Hollywood Stars Secure Unprecedented Netflix Bonus Deal for Film Crew
Nearly three decades after shocking the film industry with their groundbreaking Good Will Hunting success, childhood friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are once again making waves in Hollywood. The duo, who famously sold their first screenplay for US$600,000 in 1997, have negotiated a first-of-its-kind agreement with streaming giant Netflix that will benefit the entire crew of their upcoming crime thriller The Rip.
Revolutionizing Compensation in Streaming Era
Through their production company Artists Equity, founded in 2022, Damon and Affleck have brokered a deal where Netflix will award performance-based bonuses to all 1,200 individuals who worked on The Rip if the film performs well on the streaming platform following its release. This innovative approach to crew compensation represents a significant shift in how streaming services recognize and reward the contributions of film production teams.
"We thought that it was fantastic," Damon said about the film during a recent interview. The project marks another collaboration between the longtime friends who first achieved fame together with their Oscar-winning screenplay that earned nine Academy Award nominations and two wins, catapulting them to international stardom.
The Rip: A Tense Crime Thriller with True Story Roots
Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, The Rip draws inspiration from actual events and centers on a group of Miami police officers led by Affleck and Damon who discover a stash house containing $20 million in cash. The film explores the psychological tension that develops as the officers begin to distrust one another, with growing fears that someone within their group might attempt to steal the massive fortune.
"What I liked about that is it isn't just the jeopardy of an object coming at you or a bullet, it's another person and are they going to make that decision?" Affleck explained about the film's psychological drama. "So there's a psychological drama that's embedded in the story."
Artists Equity: A New Production Philosophy
The bonus agreement reflects the core philosophy behind Artists Equity, the production company Damon and Affleck established to create more equitable opportunities within the film industry. The company represents their latest effort to reshape Hollywood's business practices, following their early success with Good Will Hunting that transformed them from unknown writers to A-list stars.
Damon described their decision to work on The Rip, noting their long-standing relationship with director Joe Carnahan dating back to his 2002 film Narc. "We've known Joe for decades," Damon said. "He sent us the script and we read it, and the experience of reading it is similar to the experience of watching it. You're on your toes the entire time, you don't know who to trust and it keeps you guessing."
Continuing a Legacy of Industry Innovation
This latest move continues Damon and Affleck's pattern of challenging Hollywood conventions. Their original Good Will Hunting success story—where two relatively unknown actors sold their screenplay and starred in the resulting film—has become legendary in industry circles. Now, with The Rip and their Netflix bonus agreement, they're addressing contemporary issues in film compensation during the streaming era.
The performance-based bonus structure represents a novel approach to recognizing crew contributions in an industry where streaming success metrics differ significantly from traditional box office performance. As streaming platforms continue to dominate film distribution, agreements like this one could potentially establish new standards for how production teams are compensated for successful projects.
With The Rip scheduled for release and the bonus agreement in place, Damon and Affleck demonstrate that their influence extends beyond acting and writing to include meaningful changes in how the film industry operates and compensates its workforce.
