Teen pop star Justin Bieber was paid $1 million for his performance in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park last week, The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Wednesday.
The sum was paid up even though there were at least 11,000 fewer concertgoers than the 35,000 that organizers had hoped for, according to the report.
"They overpaid and did not market it right," the article quoted Israeli promoter Shuki Weiss as saying. "I think it's important for every artist to come to Israel, but you need to know your crowd."
Bieber arrived in Israel last Monday, and has been mobbed by throngs of teen girls and paparazzi ever since.
Some 200 young fans gathered at Tel Aviv's Sheraton Hotel upon his arrival, staying there for hours in the hope of catching sight of him. He reportedly booked rooms at five hotels, in an attempt to diffuse the mobs.
He was supposed to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the premier canceled the date after the singer reportedly refused to meet with children living in communities affected by Gaza rocket fire.
HAARETZ.COM
