Screenwriter's salary

src: www.hollywoodreporter.com

Minimum salaries for union screenwriters are set by the Writers Guild of America. Non-union screenwriters may write for free; an established screenwriter may write for millions of dollars.

Video Screenwriter's salary

Definitions

• Against: A word used to describe a script's unproduced price relative to its value if approved for production--for example, if a script is sold for $300,000, but the writer gains an extra $200,000 if it leads to production, the screenwriter's salary is described as "$300,000 against $500,000".
• Option: If a script is not purchased, it may be optioned. An option is money paid in exchange for the right (the "option") to produce--and therefore to purchase outright--a screenplay, treatment, or other work within a certain period.
• Feature assignment: The writer writes the script on assignment under contract with a studio, production company, or individual.
• Pitch: The writer works up a five- to twenty-minute presentation of a prospective movie and presents it to buyers in a short meeting.
• Rewriting: The writer rewrites someone else's script for pay. The writer pitches his "take", much like he would an original pitch.
• Spec script: Short for "speculative" or "on speculation" as in; He wrote his script on spec. The writer writes the script (original or someone else's idea) without being paid, and, subsequently, tries to sell it.

Maps Screenwriter's salary

Standard Purchase Agreement

A typical screenwriter's purchase agreement will typically contain the following:

• Guarantee: Literally, the money the writer is guaranteed to receive, whether the script is produced or not. This amount is usually divided into steps with payments and due dates. For example, a "three step deal" might include:

Step One:

• First Draft Commencement (50% paid upon Commencement)
• First Draft Delivery (50% paid upon Completion)

Step Two:

• First Rewrite Commencement (50% paid upon Commencement)
• First Rewrite Completion (50% paid upon Completion)

Step Three:

• Polish Commencement (50% paid upon Commencement)
• Polish Completion (50% paid upon Completion)

The guaranteed money is sometimes referred to as the "front-end."

• Optional Steps: The deal may often define optional steps that the studio can trigger at their discretion. For example:

Step Four:

• Second Rewrite Commencement (50% paid upon Commencement)
• Second Rewrite Completion (50% paid upon Completion)

Step Five:

• Second Polish Commencement (50% paid upon Commencement)
• Second Polish Completion (50% paid upon Completion)

• Bonus/Bonuses: Also known as the "back-end". Typically, a production bonus is paid once the script goes into production, or, if there is more than one writer, after the final credit is determined. A typical contract will specify a smaller production bonus for shared credit. There may also be bonuses contingent upon budget (e.g., "if the movie's budget is greater than x") or grosses. The cousin of the bonus is the "penalty", which might be paid by the writer if, for example, the script has not been put into production by a set date; penalties are rarely included in writer's deals, however.

