James McAvoy says Split is the only film that still pays him

Only one film still pays James McAvoy properly. It is Split.

McAvoy named the 2016 film directed by M. Night Shyamalan as the single title that “really consistently” pays him residuals, repeat payments made when a film is reused after release, speaking to host Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The first payment arrived fast. McAvoy said the initial residuals cheque came at the end of Split’s first weekend, and he described it as “bonkers”, according to the same report.

The maths helped. McAvoy said Split cost about $6 million to make, spent about $30 million on advertising and took about $40 million in its first weekend. A low budget with a large opening leaves more room for downstream payments to talent.

Bigger titles have not worked the same way. McAvoy said he does not get much in residuals from the 2008 film Wanted, and that his biggest movies generally pay little, with box-office performance influencing what follows, as reported by Yahoo Entertainment. The steady payer is not an X-Men film, according to TheWrap.

Some cheques are tiny. McAvoy said payments can range from a few hundred dollars down to 25 cents, at one point costing more to post than to issue, as reported by People.

McAvoy joined Split late. He took the lead after Joaquin Phoenix left two weeks before filming, as reported by Variety. He later reprised the role in Glass.

What makes this stand out is the contrast. A $6 million thriller keeps sending money. Franchise blockbusters often do not.