The unprecedented compromise made by Netflix for the new film “The Rip”, starring two Hollywood veterans

Netflix wanted the rights to broadcast the new action crime film “The Rip” so badly that it made a compromise from its remuneration rules that could probably only be obtained by two actors of the caliber of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, writes the magazine People.

In an unprecedented deal with Netflix, the two actor-producers have increased pay for all members of the production team on the film, a thriller that premiered this Friday.

The New York Times reported before the film's release that all 1,200 people involved in the production will receive a one-time bonus if the film does well on the streaming platform, which typically only pays cast and crew through an up-front fee.

How actors and other members of the production team are paid by streaming platforms for the films and series they make was one of the central themes of the double strike that paralyzed Hollywood in 2023 and led to the delay of the release of many film productions.

“In our experience, every person who works on this film — it's the most collaborative of all art forms” — is vital, Affleck, 53, told Variety at the New York preview of “The Rip.” “Everyone is essential,” he stressed.

“Every single person who worked on him should benefit from him,” Damon, 55, also said.

“'The Rip' follows Damon and Affleck as Miami police partners who find themselves in a delicate situation after their team discovers $24 million hidden in a conspiratorial house. Obliged by law to count the money before leaving the scene, the cops and their colleagues must survive the night – and each other,” reads the official description published by Netflix for the film.

'The Rip', instant hit for Netflix

Affleck added that the goal of his production company, Artists Equity, which he co-founded with Damon, was “to provide a decent, middle-class wage like it's been in this country for decades… There's no guarantee that you're going to be rich and successful. But if you work on a project and it's successful, you should benefit from that.”

The actor concluded with a laugh: “Also, for any bonus to be awarded, the film really has to be successful – let's be clear!”

From the looks of things, the two Hollywood veterans are about to secure a hefty bonus for their co-stars.

Data from Flix Patrol, the reference site that monitors in real time the popularity of various movies and series available on streaming platforms, shows that “The Rip” debuted in first place in the ranking of Netflix's most watched feature films and that it is in the first position in almost all countries around the world where the American platform is present.

Affleck and Damon are childhood friends, not just co-stars in the Netflix movie

In comments to The New York Times, Affleck described the Netflix deal as “philosophically fundamental to the ideas behind the founding” of Artists Equity. “We wanted to institute fairness and address some of the real, present and pressing issues of our industry.”

“The Rip,” written and directed by American filmmaker Joe Carnahan, also stars Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins and Kyle Chandler.

Carnahan, 56, told People magazine at the film's New York preview that Affleck and Damon's bond, both on and off screen, is what made the filmmaking process such a success.

“You're building on a 40-year friendship,” the filmmaker said when asked if Affleck and Damon were the right choice for “The Rip.” “You're banking on both of them being movie stars — which almost never happens; think about it: two best friends become movie stars! So the movie pretty much operates in both worlds.”

Win an Oscar alongside a beloved actor

Carnahan refers to the fact that Affleck and Damon are childhood friends, having met and grown up together in the city of Boston. The two graduated from the same high school — Affleck in 1994 and Damon in 1992 — with Damon's brother, Kyle, telling People magazine that they were “not considered the cool kids.” In fact, “they were theater buffs.”

The two began auditioning together and eventually appeared in their first film, School Ties, in 1992. In 1996, the two co-wrote the film Good Will Hunting, starring close friends, which opened their doors to Hollywood.

The film earned them both the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, while his performance in it earned the late Robin Williams the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It would be the first and only Oscar in the career of the actor who died tragically in 2014.

In Romania, the movie “Good Will Hunting” can currently be seen both on Netflix and on the streaming platform SkyShowtime.