revealed one of the crazy stunts in the film where he was thrown off a boat into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He revealed that he was dragged through the seawater while holding onto an anchor. It appears McGregor has put in more effort than his paycheck’s worth.
Road House Director Called Out Amazon For Ruining The Theatrical Chances Of The Film
Road House director Doug Liman slammed the producer Amazon MGM Studios for its decision to stream the film exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. In protest, Liman will not attend the film’s premiere at the SXSW film festival. In a Deadline article, he claimed that, when he signed up for the film with MGM before the Amazon merger, he was promised a theatrical release. Amazon also promised him that once he created a great film, they would consider a theatrical release.
However, Liman accused Amazon of betraying both his trust and the trust of the film community with their current decision. He shared that Amazon considers the film “a smash hit”, since the test scores were higher than the director’s previous box office hits, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Bourne Identity. Liman also mentioned Conor McGregor’s influence in promoting the film among the UFC audience. He argued that the film’s marketing has been highly successful, and Amazon’s decision is detrimental to its financial prospects.
Fans can enjoy Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor’s face off in Road House, when the film premieres on Amazon Prime Video on March 21, 2024. In the meantime, Patrick Swayze‘s 1989 version is now available for streaming on Max.
