There was a time when Carolco Pictures could do no wrong. They were the studio that brought us 'Field of Dreams,' 'Terminator 2,' and every single 'Rambo' movie. With all that success in their history - and more importantly, in their bank accounts - they ought to have been bulletproof against the cost of at least one commercial failure. Perhaps assuming that they couldn't sink was the reason they spent so much money on 'Cutthroat Island' in 1995.
Carolco spent $90m on what they thought would be the ultimate pirate adventure, and decided that stunt-casting Geena Davis as a pirate captain would seal the deal, apparently not bothering to check whether Davis could actually play the part convincingly. Spoiler: she couldn't. 'Generic' was one of the kinder words used to describe the film, which took barely $10m for an $80m loss. Carolco, which was simultaneously suffering further losses from the failure of 'Showgirls,' simply couldn't soak it all up. They were ruined.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.