src: cdn.vox-cdn.com

History

• 1900: One of America's first screenwriters, New York journalist Roy McCardell, is hired to write ten scenarios (each about 90 seconds long) for $15 each (equivalent to $441 in 2017).
• 1947: The original screenplay Woman of the Year is bought by MGM for $100,000 (about $1.1 million in 2017).
• 1949: Ben Hecht is paid $10,000 a week (about $103,000 in 2017). Claims David O. Selznick paid him $3,500 a day (about $36,000 in 2017).
• 1967: William Goldman's original screenplay Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was purchased for $400,000 (about $2.9 million in 2017).
• 1972: Leonard and Paul Schrader's spec script The Yakuza is sold for $350,000 (about $2.0 million in 2017). Paul Schrader and his agent receive 40% each; novelist Leonard Schrader, who conceived the idea for the story, is persuaded to take just 20% and a story credit.
• 1984: Shane Black sells the screenplay to Lethal Weapon for $250,000.
• 1985: Ex-firefighter Gregory Widen sells his university thesis screenplay Highlander for $500,000.
• 1989: Shortly after the 1988 strike, John Raffo, Carlo Carlei and Peter Rader sell their female-courier-has-to-take-a-cure-across-state-lines sci-fi spec script Pincushion to Columbia for $500,000 against $1 million with Sharon Stone attached at one time.
• 1989: David Chappe sell his modern-day, hurricane-hits-coast, and pirates-take-over-town spec Gale Force using Samantha Shad (the lawyer/manager/writer/story consultant and scribe on films like Class Action) to Carolco for $500,000, which is still available today for sale from the company that acquired the post-bankruptcy assets from the failed studio.
• 1990: Jim Gorman and Michael Beckner sell their action/comedy Western "Texas Lead and Gold" to Largo Entertainment for $1 million. Jim Gorman also on as Producer.
• 1990: Kathy McWorter, who was promoted by her agent as a 21-year-old wunderkind, though in fact she was 28 years old, sells her sex comedy The Cheese Stands Alone for $1 million. This was followed by nuclear-terrorist technothriller The Ultimatum by Laurence Dworet and Robert Roy Pool and WWII action comedy Hell Bent... and Back! by Doug Richardson and Rick Jaffa, both of which sold for a million dollars. None of these movies have been produced so far.
• 1990: Brian Helgeland and Manny Coto sell their nuclear-armed robot spec The Ticking Man for $1.2 million. The script was sent out with a ticking alarm clock attached.
• 1990: Shane Black is paid $1.75 million for The Last Boy Scout.
• 1990: Joe Eszterhas sells Basic Instinct to Carolco for $3 million, but is replaced by Total Recall scribe Gary Goldman when he argues with director Paul Verhoeven over explicit content. Verhoeven later came back and made peace with Eszterhas and shot Basic Instinct unchanged from Eszterhas' Original Screenplay. There will not be another million dollar spec script for over two years.
• 1991: Jim Gorman and Michael Beckner sell their action/comedy Pirate Adventure "Cutthroat Island" to Carolco Pictures for $2 million. Jim Gorman also on as Producer.
• 1991: Front page of Variety mourns the end of the modern spec market, announcing "the candy store is closed".
• 1992: Sherry Lansing is hired to run Paramount and spends $3.6 million in less than a week, $2.5 million for a two-page outline of Jade by Joe Eszterhas, and $1.1 million for the script Milk Money by John Mattson. At the time, both deals are records, respectively, for outlines and romantic comedy specs.
• 1994: After a bidding war, Shane Black is paid $4.5 million by New Line for The Long Kiss Goodnight.
• 1999: M. Night Shyamalan, who received $2.5 million for breakout script The Sixth Sense, is paid $5 million for Unbreakable, plus another $5 million to produce and direct. Later receives same sum for Signs.
• 2001: Brian Koppelman and David Levien are paid "mid against high seven figures" by Bel Air Entertainment for their unproduced drama/comedy spec script First Family.
• 2003: M. Night Shyamalan is paid $7.5 million for The Woods, later renamed The Village, but with a reduced fee of $3.21 million for producing and directing.
• 1993/2003: Madeleine Stowe is reportedly offered $5 million by 20th Century Fox for her Western script The Unbound Captives. However, she turns it down because the studio intends to limit her participation to screenwriter.
• 2004: Peter Jackson is paid the higher of $20 million aggregate or 20% of the gross to write, produce and direct King Kong. Jackson wrote the screenplay with his partner, Fran Walsh, and Phillipa Boyens.
• 2004: Bobby Florsheim and Josh Stolberg are paid $1.5 million against $2.5 million + 2% for The Passion Of The Ark, later becoming Evan Almighty. Daily Variety reports this as the highest price paid for a spec script by unproduced writers. Subsequently, Universal dumped the draft and Steve Oedekerk received sole credit.
• 2005: Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii are paid $3 million against $5 million for the script of Deja Vu.
• 2008: Peter Morgan is paid low-seven figures against mid-seven figures by DreamWorks Pictures for his spec script Hereafter.
• 2008: In a five-year deal, Seth MacFarlane is paid $100 million by 20th Century Fox for his trio of comedy shows Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show.
• 2009: In a whopping seven-figure buy, Warner Bros. purchases Inception by Christopher Nolan as his next directing vehicle.
• 2012: After a bidding war with Paramount, James Vanderbilt is reportedly paid $3 million by Sony for White House Down. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this is "one of the biggest spec sales in quite a while".
• 2018: After a bidding war, Rawson Marshall Thurber is paid $10 million to write and direct his globe-trotting heist thriller Red Notice as a starring vehicle for Dwayne Johnson.

src: www.nyfa.edu

Current records

Some of the highest amounts paid to writers for spec screenplays:

over $5 million:

• First Family (unproduced) by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, at "mid against high seven figures" to Bel Air Entertainment

$5 million:

• Deja Vu by Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii
• Unbreakable by M. Night Shyamalan

$4 million:

• The Long Kiss Goodnight by Shane Black
• Matilda by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord, at $2 million against $4 million

$3.25 million:

• Snow White and the Huntsman by Evan Daugherty, at $1.5 million against $3.25 million

$3 million:

