Back-End
From ForcaWiki, the simple encyclopedia
| In one sentence | A casual way of referring to a royalty or a participation, the money someone earns after a movie is released, rather than up front. |
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| Category | Film and Television |
| Related | Royalty, Participation, Point |
Imagine getting paid for a lawn mowing job in two parts: a small amount right away, called the "front end," and then a bit more later, once the lawn's owner is happy with how it grew in. That second, later payment is the back end of the deal.
Back-end is exactly that idea for a movie deal. It is a casual term for money someone earns after a movie comes out, based on how well it does, rather than a flat fee paid up front. It can refer to either a Royalty or a Participation, since both are ways of getting paid later, tied to the movie's actual success.
Fun facts
- People often say a star "took a smaller upfront fee for a bigger back-end," meaning they bet on the movie's success instead of taking a bigger guaranteed paycheck.
- Back-end deals can end up paying far more than any upfront fee, if the movie becomes a massive hit, but they can also pay very little or nothing at all.
- A back-end deal is usually measured in points, each one worth one percent of whatever profit or gross receipts it is tied to.