Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly has to pay Warner Bros. $1 each year for a rather unusual reason.
Anyone who watched the Oscars earlier this year may recall Arnie taking the stage with Danny DeVito.
The pair, who both once played Batman villains, then poked fun at former Batman Michael Keaton in the audience with a comedy skit.
It is Schwarzenegger’s role as Mr Freeze in 1997’s Batman & Robin that links to why he reportedly makes that annual payment.
Actors often keep props from major productions as mementos.
For example, Ian McKellen told Time he keeps Gandalf’s sword Glamdring at home.
Schwarzenegger also appears to possess memorabilia from his films, including his Mr Freeze costume.
So, why does that mean he pays $1 each year?
The payment operates as a ‘peppercorn’ — a nominal, symbolic sum used to validate a legal agreement.
In this case the $1 yearly fee reportedly secures Schwarzenegger a long-term lease on the Batman & Robin costume.
By paying the studio that token amount he gets to keep the costume while formally acknowledging the studio retains ownership.
That arrangement likely means the costume will return to Warner Bros. rather than becoming part of his estate when he dies.
Producer Peter Macgregor-Scott told The Hollywood Reporter the decision to allow the lease “went all the way to the top of the studio.”
“Storage after a movie like Batman Forever becomes a real element. A lot of the sets get folded and held so they are available for the next picture if need be. We didn’t keep the cave, because the cave is so unwieldy.
“You had to make the cave each time. All the unused bat costumes. All the wardrobe saved. The actors would like to walk off with pieces, and we have to be very careful that that happens to an absolute minimum.”
Macgregor-Scott added that Schwarzenegger specifically wanted a Mr. Freeze costume and that arrangements reached the highest studio levels.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted a costume of Mr. Freeze. It went all the way up to the top of the studio. He had to sign a contract, and I think he pays $1 per year to borrow the costume.
“The lights in those costumes last 9,000 hours. He doesn’t have them on all day long, but he does turn them on quite frequently.”
And to be fair, it’s not like Arnie needs the money.