Twins Was A Surprise Box Office Smash And Arnold Schwarzenegger's Biggest Payday Ever
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
"When I said I wanted to do a comedy it was like, 'Arnold, why would you waste that time?" Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of cinema's all-time great action heroes, recalled during an appearance on "The Nerdist" podcast in 2014. In the mid to late '80s, nobody could touch Schwarzenegger. From "Terminator" to "Predator" and films like "Commando," nearly everything the bodybuilder-turned-actor touched turned to gold. So why mess that up by trying to do a comedy? Or so that's what the moneymen in Hollywood thought. But Schwarzenegger had a vision and no was not an option. His resilience led to the biggest payday of his illustrious career. Of all things, that giant payday came from his 1988 comedy "Twins."
Directed by the late, great Ivan Reitman, the film co-stars Danny DeVito ("Taxi," "Romancing the Stone") and focuses on a pair of unlikely siblings who resulted from a genetic experiment. Schwarzenegger plays Julius, an educated and sheltered giant with a big heart. DeVito plays Vincent, a hustler who loves women and money. After being separated at birth, the pair reunite only to find themselves with a hitman on their tail, setting them off on a wild adventure.
It was the first example of Schwarzenegger playing against type but audiences ate it up. It was the right movie at the right time made by the right people. The faith that Schwarzenegger, DeVito, and Reitman had in the project would be greatly rewarded, even if Hollywood at large didn't have that same faith in the concept.
In this week's Tales from the Box Office, in honor of the 35th anniversary of "Twins," we're looking back at the film, how it came to be, the unique deal that secured funding for the movie, what happened when it hit theaters, and what lessons we can learn from it all these years later. Let's dig in, shall we?
The movie: Twins
"I was so convinced that I would be great in a comedy, but I also understood the dilemma that the studios were in. The studios saw me, every time I did a movie, the movies made huge money. So it was natural to offer me another action movie," Schwarzenegger explained in a 2016 interview with Graham Bensinger. "I understand that this is what the audience wants me to do." Indeed, Hollywood has a habit of pigeonholing people, and Schwarzenegger — who parlayed his success as a bodybuilder into an unlikely career as a leading man — was in the midst of being pigeonholed as an action star. That wasn't something he was willing to live with.
Schwarzenegger was at the top of his game at this time, with each movie netting him more than the last. But we're also talking about a man who has always had his eye on the long game, who understood that one payday wasn't going to set up his career for the future. In order to have a longer career as a leading man, Schwarzenegger needed to broaden his horizons. But how could he convince the business to accept him in a comedy? Enter Ivan Reitman.
Schwarzenegger met Reitman in Aspen shortly after the filmmaker had done "Ghostbusters," which was a monster hit. That placed them both at the very top of their respective games. It was during this meeting in Aspen that the two decided to work together.
"He came up to me after three days of being up there in Aspen and he said, 'You have a side that no one has ever seen on the screen. You're very funny," Schwarzenegger recalled on that same episode of "The Nerdist." So, when Reitman got back to Los Angeles, he set about developing some potential projects that would team them up. Of the projects that were in the running, one called "The Experiment" is what Schwarzenegger connected with. This would ultimately become "Twins."
A blockbuster deal made on a napkin
Danny DeVito, meanwhile, was becoming a bigger movie star in his own right after breaking out on the small screen on "Taxi." In those days, it was far less common for actors to make the transition from TV to movies. Traditional logic wouldn't have brought one around to this unique pairing of stars. Ivan Reitman, speaking to John C. Tibbetts in 1998 about the film, explained how the pairing came to be:
"I happened to meet [Schwarzenegger and DeVito] separately in one week and I started thinking, 'Boy, it would be interesting if we put the two of them together in a film.' Then these two guys from England, these two writers, pitched this idea to me one day about an experiment that resulted in these two strange brothers. I thought maybe that could work. Maybe those brothers could become Arnold and Danny. And why not make them twins while we're at it?"
For what it's worth, Schwarzenegger stated in the podcast that he suggested DeVito to Reitman. Either way, these chance meetings brought the trio together. That still didn't mean Hollywood would easily be convinced that the world's biggest action hero could convincingly do comedy. So, they had to get creative when it came to the deal-making.
"I remember sitting in a restaurant and signed, on a napkin, our agreement for the movie," Schwarzenegger said on "The Nerdist." Indeed, the initial deal between the three was scribbled out on a napkin. That's where it started. But just because these three A-listers were on board didn't mean it was going to be an easy sell. In Schwarzenegger's recent book, "Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life," he explains that it was tough to find a studio that was willing to take a risk on the project despite the talent involved.
