James McAvoy Says Only One Film Still Pays Him: 'Split'

James McAvoy says only one film in his career still sends him consistent residual checks: M. Night Shyamalan's 2016 thriller "Split." The actor, known for "Atonement," "X-Men: First Class" and "Speak No Evil," made the disclosure on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Most residual payments, he explained, amount to almost nothing. "You get the odd check for, you know, a couple 100 quid here or sometimes you get checks for, like, 25 cents and you're like, 'It literally costs more to post this than it did for me to cash it,'" McAvoy said. "But the only one that really consistently pays me is 'Split.'"

Why 'Split' keeps paying

The film's economics explain the checks. McAvoy recalled that "Split" was made for roughly $6 million, with a reported advertising spend of about $30 million, and that it earned $40 million in its opening weekend alone.

"I think it was made for like $6 million or something like that? And let's say they spent 30 advertising it. In our first weekend, we made 40, so we were in profit," McAvoy said. "Our first residual check came at the end of the first weekend. It was bonkers."

The numbers bear him out. The production budget was just $6 million. The film grossed $138.29 million domestically and $140.16 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $278.45 million.

In "Split," McAvoy plays a man who kidnaps three girls and who has been diagnosed with 23 distinct personalities. Per the film's official description, the girls "must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th." Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson and Jessica Sula starred alongside him.

What does Shyamalan's method change for McAvoy?

The actor also reflected on what he absorbed from Shyamalan as a director. The lesson was preparation, on films made under tight financial constraints.

"The thing I took away from him is his preparedness," McAvoy said. "He made that film, and ['Glass'] on incredibly modest budgets, and very focused on how he would maximize his day and maximize his shots and maximize what he got out of the story by just being incredibly well-prepared and being able to share that and communicate that with the crew."

McAvoy said he drew on many directors he has worked with, both consciously and subconsciously, but Shyamalan's discipline on modest budgets stood apart. That discipline produced a sequel, "Glass," on the same frugal model.

What does this change for McAvoy's audience? It offers a rare actor's-eye view of how residuals actually function, and a reminder that box-office efficiency, not star power, determines which checks keep arriving. For an actor with two decades of credits, the film that pays most reliably is the one that cost the least to make.