With the third entry of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise hitting theaters this month, audiences might be wondering how much writer and star Nia Vardalos was paid for each of the rom-com trilogy’s installments. My Big Fat Greek Wedding‘s sequel films haven’t lived up to the sky-high expectations of the 2002 original, but that doesn’t mean Vardalos’s paycheck has taken a hit. After all, even two decades later, the first movie remains the most successful rom-com of all time — on an indie budget of just $5 million, the film garnered a staggering $368.7 million at the worldwide box office.
The sleeper hit put Vardalos on the Hollywood map, became a pop culture phenomenon, and made a lasting imprint on the rom-com genre. Based on Vardalos’s own life, the first film follows Toula Portokalos (Vardalos), a 30-something woman who has hit something of a rut, due in large part to her loud, intrusive family. Over the course of the movie, Toula finds herself, embraces her family, and falls in love with non-Greek Ian Miller (John Corbett). While the 2016 and 2023 sequels didn’t boast the same box office draw, Vardalos has still made millions off all three My Big Fat Greek Wedding movies, further ballooning her impressive net worth.
Nia Vardalos Made Millions For The My Big Fat Greek Wedding Movies
Thanks to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, writer and actor Nia Vardalos boasts a multi-million dollar net worth. Before gathering the now-iconic My Big Fat Greek Wedding cast that audiences know and love, the project started out as a one-woman show about Vardalos’s lived experiences. The performance caught the interest of Hollywood couple Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, who approached Vardalos about translating the live-comedy showcase into a feature-film screenplay. In addition to Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, Vardalos earned a good chunk of change for her writing and acting contributions: reportedly a little over $200,000 (via The Richest).
Although Vardalos allegedly received $10 million in profit sharing, she filed a lawsuit against the film’s production companies, asserting she didn’t receive the “eight percent of the adjusted gross profits” her contract called for in the wake of the movie’s unexpected box office success (via Parade). My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 had a weak draw in comparison to the first film, grossing just over $90 million worldwide against an $18 million budget. While it’s not clear how much My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 cost to make, Vardalos was probably compensated handsomely for both sequels, as the franchise has proven to be lucrative.
What Nia Vardalos’ Current Net Worth Is
As the highest-grossing rom-com of all time, My Big Fat Greek Wedding grossed 75 times its slim budget. Even though Nia Vardalos entered into a pay dispute with the first movie’s production companies, she still ended up making millions off the rom-com. The same goes for the sequels: while they aren’t as well received, and while they didn’t have as impressive grosses, they still proved to be box office successes, adding to Vardalos’s impressive financial takeaway. That said, most celebrity earnings sites estimate that Nia Vardalos’s current net worth is around $10 million thanks to the My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie franchise.
Sources: The Richest, Parade