• Basic Instinct by Joe Eszterhas
• Medicine Man by Tom Schulman
• The Ugly Americans (Eurotrip) by Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schaffer
• Bad Dog (unproduced) by Dale Launer
• Married in the Morning (unproduced) by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan
• Panic Room by David Koepp, at $2 million against $3 million
• Zookeeper by Jay Scherick and David Ronn, at $2 million against $3 million
• White House Down by James Vanderbilt
• 2012 by Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser
• Bright by Max Landis, at $3 million to Netflix (part of a $90-million package deal including Will Smith and Joel Edgerton to star, David Ayer to direct)
• All You Need is Kill (unproduced) by Dante Harper, at "nearly $3 million" to Warner Bros. (based on a Japanese novel)

$2.75 million:

• Mozart and the Whale (The Newports) by Ronald Bass. at $2 million against $2.75 million

$2.5 million:

• Troy by David Benioff
• The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan
• Twister by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Crichton
• Jade by Joe Eszterhas
• A Knight's Tale by Brian Helgeland
• Untitled Will Davies Romantic Comedy (unproduced) by Will Davies
• Jackson (unproduced) by Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson
• The Superconducting Supercollider of Sparkle Creek, Wisconsin (unproduced) by David Koepp and John Kamps, at $2.5 million against $3.25 million with an additional deferred bonus of $1.5 million for Koepp
• The Farnsworth Invention (unproduced) by Aaron Sorkin, at $2.5 million against 2% of gross
• Crazy, Stupid, Love by Dan Fogelman, at $2 million against $2.5 million

$2.3 million:

• Monster-In-Law by Anya Kochoff, at $1.3 million against $2.3 million
• Dante's Peak by Leslie Bohem, at $1 million against $2.3 million

$2.25 million:

• Untitled Disney Family Comedy (unproduced) by Kevin Bisch
• They Came From Upstairs (Aliens in the Attic) by Mark Burton
• You, Me and Dupree by Michael LeSieur
• The Break-Up by Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Garelick, and Jay Lavender

$2 million:

• The Arrangement (unproduced) by Kevin Bisch
• The Game (unproduced) by David E. Kelley
• The Worst Man (unproduced) by Michael Carnes and Josh Gilbert
• Manhattan Ghost Story (unproduced) by Ronald Bass, based on the novel by T. M. Wright.
• The Hangover by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (2007 Black List script)
• Radio Flyer by David Mickey Evans
• My Best Friend's Wedding by Ronald Bass
• Cutthroat Island by James Gorman and Michael Frost Beckner
• Forever Young by Jeffrey Abrams
• Showgirls by Joe Eszterhas
• Sacred Cows (unproduced) by Joe Eszterhas
• Reliable Sources (unproduced) by Joe Eszterhas
• Courage Under Fire by Patrick Sheane Duncan
• Tennessee (Pearl Harbor) by Randall Wallace
• River Road (unproduced) by Andrew Niccol
• Gattaca by Andrew Niccol
• The Mark (unproduced) by Rob Liefeld
• Untitled Tim Herlihy Comedy (The Ridiculous Six) by Tim Herlihy
• The Game by John Brancato and Michael Ferris
• Untitled Firestein-Pesce Action Project (unproduced) by Les Firestein and P. J. Pesce
• Going West (Switchback) by Jeb Stuart
• Untitled Michael McCullers Buddy Comedy (unproduced) by Michael McCullers
• Alpha (unproduced) by David Benioff
• Ghost Town by David Koepp and John Kamps
• Arthur & Lancelot (unproduced) by David Dobkin
• Male Pattern Baldness (unproduced) by Joe Eszterhas, at $2 million against $4.5 million
• Evil Empire (unproduced) by Joe Eszterhas, at $2 million against $4.5 million
• Land of the Free (unproduced) by Joe Eszterhas, at $2 million against $4 million

$1.8 million:

• RPM (unproduced) by J. H. Wyman, at $1.8 million against $3 million
• Stay by David Benioff

$1.75 million:

• Stalker: A Love Story About a Psycho Stalker (unproduced) by Michael Carnes and Josh Gilbert, at $1.75 million against $2 million
• Click by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe
• The Last Boy Scout by Shane Black
• Accepted by Mark Perez, at $1.25 million against $1,75 million

$1.7 million:

• A Leonard Cohen Afterworld (unproduced) by Scott Rosenberg (including producing fees)

$1.5 million:

