While several high-budget films were never exhibited in theatres and even had their release dates pushed back indefinitely, some actors nevertheless made millions of dollars. Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and other OTT services released a slew of blockbuster films. For a while in the early 1990s, Jim Carrey was making $20 million for a single movie. Now, that sum looks like a drop in the bucket.
As a result of the rise of streaming platforms, movie stars' wages have risen significantly. Since they cannot offer backend arrangements (where stars can earn more than their base income based on box office performance), streaming companies like Netflix and Amazon have to pay their stars with enormous up-front payments. Because of this, Daniel Craig's next two "Knives Out" flicks on Netflix will pay him well. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence will appear in Adam McKay's upcoming film "Don't Look Up," which will be distributed on Netflix.
Stars like Denzel Washington ("The Little Things") and Will Smith ("King Richard") continue to make a lot of money with traditional theatrical releases of their works.
Their following actors are earning the most money in Hollywood right now.
Will Smith
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Independence Day were two of Will Smith's most notable television roles in the 1990s, and the actor made a dramatic transition to the big screen in 1996 when he starred in Independence Day. Actors like Men In Black, I Robot, I Am Legend, and The Pursuit of Happiness benefited from his success.
In 2019, he played the Genie in the Disney remake of Aladdin, further advancing his acting career. He earned $12.5 million from this role alone. Will Smith's latest picture King Richard, which came out in September, is suddenly getting Oscar buzz. Actor Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus Williams and Serena Williams, earned him a whopping $40 million.
Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd has been in numerous films since his debut in Sisters in the '90s. Acting jobs in romantic comedies like Dinner for Schmucks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Anchorman were his norm in the 2000s. However, in 2019, he decided to take on more prominent action-packed roles in essential Marvel movies. Rudd has reportedly made $41 million from his time in Marvel films The Wasp, Antman, and The Avengers: End Game.
Chris Evans
Chris Evans, the actor who portrays Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hasn't been acting for a long time. Biodiversity: Wild About Life! was his breakthrough role in 2001. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation co-produced this 1997 educational film before it appeared in a few brief television roles in the early 2000s.
But in 2005, he became a household name after playing the human flame in the Fantastic Four movie series. His career took off after being cast as a new member of the Marvel family in 2011. The celebrity made $43 million alone from the Avenger franchise.
Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler has long been one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors. When she was not appearing on Saturday Night Live, the star was seen in numerous comedic films during the 1990s and early 2000s before returning to television series.
In addition to acting in movies, he has produced and directed several large-scale productions. New York City Diamond District jeweler and gambling addict Howard Ratner, played by Adam Sandler, must recover a pricey gem he acquired to pay off his debt in Uncut Gems' crime thriller film.
The 2019 release of the film alone fetched him a cool $57 million in box office revenue for the actor.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan began his acting career in the 1990s when he was one of the world's oldest and most well-known performers. Minor roles at an early age made him famous for his stunt work. Rush Hour, Around the World in 80 Days, Shanghai Noon, and Karate Kid gave him his big break in the United States. Journey to China: The Mystery of Iron Mask Master and The Knight of Shadows: Yin and Yang earned him $58 million in 2019.
Robert Downey Jr
In 2019, the actor who portrays Iron Man, Tony Stark, received $66 million for his role in Marvel. The actor received $55 million from alone Avengers: End Game. With nearly $14 billion in box office receipts, he is the second most popular actor. He had roles in Chaplin and Less Than Zero in the early 1990s, but he was in and out of prison due to his drug addiction until 2008, when things began to look up for him. He was chosen to play Iron Man.
Chris Hemsworth
Creating some of the highest-paid performers in history was a goal of Marvel Studios. Chris Hemsworth, the actor most recognized for his portrayal of Thor in films like The Avengers and The Hunger Games, got his start in modest roles back in Australia. As a result of Thor and the Men In Black Remake, he became a household name. The most recent list of Hollywood's highest-paid actors published by Forbes magazine indicates that Marvel films alone were $76.4 million.
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is a top-earning actor, but he's fallen to second place on the list this year. Just for his role in the Fast &' Furious franchise earned him $89 million.
In 1972, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a professional wrestl
er, was born into a family of wrestlers. After a collegiate football accident terminated his career, he decided to join the WWE.
Numerous WWE Heavyweight Championships, such as "The Rock," were won by him. Johnson turned his renown as a wrestler into a successful acting career in the following years, playing in films such as The Mummy Returns in 2001 and The Tooth Fairy in 2010.
The Jumanji franchises got him $23 million upfront, and the HBO series Ballers made him $700,000 per episode. Furthermore, his voice as demigod Maui in the film Moana is a bonus feature.
Daniel Craig
As previously stated, Daniel Craig holds the top spot. Netflix's colossal deal has made him the highest-paid actor in 2021. The streaming service has picked Craig's runaway smash Knives Out, and two sequels are in the works.
