One of the signature tracks of Australia’s most beloved and influential rock bands is also the most expensive to use in movies.
TikTokker Daniel Wall (@danielswall) brought the topic up in a recent clip, telling viewers the track was in a range of blockbuster movies like Deadpool 2, Battleship and Thor: Ragnarok.
“We’re talking about Thunderstruck by AC/DC,” he said, of the lead single from their 1990 album, The Razors Edge.
“Keep in mind that sync fees are usually anywhere between $15,000 and $60,000,” he continued before revealing the song’s cost.
More than half a million dollars.
Now that’s in US bucks, which works out to be over $700,000 Aussie dollerydoos.
We’re saying ‘more than’ because Wall referenced a 2014 article reporting the $500K fee was paid for the song’s use in 1999’s Varsity Blues.
He also acknowledged that was the price they paid almost 22 years ago, so it would be “definitely much, much higher now.”
@danielswall Reply to @macsceneishere What Is The Most Expensive Song to Put in a Movie? #singer #songwriter #band #movie #moviesong #sync #money #deadpool #battleship #thor #thorragnarok #acdc #band #thunderstruck #acdcthunderstruck #expensive #inflation @AC/DC #learnsomethingnew ♬ Thunderstruck – AC/DC
But despite being the most expensive, it’s also one of the most popular.
In addition to the films mentioned, it’s appeared in Daddy’s Home (2015) and Daddy’s Home 2 (2017), Delivery Man (2013), Iron Man 2 (2010), The Longest Yard (2005) and more.
