One of the biggest rock songs in history carries a massive price tag for movie studios that want to use it. Having appeared in at least eight movies including “Varsity Blues,” “The Longest Yard,” “Iron Man 2” and “Deadpool 2,” AC/DC’s 1990 hit “Thunderstruck” is the most expensive tune to include in a film according to a video by TikTok influencer Daniel Wall. “What is the most expensive song to include in a movie?” asked Wall. “This song was in movies like Deadpool 2 [2017], Battleship [2012] and Thor: Ragnarok [2017]. We’re talking about ‘Thunderstruck‘ by AC/DC. Keep in mind that sync fees are usually anywhere between $15,000 and $60,000. So how much does this song cost to put in your movie? Half a million dollars.“ (Note: “Thunderstruck” actually didn’t appear in “Thor: Ragnarok” but was added via what became a popular a fan edit online later, replacing Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.”)
Synch fees are paid for the use of copyrighted music in movies, TV shows, video games and advertisements. In 1999, Wall noted that it cost the makers of “Varsity Blues” $500,000 for the song. “This was the price they paid almost 22 years ago,” he said, “so it’s definitely much, much higher now.”
“Varsity Blues” music supervisor Thomas Golubic said: “I remember being absolutely horrified when I heard that number. And we spent a lot of time coming up with what we thought were great alternates, but there was going to be no budget on that, and they had money so they paid for it.” “Thunderstruck” has also appeared in episodes of “My Name Is Earl,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “Training Day,” “New Girl” and “Supernatural,” among others. AC/DC guitarist Angus Young was quoted in the 2003 re-release of the band’s 1990 album, “The Razors Edge”: “It started off from a little trick I had on guitar. I played it to Mal and he said ‘Oh, I’ve got a good rhythm idea that will sit well in the back.’ We built the song up from that. We fiddled about with it for a few months before everything fell into place. Lyrically, it was really just a case of finding a good title … We came up with this thunder thing, based on our favourite childhood toy ThunderStreak, and it seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea.”
The song has sold millions as a download and nearly 2 million more as a ringtone. In October of last year, the video passed one billion views on YouTube, the first AC/DC song to achieve the distinction.
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