Did ‘Battleship’ Help Rihanna Reach Billionaire Status?
Big news emerged for Rihanna–the megastar just reached billionaire status! The singer, actor, fashion designer, and businessperson rose to fame in large part due to her worldwide success as a singer. Most recognize Rihanna’s biggest hits when they play on the radio such as “Disturbia, “Umbrella,” “S&M,” “We Found Love,” and countless other songs.
But most fans know that the star has also appeared in a few movies. One of them is Battleship, the military sci-fi action film that was released in 2012. Now that she hit the jackpot, some fans are wondering if Rihanna’s role in the action flick contributed to her fortune.
What is ‘Battleship’ About?
The movie includes an all-star cast aside from Rihanna, including Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker, Tadanobu Asano, and Liam Neeson. The main character, Alex Hopper, is encouraged by his brother to join the U.S. Navy to clean up his reckless lifestyle. Years later, Alex is the bad apple of the Naval team and may face disciplinary discharge. Luckily, he has the chance to redeem himself when aliens invade Earth.
Through grand action-packed moments, the movie intends to grip its audience for the ride as the military fights to save the world. The director, Peter Berg, explained to GQ why he cast Rihanna for her role as Gunner’s Mate.
“The idea to cast Rihanna came from me,” the director said. “I then saw her do this stupid little Saturday Night Live skit where she was in a classroom giving a hard time to these boys. She was funny as all hell! I knew in that moment that the girl could act. No question.”
Did ‘Battleship’ make her a billionaire today?
The film was unfortunately a box office bomb. Battleship earned a worldwide total of $300 million against a production budget that was just over $200 million. According to the BBC, the film struggled to attract younger viewers, as the audience mainly consisted of people 30+ years old.
Rihanna, therefore, did not profit highly from the action flick. But she starred in a few other films that were minor contributions to her earnings, including her first appearance in Bring It On: All Or Nothing. Rihanna later had a voice role in Home and starred in other movies such as This Is the End, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and Bates Motel.
Then what exactly made Rihanna a billionaire?
Rihanna’s business ventures played a huge role in her fortune
It’s a common notion to think that the R&B singer is wealthy because of her music career. However, Forbes disagrees and explained the real reason why she is a billionaire.
Rihanna’s beauty line, Fenty Beauty, is why she skyrocketed to her $1.7 billion fortune. A large chunk of her earnings is estimated to be $1.4 billion, which lies in the 50% ownership Rihanna has of Fenty Beauty. The rest of her earnings is credited to her lingerie company followed by her music and acting career. The star’s lingerie company, Savage x Fenty, rakes in around $270 million of total revenues.
The beauty brand catapulted from both Rihanna’s established fame and her social media presence. Fenty Beauty products became available online and in Sephora stores across the U.S, surpassing other beauty lines including Kylie Jenner’s and Kim Kardashian West’s brands. By 2018, Fenty Beauty earned a total of more than $550 million in revenues.
Rihanna’s success as a businessperson financially overpowered her music and acting career; However, longtime fans continue to refer their adoration to her music videos and songs.
Related: Are Rihanna and Taylor Swift Friends? The Singers Have 1 Odd Similarity
