Arnold Schwarzenegger has been paying Warner Bros. $1 annually for almost three decades so that he can preserve a memento. The sum goes towards keeping his Mr. Freeze suit from the 1997 Batman & Robin movie, and the arrangement began shortly after the film's release. Despite his attachment to the costume, the film's ratings were abysmal.
Film producer Peter Macgregor-Scott spilled the details about the agreement, telling The Hollywood Reporter in June 2015 that they have to be very careful with pieces on set "to an absolute minimum." When speaking of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Mr. Freeze suit, he said,
"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."
But why the $1? The sum is a symbolic payment, also known as a "peppercorn," that legally binds a contract. In this case, by paying the annual sum, the actor gets to lease out the suit, but the symbol acknowledges the studio's ownership. This implies that Warner Bros. will likely take the costume back when Arnold passes away.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had Jon Bon Jovi deliver him Cuban cigars on set of Batman & Robin
Macgregor-Scott also described working with Schwarzenegger on set. He claimed that people were reportedly paid about $10,000 for a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger. In September 2024, SlashFilm reported that Jon Bon Jovi allegedly delivered Arnie's preferred Cuban cigars to him on set.
"I had the security people all over the stage. Clearing people out who had cameras on them. They were getting $10,000 for a picture of Arnold."
Arnold Schwarzenegger is possibly the only one of his co-stars who has no regrets about Batman & Robin. He told Empire magazine in January 2012,
"I don't regret it at all. I felt that the character was interesting and two movies before that one Joel Schumacher was at his height. So the decision-making process was not off."
However, while Arnie may have basked in the joy of working on Batman & Robin, his other co-stars have disowned the film entirely. For example, George Clooney, who played the titular character Batman/Bruce Wayne, told Entertainment Tonight in December 2023 that he doesn't think "there's enough drugs in the world" for him to go back.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was last seen for the show TMZ Presents: Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons with Sylvester Stallone. He also starred in Netflix's FUBAR, an action comedy TV series. The show marked his first lead role in a scripted live-action television series.
Check out Soap Central for the latest updates on movies and TV shows.
