Ah, money. The great motivator, the ultimate lubricant for the gears of Hollywood. You want to talk about how much these people rake in for pretending to be someone else? Fine. But don't expect me to wax poetic about their "artistic contributions." This is about numbers, plain and simple.
Highest Earnings for a Single Production
Let’s be brutally honest: the figures you see splashed across the tabloids for film actors are often just the tip of the iceberg. While the headline figures might be astronomical, the real gold is often found in the shadows, in those opaque "profit participation" deals. It's a gamble, sure, but when it pays off, it pays off like a divine intervention. It means they’re betting on themselves, and sometimes, the universe pays up. The numbers I'm about to lay out are as they were, nominal value, because trying to adjust for inflation on earnings that stretch across years of back-end deals is like trying to nail jelly to a tree. It’s messy and ultimately pointless for this kind of discussion.
This isn't a definitive list, mind you. Salaries are guarded like state secrets. But these are the names that broke the bank for a single gig, or a closely tied production.
Keanu Reeves set a record that still makes people’s eyes water: a cool $156 million for The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Filmed back-to-back, essentially one colossal project. It’s the kind of payout that makes you question your life choices, or at least your career path.
Then there’s Tom Cruise. The man is a franchise unto himself. He’s managed to pull in over $100 million per film on three separate occasions. He doesn’t just act; he negotiates like a seasoned general.
And for the actresses, Sandra Bullock stands tall, pulling in over $70 million for Gravity. That's not just acting; that's commanding the cosmos.
Highest-Earning Actors for a Single Production
Here's where the numbers get truly absurd. These are the figures that make you wonder if there’s a secret vault of cash hidden on every movie set.
| Actor | Film | Year | Salary | Total Income | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keanu Reeves | The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions | 2003 | $30,000,000 | $156,000,000 | [1] |
| Bruce Willis | The Sixth Sense | 1999 | $14,000,000 | $100,000,000 | [1] |
| Tom Cruise | Mission: Impossible 2 | 2000 | $100,000,000 | [1] | |
| Tom Cruise | War of the Worlds | 2005 | $100,000,000 | [1] | |
| Will Smith | Men in Black 3 | 2012 | $100,000,000 | [2] | |
| Tom Cruise | Top Gun: Maverick | 2022 | $12,500,000 | $100,000,000 | [3][4] |
| Alec Guinness | Star Wars | 1977 | $150,000 | $95,000,000 | [5] |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | $75,000,000+ | [6] | |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Iron Man 3 | 2013 | $75,000,000 | [7] | |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Avengers: Endgame | 2019 | $20,000,000 | $75,000,000 | [8] |
| Sandra Bullock | Gravity | 2013 | $20,000,000 | $70,000,000+ | [9] |
| Tom Hanks | Forrest Gump | 1994 | $70,000,000 | [1] | |
| Tom Cruise | Mission: Impossible | 1996 | $70,000,000 | [1] | |
| Harrison Ford | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | 2008 | $65,000,000 | [10] | |
| Jack Nicholson | Batman | 1989 | $6,000,000 | $60,000,000 | [1][11] |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | Inception | 2010 | $59,000,000 | [12] | |
| Johnny Depp | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | 2011 | $35,000,000 | $55,000,000 | [12][13] |
| Jackie Chan | Rush Hour 3 | 2007 | $15,000,000 | $53,700,000 | [14] |
| Robert Downey Jr. | The Avengers | 2012 | $50,000,000 | [15] | |
| Margot Robbie | Barbie | 2023 | $12,500,000 | $50,000,000 | [16] |
| Cameron Diaz | Bad Teacher | 2011 | $42,000,000 | [17] | |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Captain America: Civil War | 2016 | $40,000,000 | $40,000,000+ | [7] |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | Titanic | 1997 | $40,000,000 | [1] | |
| Tom Hanks | Saving Private Ryan | 1998 | $40,000,000 | [1] | |
| Johnny Depp | Alice in Wonderland | 2010 | $40,000,000 | [12] | |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | $40,000,000 | [18] | |
| Will Smith | King Richard | 2021 | $40,000,000 | $40,000,000 | [19] |
| Denzel Washington | The Little Things | 2021 | $40,000,000 | [20] | |
| Aamir Khan | Dangal | 2016 | $39,000,000 | [nb 1][22][23] | |
| Allu Arjun | Pushpa 2: The Rule | 2024 | $36,000,000 | [nb 2][25] | |
| Jim Carrey | Yes Man | 2008 | $35,000,000 | [26] | |
| Will Smith | Emancipation | 2021 | $35,000,000 | $35,000,000 | [27] |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | 2003 | $29,250,000 | $30,000,000+ | [nb 3][1] |
| Mel Gibson | Lethal Weapon 4 | 1998 | $30,000,000 | $30,000,000 | [1] |
| Brad Pitt | Ocean's Eleven | 2001 | $10,000,000 | $30,000,000 | [1] |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | Don't Look Up | 2021 | $30,000,000 | $30,000,000 | [20] |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | Killers of the Flower Moon | 2023 | $30,000,000 | $30,000,000 | [27] |
- ₹257 crore ($39.4 million at 2017 exchange rates). [21]
- ₹300 crore ($35.9 million at 2024 exchange rates). [24]
- Arnold Schwarzenegger's deal for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a base salary of 380 million. The film cleared $433 million globally. It’s a testament to his brand, even if the film itself was… well, a Terminator film.
