Zach Cregger's Horror Thriller 'Weapons' Made On A 38M USD Budget, Here's The Estimated Cast Salary

Zach Cregger has returned to the horror genre with Weapons, a gripping mystery thriller that has already earned critical acclaim following its international release. The movie is written, directed, and produced all by Zach Cregger, who is best known for the breakout hit Barbarian, which was also a horror film. With a star-studded cast including Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, and Benedict Wong, Weapons blends themes of psychological horror with a haunting supernatural mystery.

 It was first released in the Philippines on August 6, 2025, followed by a U.S. debut on August 8, 2025. As the horror-mystery haunts the theatres, here is an estimated breakdown of the Weapons' star-studded cast's salary. Although the actors’ wages remain under wraps, we can piece together educated estimates by examining comparable industry trends and known pay figures.

What is Zach Cregger’s Weapons about?

Weapons is a chilling mystery that unfolds in the quiet town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, when 17 children from the same class vanish simultaneously in the middle of the night at 2:17a.m. exact. As their teacher, 'Justine Gandy', played by Julia Garner, and grieving father, 'Archer Graff', played by Josh Brolin, search for the kids, they are drawn into a terrifying web of nightmares, possession, and witchcraft linked to a mysterious woman named ‘Gladys’ played by Amy Madigan. Soon, it becomes clear that the missing children are being controlled by a dark ritual rooted in the supernatural. 

Zach Cregger’s paycheck for Weapons reflects his rising status as a horror film director

As reported by Flickonflick, Zach Cregger, who was also the filmmaker behind the 2022 horror hit Barbarian, has reportedly received a whopping amount of 10 million USD for his work as the writer, director, and producer of Weapons. This paycheck highlights his growing influence in the horror genre and also his multi faceted role in production of the film.

Weapons had an impressive budget of 38 million USD for production costs

New Line Cinema has allegedly invested a total of 38 million USD into Weapons; this amount covers both production costs and actor salaries of the film. This sizable budget suggests that the studio had a strong expectations for the film’s critical and commercial success, especially given the buzz around its ensemble cast and storyline capture from the very beginning when the project was just announced.

How much is the cast of Weapons being paid?

While the exact salaries of the cast are not yet disclosed, with the reported budget, actors' previous roles, the prestige they bring to the project and paychecks they have taken before can help draw a likely estimate of their salaries. Julia Garner, who leads Weapons as teacher, ‘Justine Gandy’, is no stranger to high-profile compensation. Her Emmy-winning role as ‘Ruth Langmore’ on Ozark reportedly earned her around 300,000 USD per episode. Given her stature today, it’s reasonable to estimate that her salary for Weapons could fall between 1-2 million USD, especially considering her central role in the story.

Opposite to Julia is Josh Brolin, who is no stranger to blockbuster paychecks himself. He had roughly earned 5-6 million USD for portraying ‘Thanos’ in Avengers: Infinity War and likely a similar amount for Endgame. While Weapons isn’t a Marvel project, made with a thousand-dollar budget, Josh’s star power suggests he could allegedly command a salary in the 3-5 million USD range easily.

Supporting players such as Alden Ehrenreich, Amy Madigan, and Benedict Wong occupy the mid-range salary tier. Historically, and according to industry standards, actors in similar ensemble films and roles receive pay within the bracket of 500,000 to 1 million USD. As for the younger and emerging actors involved with the film, namely Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, and June Diane Raphael, their estimated pay is assumed to be between 250,000 and 500,000 USD each, as per the industry standards.

Weapons' budget of 38 million USD covered both its production and salaries. It would be a plausible assumption that around 6-8 million USD of that budget has gone to the two leads, while 3-4 million USD has gone to the supporting cast. That leaves a remaining 20+ million USD to fund production, crew, sets, and other technicalities that Weapons needed. However, till the time an official report supports these claims, they remain speculations and a knowledgeable guess.

What are your thoughts about the estimated cast salaries of Weapons' crew?

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