10 highest-paid stars of Hollywood

The highest-paid Hollywood actors tend to earn significant amounts from a combination of salaries for films, endorsement deals, and other ventures. While exact figures may vary based on public reports, box office success, streaming deals, and personal business ventures, this is a list of Hollywood actors who commanded the highest paycheck per project.

The list below comprises the perennial stars of Hollywood that have dominated the movie business for years. From the A-listers at the top of their game, continuing to churn out projects that make megabucks to stars that have built brands around their names, and have developed a kind of Midas touch that turns everything to gold; here are the major earners of Hollywood.

1. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known to command a paycheck of $20 million per film, according to Forbes. His latest movie “Red One” made a paltry $34 million in its opening weekend on a $250 million budget. Despite this, Johnson’s bank account will see no shortfall as he has an estimated net worth of $800 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth and continues to dominate as one of Hollywood’s highest-paid stars, thanks to his roles in blockbuster franchises like “Fast & Furious,” lucrative brand partnerships, and ventures like his tequila brand Teremana.
2. Tom Cruise has been a superstar for decades, so it will come as no surprise that he generally earns at least $20 to 25 million upfront. He has also earned large sums through backend deals that allow him to profit from box office earnings. The salary of Tom Cruise for his upcoming “Mission: Impossible” film is currently unknown but he reportedly earned between $14 to $15 million upfront for “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023).
3. Brad Pitt usually earns at least $20 million for his acting, but can earn more depending on the role. For example, he earned $4 million for “Se7en” and $17.5 million for “Fight Club.” Pitt sometimes receives points on the backend, which entitles him to a portion of the movie’s profits. For example, he earned an additional $20 million from “Ocean’s 11,” thanks to backend points. His upcoming movie “F1” has reportedly earned him an unbelievable $30 million paycheck.
4. Will Smith’s movie paychecks vary depending on the film, but he typically charges around $20 million per movie. However, he can earn much more for blockbusters or franchise films. For example, he earned $100 million for “Men in Black 3,” one of the highest paychecks in film history and $40 million for his role as Richard Williams in “King Richard,” the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
5. Leonardo DiCaprio generally earns between $20 million and $30 million. For “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” he earned $10 million and $20 million each for “The Beach,”  “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Departed,” “Blood Diamond,” and “The Aviator.” For “The Wolf of Wall Street,” DiCaprio received $25 million upfront where for “Inception,” at least $50 million was earned. “Killers of the Flower Moon”  and “Don’t Look Up” earned him $30 million each.
6. Ryan Reynolds is riding the box-office high of his recent smash hit “Deadpool & Wolverine” which reportedly earned him a handsome $30-million-dollar paycheck. Celebrity Net Worth reports that Reynolds has been getting at least $20 million per movie and that he had a particularly major payday for “6 Underground” — a Michael Bay film made for streaming giant Netflix, which reportedly made Reynolds $27 million richer.
7. Robert Downey Jr. is the Godfather of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and as such he has been commanding a hefty paycheck for each turn as the iconic superhero Iron Man. Downey Jr. earned $75 million for “Avengers: Endgame,” a 2019 film, which included a $20 million base pay and an 8% backend profit which equals to $55 million. And now, the actor is set to return to the MCU once again, this time as the villainous Doctor Doom, and it has been reported that his return has guaranteed him a whopping $100-million-dollar paycheck.
8. Margot Robbie has reportedly earned $50 million in salary and box office bonuses for her role in “Barbie,” according to Variety. It was also reported that Margot made $12.5 million upfront for the blockbuster movie based on the iconic Mattel toy.
9. Chris Hemsworth’s salary per film varies depending on the project, but here are some examples: For “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” Hemsworth reportedly earned around $15 million for each of these films. “Thor: Love and Thunder” earned Hemsworth $20 million, a $5 million increase from his salary for “Thor: Ragnarok.” Hemsworth’s salary also includes a percentage of profits. For example, he earned a large portion of his income from “Avengers: Endgame,” which made about $700 million in profits.
10. Nicole Kidman is an Oscar winner and has the star power to command a big payday. Kidman’s salary per movie varies from anything between $10 to 20 million for big-budget films and $1 to 2 million per episode for television projects. Kidman is set to earn $1 million per episode for her upcoming project with Hulu titled “Nine Perfect Strangers.”

These stars have proven time and again that they have what it takes to stay on top. Longevity is the name of the game and these stars seem to have mastered it. One can only wait and see what these stars do in the future, and how many zeroes their paychecks will have.