• Evan Almighty by Bobby Florsheim and Josh Stolberg, at $1.5 million against $2.5 million (no writing credits)
• The Sweetest Thing by Nancy Pimental
• U-571 by David Ayer (pitched and sold as Squids)
• Executive Search (unproduced) by Gerald Di Pego, at $1.5 million against $2 million
• Afterlife (unproduced) by Joss Whedon, at $1.5 million against $2 million
• The Island by Caspian Tredwell-Owen, at $1 million against $1,5 million
• Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! by Victor Levin, at $800,000 against $1.5 million

$1.25 million:

• Bounce by Don Roos, at $800,000 against $1.25 million
• 99 Problems (unproduced) by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, at $1.25 against $2 million
• Reminiscence (unproduced) by Lisa Joy, reportedly at $1.25 against $2 million to Legendary Pictures
• Iron Jack (unproduced) by Johnny Rosenthal, at $1.25 against $2 million
• 8mm by Andrew Kevin Walker, at $750,000 against $1.25 million
• Letting Go (unproduced) by Jason Katims

$1.2 million:

• The Ticking Man (unproduced) by Brian Helgeland and Manny Coto
• Section 6 (unproduced) by Aaron Berg, at $1.2 against $2 million with progress to production agreement
• Mrs. Wright (unproduced) by J.T. Allen, sold in 1994 at an undisclosed figure against $1.2 million to Warner Bros.

$1.1 million:

• Milk Money by John Mattson, bought outright by Paramount in 1992
• Daylight by Leslie Bohem, at $750,000 against $1.1 million
• Out of The Furnace by Brad Ingelsby, at $650,000 against $1.1 million (pitched and sold as The Low Dweller with actor Leonardo DiCaprio and director Ridley Scott attached)

$1 million:

• Foreplay (unproduced) by Joe Eszterhas, at $1 million against $3.5 million
• Just Like A Woman (unproduced) by Victoria Strouse, at $1 million against $2 million (preemptive pick-up by New Line Cinema)
• Blackout (unproduced) by Sarah Thorp, at $1 million against $1.2 million (preemptive pick-up by Paramount Pictures)
• The Cheese Stands Alone (unproduced) by Kathy McWorter
• Blank Check by Blake Snyder and Colby Carr
• Nuclear Family (unproduced) by Blake Snyder and James Haggin (sold to Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment)
• Mena (unproduced) by Gary Spinelli, with Ron Howard attached to direct
• Winter's Knight (unproduced) by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton
• Only You to TriStar Pictures in 1992 by Diane Drake (pitched and sold as Him)
• Epsilon (unproduced) by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
• The Imitation Game by Graham Moore, at "seven figures" to Warner Brothers
• The Courier (unproduced) by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, at "seven figures" to Avenue Pictures and Intermedia (company)
• Skeleton Key by Ehren Kruger, at "seven figures" to Universal Pictures
• The Forgotten by Gerald Di Pego, at "seven figures" to Revolution Studios
• Sex Tape by Kate Angelo, reported as a "seven-figure purchase" by Sony Pictures
• The Rivals (unproduced) by Robin Swicord, at "seven figures" to DreamWorks Pictures
• Imagine (unproduced) by Dan Fogelman, at "seven figures" to Warner Bros.
• Moonfall (announced) by Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen, in a seven-figure deal to Universal Pictures
• The Aeronauts (unproduced) by Jake Thorne, in what is believed to be a potential seven-figure deal to Amazon with at least six companies vying for the project
• Nottingham by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, purchased by Universal Studios and producer Brian Grazer in an auction for seven figures. A retelling of the legend of Robin Hood, the script was re-developed and re-written by Brian Helgeland to serve as the basis for the eventual Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. Reiff and Voris are credited as story writers
• The Man Who Knew Everything (unproduced) by Mike Reiss, at "seven figures" (preemptive pick-up by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions)
• He's F***ing Perfect (unproduced) by Lauryn Kahn, bought by 20th Century Fox at $1 million in a 24-hour period after it hit the market
• Pierre Pierre (unproduced) by Edwin Cannistraci and Frederick Seton (bidding war won by Fox Atomic and Escape Artists)
• Assassins by Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski
• The Matrix by Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski
• The Metro by Randy Feldman
• Bruce Almighty by Steve Koren and Steve Oedekerk
• Training Day by David Ayer
• The P.T. Johansen Field Guide to North American Monsters (unproduced) by Andrew Mudge, who won the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival award (which included a $1 million production deal with Universal Pictures)
• Prisoners by Aaron Guzikowski, at "mid-six figures against just over $1 million" to Alcon Entertainment
• The Cable Guy by Lou Holtz, Jr., at $750,000 against $1 million
• Suspect Zero by Zak Penn, at $750,000 against $1 million
• Keeping the Faith by Stuart Blumberg, at $650,000 against $1 million
• Four Christmases by Matt R. Allen and Caleb Wilson, at $650,000 against $1 million (preemptive pick-up by Spyglass Entertainment)
• Black Knight by Darryl J. Quarles, at $625,000 against $1 million
• Dream House by David Loucka, at $600,000 against $1 million (preemptive pick-up, 2005 Black List script)
• Getting Even with Dad by Tom S. Parker and Jim Jennewein, at $500,000 against $1 million
• Frequency by Toby Emmerich, at $500,000 against $1 million
• Volcano by Jerome Armstrong, at $500,000 against $1 million
• Space Cowboys by Ken Kaufman and Howard Klausner, at $500,000 against $1 million
• Life as We Know It by Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson, at "mid six against low seven figures" to Revolution Studios
• Vantage Point by Barry L. Levy, at "mid six figures against $1 million" to Columbia Pictures
• Inside Man by Russell Gewirtz, at $400,000 against $1 million