For the most part, Craig's $100 million paychecks may be attributed to the picture's anticipated backend box office participation. However, the Bond franchise and the upcoming film No Time to Die will also contribute significantly to the final tally.
Craig has raked in more than $100 million from his five films as James Bond, an estimated $82.4 million of which came from his role as the spy.
Scarlett Johansson
Notwithstanding Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow dispute with Disney, she's still top dog thanks to her roles as Natasha Romanoff. She made $75 million from the movie nine Marvel flicks she appeared in, according to Yahoo! Finance (spanning The Avengers franchises the Captain America, the Iron Man among other cameos).
The Black Widow stand-alone picture earned her US$20 million, bringing her total earnings for a single role to US$95 million.
Sandy Bullock
She helped pave the way for other actresses by earning $10.5 million for Speed 2: Cruise Control in 1997 and $17.5 million for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed &' Fabulous in 2000. (2005). However, these wage increases pale in comparison to her more than US$70 million paychecks for Gravity's success (2013).
Due to Warner Bros' decision to give Bullock a 15% "first-dollar gross," she received an upfront payment of US$20 million. It's estimated that "for every dollar the studio ever got for Gravity, 15 percent would go to Sandra before any expenditures for production or marketing were taken away" by Celebrity Net Worth.
Emma Watson
In Beauty and the Beast, Celebrity Net Worth claims that she earned US$15 million for her role as Belle, but she made more in the eight Harry Potter films that brought her to popularity. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Watson earned a total of $60 million for her role as Hermione Granger.
Cameron Diaz
The Hollywood Reporter claims that Cameron Diaz earned a record-breaking $42 million as Elizabeth Halsey in the 2011 comedy Bad Teacher. Diaz's contract stipulated that she would make a share of the film's revenues, even though she was initially paid just $1 million. The agreement paid out, as the film took in more than $200 million at the box office.
Angelina Jolie
A seven-figure advance salary is unheard of for an actress these days, yet for her performance in Salt (2010), Angelina Jolie made $20 million. According to Forbes, her role as Thena in Marvel's Eternals earned her a whopping $35.5 million in 2020, making it her largest paycheck to date.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston, who played news anchor Alex Levy on The Morning Show alongside Reese Witherspoon, earned $20 million per season for the role. There have been other times when she collected a staggering sum, however. According to The Independent, Aniston earns $20 million per year from Friends syndication repeats.
Reese Witherspoon
As a result of her quick financial decisions, actress and producer Reese Witherspoon just became a multi-millionaire. According to Glamour, she was paid $20 million for the whole first season of Apple's award-winning The Morning Show. Previously, she earned more than US$1 million each episode for her parts in HBO's Big Little Lies and Apple TV's Little Fires Everywhere.
Gal Gadot
As a star of action flicks, Gal Gadot is swiftly accruing large sums of cash. According to Variety, her highest-grossing project to date is Netflix's action-thriller Red Notice, for which she reportedly made $20 million. For her role in Wonder Woman 1984, which will be released in 2020, the Israeli actress paid a paltry 10 million dollars.
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg's Spenser Confidential, a Netflix original movie, was a surprise hit. It wasn't an Oscar contender, but the action/comedy was released at the perfect time. After its release in 2021, it became one of the most popular films.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio has plenty of money, and by 2021, he'll be back to his best as a movie star. A sci-fi thriller starring DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence is raking in big money for both actors. With the help of his signing bonus and backend predictions, the lead actor managed to earn a stunning USD$30 million.
Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington is one of Hollywood's most dependable actors, and he's got the bankroll to prove it. The actor, the producer, and the director, who has won two Academy Awards for his work, continues to land high-profile parts. The Little Things, Washington's latest thriller, reportedly earned him a cool $40 million.
Robert Pattinson
Batman, directed by Robert Pattinson, was one of the most eagerly awaited films of the decade. For his role as Bruce Wayne, Pattison reportedly earned USD$3 million, which is less than some of his A-lister contemporaries. As soon as the superhero movie is released, that number could skyrocket.
Chris Pine
It's easy to believe that uber-chiseled actor Chris Pine is a secret nerd, given his roles in Star Trek, Wonder Woman, and the impending Dungeons and Dragons picture. According to a report in Variety, Pine will be paid $11.5 million for his role in the cinematic adaptation of the table-top game.
Michael B Jordan
Without Remorse was one of the most popular movies on Amazon Prime Video, and lead actor Michael B. Jordan made a fortune. As an elite Navy SEAL, Jordan was paid a stunning $15 million by Variety for his role in the murder investigation of his pregnant wife.
Tom Cruise
According to reports, Cruise is one of the few performers to appear on both the high- and low-end lists of highest-paid actors. Cruise has agreed to an initial payment arrangement for the planned Top Gun sequel, but he will also get a significant sum of money from backend box office sharing. The dude's a whiz.
