Actor James McAvoy revealed that his 2017 thriller Split remains his only consistent source of ongoing residuals, generating profit by the end of its opening weekend after being produced on a modest budget.
While Hollywood stars frequently field questions about lucrative back-end deals and steady payouts from blockbuster franchises, James McAvoy offered a starkly different financial reality. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Scottish actor detailed a residuals landscape where major motion pictures routinely return negligible amounts, leaving a modest-budget psychological thriller as the single reliable outlier in his filmography.
Residuals That Barely Cover Postage
McAvoy explained that income generated from subsequent distribution on television, home video, and streaming under SAG-AFTRA agreements rarely amounts to significant figures. Across most of his extensive catalog, royalty payments arrive in unpredictable trickles.
James McAvoy reveal that he still gets residuals from SPLIT (2017):“I think it was made for like $6 million… they spent 30 advertising it. In our first weekend, we made 40, so we were in profit. Our first residual check came at the end of the first weekend. It was bonkers.” pic.twitter.com/O9LpxSZVvR
Discussing the financial return from past projects, McAvoy noted that checks often range from a couple of hundred British pounds down to fractional sums.
Sometimes you get checks for, like, 25 cents.
James McAvoy, actor
When podcast host Josh Horowitz suggested that the 2008 action movie Wanted—in which McAvoy starred alongside Angelina Jolie—must provide substantial ongoing revenue, the actor pushed back against the assumption. He clarified that he does not receive too much money from that project, adding that certain micro-payments cost more in postal expenses than the actual value printed on the check.
How Split Turned an Immediate Profit
In sharp contrast to his other credits, the 2017 psychological thriller Split continues to deliver steady checks. McAvoy credited the financial structure put in place by director M. Night Shyamalan for the turnaround.
The production relied on a modest budget of approximately $6 million, paired with an estimated $30 million advertising spend. Driven by a domestic opening weekend of $40 million, the film crossed into profitability almost immediately.
It was made for $6 million or something like that. I’d say they spent $30 [million] advertising it. Our first weekend, we made $40 [million], so we made profit. Our first residuals check came at the end of the first weekend.
James McAvoy, actor
Box-office tracker The Numbers lists a $9 million production budget and a $40 million domestic opening following the film’s Jan. 20, 2017, release. It remained at No. 1 for three consecutive weekends and eventually grossed more than $278 million worldwide. McAvoy characterized the rapid return as bonkers
, praising the filmmaker’s discipline on set.
Director Preparation and Playing 24 Personalities
Beyond the film’s financial architecture, McAvoy highlighted Shyamalan’s meticulous preparedness as a driving factor in keeping budgets low while maintaining narrative focus. The director maximized daily shooting schedules and communicated clearly with the crew, methods that also shaped the 2019 sequel Glass, which connected Split with Shyamalan’s earlier film Unbreakable.
In Split, McAvoy starred as Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with dissociative identity disorder, portraying 24 identities with different voices and mannerisms. While the role generated discussion about awards recognition at the time, McAvoy noted he never seriously expected major Hollywood institutions to embrace a psychological horror performance.