around $900,000:

• Abduction by Shawn Christensen, at "nearly $1 million" to Lionsgate Films
• The Shallows by Anthony Jaswinski, at "high six figures" to Sony Pictures (bidding war, pitched and sold as In The Deep)
• While You Were Sleeping by Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow, at "high six figures" to Walt Disney Pictures (pitched and sold as Coma Guy)
• Vacation Friends (unproduced) by Tim Mullens and Tom Mullens, deal is reported to be near seven figures with Chris Pratt and Anna Faris attached
• John Q. by James Kearns, at "high six figures" to New Line Cinema
• Hall Pass by Pete Jones, at "high six figures" to 20th Century Fox (2005 Black List script)
• Black Flag (unproduced) by Christian Gudegast and Paul Scheuring, at "high six against low seven figures" to Warner Bros.
• Six Shooters (unproduced) by John Enbom, at "high six against low seven figures" (preemptive pick-up by Columbia Pictures)
• New Sensation (unproduced) by Chris Hauty, at "high six figures" (preemptive pick-up by New Line Cinema)
• Things to Do Before I Die (unproduced) by Cory Helms and Jamie Linden, at "high six figures" (preemptive pick-up by Warner Bros.)
• 911 (unproduced) by Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson, at "high six figures" to Columbia Pictures
• Shadow Run (unproduced) by Joe Gazzam, reportedly at "high six figures" to Sony Pictures after a bidding war with New Regency
• Orphan's Dawn (unproduced) by Josh Friedman, at "high six figures" to Davis Entertainment (2005 Black List script)
• Samurai (aka Blood In Blood Out) (unproduced) by Gavin O'Connor and Michael J. Wilson, at "high six figures" to Warner Bros.
• The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto (Pinocchio Prequel) (unproduced) by Michael Vukadinovich, at "high six figures" to 20th Century Fox
• Daddy Day Care by Geoff Rodkey, at "mid against high six figures" to 20th Century Fox
• The Weather Man by Steven Conrad, at "low against high six figures" to Escape Artists
• Wild Child by Lucy Dahl, at "mid to high six figures" (preemptive pick-up by Working Title Films)
• A Better Place (unproduced) by Brad Ingelsby, reportedly at "mid against high six figures" to 20th Century Fox

$900,000:

• The Power of Duff (unproduced) by Stephen Belber, at $900,000 against $1.25 million (part of a bidding war, 2005 Black List script))

$850,000:

• Real Steel by Dan Gilroy, at $850,000 to DreamWorks Pictures
• Wedding Banned (unproduced) by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, at $850,000 against $1.6 million
• The Ten (unproduced) by Scott Rosenberg, at $850,000 against $1.5 million
• Executive VP David M. Murch's Adventures in Zamethera (unproduced) by Michael M.B. and Galvin Peter Speakman, at $850,000 against $1.35 million (preemptive pick-up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

$800,000:

• Medieval (unproduced) by Mike Finch and Alex Litvak, at $800,000 against $1.6 million
• Stanley's Cup (unproduced) by Jeffrey Alan Schechter, at $800,000 against $1.1 million

$775,000:

• Good Will Hunting by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, at $675,000 against $775,000

$750,000:

