Russell Crowe Got $3.7 Million From His Divorce Auction But Its Not The New Celebrity Normal

What does a 54-year-old Oscar-winning actor do upon getting divorced?

In Russell Crowe’s case, he had a big blowout auction of his possessions entitled “The Art of Divorce,” organized by Sotheby’s BID, +0.17%   in Australia, that raised a total of $3.7 million.

The auction took place in Sydney on April 9, which is also Crowe’s birthday, wedding anniversary and the day he got divorced from Danielle Spencer, whom he married in 2003 and separated from five years ago.

Selling an eclectic range of movie memorabilia and clothing, including a Mosasaur skull given to the Australian-based New Zealand citizen by Leonardo DiCaprio and the violin from 2003 naval epic “Master and Commander,” is a move that could easily have backfired for Crowe.

Crowe’s days as one of Hollywood’s foremost leading men, starring in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” and Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind,” have long passed with the actor now tending to act in smaller-scale films or take supporting roles in blockbusters like “The Mummy” and “Man of Steel.”

Yet buyer response to the auction was enthusiastic, with 125,000 people watching the livestream of the auction on Facebook alone. Sotheby’s Australia headlined its press release: “Crowe Mania Ignites Global Bidding and Achieves Gladiatorial Results...”

TV comedian John Oliver had fun telling his viewers that his show “Last Week Tonight” had purchased Crowe’s leather jockstrap that he wore in 2005 boxing movie “Cinderella Man” for $8,540 and the hood from Ridley Scott’s 2010 film “Robin Hood” for $13,240.

Crowe also had to beg an Australian radio network that successfully bid on his 2001 Mercedes-Benz S500 Saloon to not publicly reveal text messages on his old Nokia mobile phone left inside the luxury vehicle.

Yet in exceeding its total estimate for the 226 lots, the auction can be considered an overwhelming success for Crowe.

In fact, the total sum of $3.7 million was only $500,000 less than the U.S. box office gross for his 2015 passion project “The Water Diviner,” a movie which Crowe both directed and starred in, according to Box Office Mojo.

“The auction could have been embarrassing for Crowe but it worked out well for him,” said Cynthia Parsons McDaniel, a movie consultant and former publicity head at the William Morris Agency. “Celebrity auctions aren’t new. Lauren Bacall had one and I worked on Ellen Barkin’s jewelry sale, when she too was going through a divorce. But they tend to be held when celebrity is dead and the family is eager to sell. So this was unusual in that sense.”

Crowe’s lighthearted tone on social media likely helped his “divorce auction”:

“The fact that Russell Crowe was successful at selling his goods, which ranged from the mainstream to the obscure, is an interesting example of how famous people are able to commodify their celebrity,” said Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, author of “Starstruck: The Business of Celebrity” and consumption study “The Sum of Small Things.”

She added: “We think of celebrity in an ephemeral way but what he did is in line with the celebrities who put their name alongside a particular product that they endorse, like a clothing line or a food.”

“Russell Crowe doesn’t have a conventional Hollywood brand so this was an unusual publicity stunt that got a lot of attention, not only because of the things he auctioned but because of the auction itself,” she said.

Crowe’s sale, as quirky as it was, also served as a useful barometer of the art market, according to Sarah Hodgson, an entertainment memorabilia specialist at the Wallace & Hodgson company.

“The strong prices for personal items of Russell Crowe’s film wardrobe are in line with the current market trend for strong prices relating to film-worn costume,” she said. “Prices tend to be stronger when the items come directly from the film star as provenance is everything.”

Crowe’s auction follows recent sales of memorabilia and art by musicians Ronnie Wood and Ringo Starr, who both went through Julien’s auction house. But while the success of Crowe’s “divorce auction” might encourage more newly-single actors to follow suit, experts say it’s likely a one-off sale.

“I don’t think the Russell Crowe sale in itself will prompt a rush of celebrity auctions as people usually have very specific reasons for parting with their possessions,” Hodgson said. “But what it does show is that when such sales do arise, it provides collectors with a golden opportunity to acquire a piece with great provenance.”

Cynthia Parsons McDaniel added Crowe’s unique persona made it unlikely for celebrities to follow suit. “Russell Crowe has never been short of bravado. He’s a show-off who likes to throw his weight around, pun intended,” she said. “I don’t think you’re going to see a trend of people getting divorced and selling their stuff at a divorce auction.”

“But, like everything, it’s a matter of finance,” she said.

A rep for Crowe didn’t respond to a request for comment.