'How much do you want for the movie?'
In fairness, up to that point in his career, Schwarzenegger had done nothing to indicate that comedy was something he could pull off. So, he, Reitman, and DeVito decided to get crafty and offer the studios a deal they couldn't pass up. They would take zero money upfront to mitigate the studio's risk. In return? They would own a sizable chunk of the movie.
"When they came back to me and said, 'How much do you want for the movie?' I said, 'Nothing.' They said, 'What do you mean nothing?' I said, 'Just give me backend," Schwarzenegger explained on "The Nerdist" podcast. "Let me, Danny, and Ivan own 40% of the movie as a package and never take one dollar.'" Never was a bit of a stretch but, in essence, they would only make money if the studio made money.
While actors sharing in on a movie's profits is far more common these days — with Robert Downy Jr. and his share of the Marvel films serving as a prime example — this was far less common back then. And, frankly, a creative trio owning such a large percentage is still pretty damn unique. But this allowed Universal to make the movie less than $20 million (the budget has been pegged between $15 and $18 million), as they didn't have to pay any of the biggest names up front.
Through sheer determination, Schwarzenegger got his wish and was now co-headlining a major studio comedy from a director at the top of his game. The question: would audiences accept Arnold the comedy star? The answer was a resounding yes.
The financial journey
Universal released "Twins" on December 9, 1988, just ahead of the holiday season, which can often be a very lucrative window for a film. It's also important to remember that 35 years ago, movies didn't live and die by opening weekend nearly as much. Legs were more of a thing. In this case, the movie sprouted impressively long legs.
"Twins" topped the charts on its opening weekend, taking in $11.1 million. Admittedly competition wasn't fierce as "My Stepmother is an Alien" was the weekend's other big new release. What's most impressive is that the film ended up staying on top in its second weekend with a $7.7 million haul despite heavy competition from "Rain Man" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."
The movie topped the charts for four consecutive weekends and was, without question, a runaway smash hit. All told, the film took in $111.9 million domestically to go along with an equally huge $104.6 million internationally for a grand total of $216.6 million. It's also worth pointing out that, at that time, the international box office wasn't typically as robust as it is these days. This resulted in monster paydays for Schwarzenegger, DeVito, and Reitman. On "The Nerdist," Schwarzenegger explained just how much money they all made.
"We all made more money on that movie than on anything we've ever done, even though I had salaries of $30 million on some movies. This was the biggest payday because we owned a percentage of everything – of TV rights, of cable rights, of merchandising, everything. Whatever it was, we owned that money. So we made a fortune."
Sure, certain A-list stars might get backend deals for what a movie makes at the box office, but the fact that the trio owned 40% of everything? This was in the heyday of home video sales. We're talking VHS, eventually DVD, cable rights, all of it.
The lessons contained within
It's not hard to see how that take-home profit could eventually eclipse a single $30 million payday. Universal made money too, but they also knew they would've made far more with a typical deal.
"Whoever the studio executive was then, after the movie came out, and after we made all of the money he says, 'You know what you guys did to me?' He turned around, and he pulled out his pockets, and he says, 'You robbed me blind and you f****d me!'" Schwarzenegger revealed in that same 2016 interview with Graham Bensinger. Certainly, that was said in jest but the point still comes across crystal clear.
A couple of things stand out looking back at what happened here. For one, it illustrates the sheer star power of Arnold Schwarzenegger at that time. Outside of perhaps Tom Cruise, we just don't have global superstars like that anymore, capable of filling theaters around the world largely because their name is on the poster. Schwarzenegger had that power even outside of the genre audiences came to know him for in movies like "The Terminator." Action, comedy, it didn't matter — Schwarzenegger was the selling point. It provided the star with the flexibility to take on all sorts of roles in the years to come. He, DeVito, and Reitman would even re-team several years later on another comedy, "Junior."
Beyond that, the sheer integrity displayed by Schwarzenegger — as well as Reitman and DeVito — is worth marveling at. This is an actor who could have continued to take huge paydays and do his thing. He also could have played hardball with a studio to get a paycheck for a comedy. Instead, Schwarzenegger bet on himself and found people willing to go on this journey with him. In the end, that determination, faith, and stick-to-itiveness were handsomely rewarded.