Highest Annual Earnings
This section is a bit of a moving target, a snapshot of who ruled the roost in any given year. Forbes compiles these lists, and while they’re based on earnings from June to June, they give a pretty clear picture of who’s at the top of the food chain. Remember, these figures often include more than just acting salaries – endorsements, production deals, the whole package.
Dwayne Johnson has been a consistent presence, topping the list multiple times (2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024). He’s a machine, both on and off screen. Julia Roberts was the reigning queen for a stretch in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Here’s a look at the annual titans:
| Year | Actor | Earnings | Actress | Earnings | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Sylvester Stallone | $74 million | Jane Fonda | $13 million | [28] |
| 1988 | Sylvester Stallone | $63 million | — | — | [29] |
| 1989 | Eddie Murphy | $60 million | — | — | [30] |
| 1990 | Sylvester Stallone | $63 million | — | — | [31] |
| 1991 | Kevin Costner | $59 million | — | — | [32] |
| 1992 | Kevin Costner | $71 million | — | — | [33] |
| 1993 | Kevin Costner | $48 million | — | — | [34] |
| 1994 | Harrison Ford | $44 million | — | — | [35] |
| 1995 | Sylvester Stallone | $58 million | Roseanne Barr | $32 million | [36] |
| 1996 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | $74 million | Roseanne Barr | $40 million | [37] |
| 1997 | Tom Cruise | $82 million | Roseanne Barr | $55 million | [38] |
| 1998 | Harrison Ford | $58 million | Julia Roberts | $28 million | [39] |
| 1999 | Tom Hanks | $71.5 million | Julia Roberts | $50 million | [40] |
| 2000 | Bruce Willis | $70 million | Julia Roberts | $18.9 million | [41] |
| 2002 | Adam Sandler | $47 million | Cameron Diaz | $40 million | [42] |
| 2003 | Will Smith | $60 million | Jennifer Aniston | $35 million | [43] |
| 2004 | Jim Carrey | $66 million | Cameron Diaz | $32 million | [44] |
| 2005 | Will Ferrell | $40 million | Drew Barrymore | $22 million | [45] |
| 2006 | Tom Cruise | $67 million | Jodie Foster | $27 million | [46] |
| 2007 | Johnny Depp | $92 million | Nicole Kidman | $28 million | [47] |
| 2008 | Johnny Depp | $72 million | Cameron Diaz | $50 million | [48] |
| 2009 | Harrison Ford | $65 million | Angelina Jolie | $27 million | [49][50] |
| 2010 | Johnny Depp | $75 million | Sandra Bullock | $56 million | [51][52] |
| 2011 | Leonardo DiCaprio | $77 million | Angelina Jolie | $30 million | [53][54] |
| 2012 | Tom Cruise | $75 million | Kristen Stewart | $34.5 million | [55][56] |
| 2013 | Robert Downey Jr. | $75 million | Angelina Jolie | $33 million | [57][58] |
| 2014 | Robert Downey Jr. | $75 million | Sandra Bullock | $51 million | [59][60] |
| 2015 | Robert Downey Jr. | $80 million | Jennifer Lawrence | $52 million | [61][62] |
| 2016 | Dwayne Johnson | $64.5 million | Jennifer Lawrence | $46 million | [63] |
| 2017 | Mark Wahlberg | $68 million | Emma Stone | $26 million | [64] |
| 2018 | George Clooney | $239 million [nb 1] | Scarlett Johansson | $40.5 million | [65][66] |
| 2019 | Dwayne Johnson | $89.4 million | Scarlett Johansson | $56 million | [67][68] |
| 2020 | Dwayne Johnson | $87.5 million | Sofía Vergara | $43 million | [69][70] |
| 2021 | Dwayne Johnson | $270 million | Reese Witherspoon | $115 million | [71] |
| 2022 | Tyler Perry | $175 million | — | — | [72] |
| 2023 | Adam Sandler | $73 million | Margot Robbie | $59 million | [73] |
| 2024 | Dwayne Johnson | $88 million | Nicole Kidman | $31 million | [74] |
- George Clooney's 2018 earnings were largely due to the sale of Casamigos tequila. It’s not always about the acting, is it?