The Rip Cast and Crew Receive Performance Bonus Under Unique Netflix Deal

Artists Equity announced that the 1,200-person cast and crew of *The Rip* received a performance bonus. The payout follows a contractual provision that triggers a bonus when the film reaches specified Netflix viewership thresholds.

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Artists Equity, founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in 2022 with financing from Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners, promotes a business model in which all participants share in a film’s profits. Netflix traditionally pays an upfront licensing fee without offering viewership-based incentives. The *The Rip* agreement represents a departure from that norm, embedding a shared-value clause into the distribution contract.

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• Ben Affleck – Co-founder of Artists Equity, actor, and future director of the Netflix project *Animals*.

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• Matt Damon – Co-founder of Artists Equity and actor.

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• Artists Equity – Production banner pursuing profit-sharing arrangements.

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• Netflix – Streaming platform that entered the unique incentive structure for *The Rip*.

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• Joe Carnahan – Director of *The Rip*.

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• January 2024 – Affleck publicly disclosed the Netflix incentive deal for *The Rip*.

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• January 2024 – *The Rip* released on Netflix.

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• First three days – Film logged 41.6 million views.

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• Wednesday (article date) – Artists Equity confirmed the bonus payout to cast and crew.

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The film attracted 41.6 million views within its opening three-day window, meeting the threshold that activated the performance-bonus clause.

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Affleck and Damon emphasized that Artists Equity was built on the principle that filmmakers should share in the value they create. They expressed gratitude to the cast, crew, and Netflix for the collaboration and highlighted the deal as a proof point for future shared-hit projects.

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• “We built Artists Equity on the belief that filmmakers should share in the value they bring to a project,” — Ben Affleck, Co-founder, Artists Equity

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• “They each played a critical role in making this film the success that it is.” — Matt Damon, Co-founder, Artists Equity

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• “We are grateful for their work and glad to see it connecting so deeply with audiences.” — Ben Affleck, Co-founder, Artists Equity

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• “We wanted to institute fairness and address some of the real issues that are present and urgent for our business.” — Ben Affleck, Co-founder, Artists Equity

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The bonus demonstrates a viable model where streaming platforms incorporate performance-based compensation, potentially encouraging broader adoption of profit-sharing contracts and altering traditional upfront-fee arrangements.

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Artists Equity’s first-look agreement with Netflix, initiated in March, includes the upcoming Affleck-directed film *Animals*, starring Steven Yeun, Kerry Washington, and Gillian Anderson.

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All available sources present a consistent account of the bonus arrangement; no contradictory figures or alternative interpretations were identified.

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