• Steinbeck's Point of View (unproduced) by Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson, at $750,000 against $3.75 million with a potential $2 million bonus cast contingent
• Man-Woman by Bobby Florsheim and Josh Stolberg, at $750,000 against $1.5 million
• Treehouse Gang (unproduced) by Timolthy Dowling, at $750,000 against $1.5 million
• Who's Your Mama (unproduced) by Eileen Walls, at $750,000 against $1.25 million (preemptive pick-up by 20th Century Fox)
• Closers (unproduced) by Monica Johnson and Josh Stolberg, at $750,000 against $1 million
• Cardinal Bay (unproduced) by Mitchell German
• Furry Vengeance (unproduced) by MIchael Carnes and Josh Gilbert
• The Karma Coalition by Shawn Christensen, at $750,000 against $1.5 million
• Diablo (unproduced) by Christian Gudegast and Paul Scheuring, at $750,000 against $1 million (preemptive pick-up by New Line Cinema)
• The Eden Project by Christina Hodson, a female-centered sci-fi action script that appeared on the 2014 Black List
• The Truman Show by Andrew Niccol
• Cellular by Larry Cohen
• American Pie by Adam Herz, at $650,000 against $750,000 (pitched and sold as East Great Falls High or Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy Which Can Be Made for Under $10 Million Which Studio Readers Will Most Likely Hate But I Think You Will Love)
• Ronin by J.D. Zeik, at $500,000 against $750,000 if budget is over $20 million
• The Rock by David Weisberg and Douglas S. Cook, at $550,000 against $750,000
• Murder at 1600 by Wayne Beach and David Hodgin, at $450,000 against $750,000 (pitched and sold as Executive Action)
• Fool's Gold by John Claflin and Daniel Zelman, at $350,000 against $750,000

$700,000:

• Sherlock Holmes and the Vengeance of Dracula (unproduced) by Michael Valle, at $700,000 against $1 million
• Slackers by David H. Steinberg

$675,000:

• Fat Man (unproduced) by Mike Reiss, at $675,000 against seven figures

$650,000:

• Roundtable (unproduced) by Brian K. Vaughan, at $600,000 against $1 million
• View from the Top by Eric Wald, at $450,000 against $650,000
• This Means War by Marcus Gautesen, at $400,000 against $650,000
• The Reindeer Games by Ehren Kruger

$600,000:

• Titanic by James Cameron (before receiving $8-million salary and being granted backend participation)
• The Shadow Program (unproduced) by Adi Hasak and Ric Gibbs, at $600,000 against $1 million
• The Art of Cool (unproduced) by Alex Sabeti, at $600,000 against $850,000 (2006 Black List script)
• The Spy Next Door (unproduced) by Joe Ballarini, at $600,000 against $800,000
• Up in the Air by Sheldon Turner, at $250,000 against $600,000

$500,000:

• Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot by Blake Snyder
• Highlander by Gregory Widen
• First Kid by Tim Kelleher
• Serendipity by Marc Klein
• World War III (unproduced) by Jason Hightman, at $500,000 against $1.3 million
• Conjugating Niki (unproduced) by Robert Collector, at $500,000 against $1.2 million
• North of Cheyenne (unproduced) by Leslie Bohem, at $500,000 against $1 million
• Accidentally Yours (unproduced) by Leslie Dixon, at $500,000 against $1 million
• The Von Doozers (unproduced) by Phil Wen, at $500,000 against $1 million
• Dan Mintner: Badass for Hire (unproduced) by Chad Kultgen, at $500,000 against $1 million
• Invincible (unproduced) by Brad Gann, at $500,000 against $900,000
• Underage (unproduced) by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, at $500,000 against $900,000 (preemptive pick-up by DreamWorks Pictures)
• The Adventures of Sinbad the Insurance Salesman (unproduced) by Mike Reiss, at $500,000 against $850,000
• A Quarterback's Tale (unproduced) by Jim Burnstein and Garrett Schiff, at $500,000 against $800,000
• Gale Force (unproduced) by David Chappe, at $500,000 against $700,000
• Red Eye by Carl Ellsworth, at $250,000 against $500,000

$300,000:

• I Want to ____ Your Sister (unproduced) by Melissa Stack, at $300,000 against $600,000 to MTV Films and Escape Artists (2007 Black List script)

src: cdn1.thr.com

References

src: i.ytimg.com

External links

• Spec Script Sales Analysis 2008: Top Sales

Source of article : Wikipedia