Adam Sandler – $250 million for four Netflix movies ($62.5 million each)

Netflix clearly values their relationship with Adam Sandler. Starting in 2014, the streamer signed Sandler to a four-picture deal that earned him $250 million. The comedy star renewed this deal in 2017 and 2021, meaning he’s made $62.5 million per movie – ie $750 million overall – for the likes of The Ridiculous Six, The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler, Hubie Halloween and the two Murder Mystery movies.

Will Smith – $100 million for Men in Black 3

How many of us fondly remember 2012’s Men in Black 3? Will Smith certainly does. The rapper-turned-actor earned $5 million for the first Men in Black back in 1997, and $20 million for the 2002 sequel – but for his third and (to date) final appearance as Agent J, Smith reportedly earned $100 million from both upfront salary and a cut of the profits.

Keanu Reeves – $250 million for The Matrix trilogy ($83.3 million per film)

The Matrix changed the game for both Hollywood blockbusters and leading man Keanu Reeves’ bank balance. To appear as computer hacker-turned-alternate reality messiah Thomas Anderson/Neo in the initial three sci-fi action films, Reeves’ people negotiated him a deal that got him $250 million for the trilogy – which works out to roughly $83.3 million per movie. Now that’s a figure to make you say, “woah!”

Tom Cruise – upwards of $100 million for Top Gun: Maverick

For 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise took a comparatively modest fee of $13 million up front – but his deal as actor and producer also included a cut of the film’s gross profits. The exact percentage Cruise commanded is unknown, but as the movie made close to $1.5 billion at the box office, he’s likely to be well over $100 million richer for it.

Tom Cruise – $75 million for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Whilst watching Tom Cruise climb the side of the Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, plenty of viewers have declared, “they couldn’t pay me enough to do that.” You might reconsider when you learn how much Cruise actually made for his fourth mission as Special Agent Ethan Hunt: a reported $75 million from his slice of the 2011 film’s profits.

Robert Downey Jr. – $75 million for Avengers: Infinity War

Robert Downey Jr. might have been considered a risky choice when originally cast as Iron Man, but his tenure in the role saw him become one of the world’s biggest – and best-paid – actors. Downey’s penultimate Marvel appearance in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War reportedly earned him $75 million, and overall his time as Tony Stark is estimated to have made him around $435 million.

Sandra Bullock – $70 million for Gravity

Hollywood’s biggest earners tend to be men, but happily there are exceptions. For 2013 space-bound drama Gravity, Sandra Bullock was paid $20 million up front and also took a chunk of the profits, bringing her overall take-home to an estimated $70 million. Bullock was also nominated for what would’ve been her second Best Actress Oscar, but unfortunately lost to Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.

Johnny Depp – $68 million for Alice in Wonderland

Disney’s string of live-action remakes based on their animated classics really got going with 2010’s Alice in Wonderland, in which director Tim Burton cast his frequent collaborator Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Depp’s huge success with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies put him in good stead with Disney, who gave him a deal worth a reported $68 million to play the Hatter.

Harrison Ford – $65 million for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

When Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hit screens in 2008, many long-time Harrison Ford fans were left asking “why, Harrison, why?” There is, of course, one very good answer to that question: Ford’s salary deal with Lucasfilm and studio Paramount Pictures netted him a reported $65 million. As Indy himself might say, “fortune and glory, kid.”

Tom Hanks – $60 million for Forrest Gump

Run, Forrest, run… all the way to the bank! 1994’s Forrest Gump was an acclaimed multi-Oscar winner, and the second biggest box office hit of the year behind The Lion King, with takings of almost $678 million. Leading man Tom Hanks took home a chunk of that, which reportedly amounted to $60 million. How’s that for a box of chocolates!