The difference in budgets between Hollywood blockbusters and practically all other cinematography is abysmal, as are the salaries of the actors. Tom Cruise tops list of highest-paid performers of the current panorama, with truly astronomical figures.
Money, money, money
The 100 million dollars that Tom Cruise received for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is something more complex than it may seem. The film is around 1,200 million dollars in worldwide collection, of which the actor has been able to pocket a certain percentage. According to Cruise’s contract, a specific percentage of the future economic benefit must be added to your base salary generated by the film which, in this case, has been an unparalleled success.
This is not a very common practice since, today, few are the stars that production companies blindly trust to guarantee success of his films with just his presence (and less so if the great competitor is the Marvel blockbusters). Although there are actors who do obtain part of the benefits derived from their films, normally this only happens once the budget and all production expenses have been covered.
However, it does seem to have an important weight to have a renowned star in the streaming market. Without going any further, the following highest salaries in recent projects are found in the next Apple TV +: Will Smith’s 35 million in ‘Towards Freedom’ by Antoine Fuqua, Leonardo DiCaprio’s 30 million in ‘Killers of the flower moon’ by Martin Scorsese or the other 30 million by Brad Pitt for a still untitled Formula 1 drama
Continuing with platforms, Netflix is not far behind with Chris Hemwsworth’s 20 million in ‘Tyler Rake 2’ or Millie Bobby Brown’s 10 million in ‘Enola Holmes 2’. In fact, many producers point out that platform salaries have caused some players to increase their prices.
However, said payments are often subject to a number of conditions. Apple’s contracts include clauses that condition bonuses on meeting a schedule and not exceeding the initial budget, and also include monetary limits on those extra earnings.
On the list of highest paid actors, the first actress does not appear until position 17: Margot Robbie with his 12.5 million in the ‘Barbie’ movie that Greta Gerwig prepares. Apart from her, only Millie Bobby Brown enters the top 20.
As for the alternative advantages that the studios give to the actors, they often consist of include the option of shooting the sequel before even knowing if there will be a. This was the case with Jason Momoa in ‘Aquaman’, who even renegotiated his contract after the success of the first one, and with Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker’.
Something that has recently influenced a lot when it comes to signing checks with exorbitant amounts to hire actors and projects is the economic situation. Companies like Netflix have stated that its investors are more reluctant and selective for fear of recession.
In any case, it is also common to find actors accustomed to earning considerable salaries who reduce their payroll to work with certain directors. See Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon or Emily Blunt in ‘Oppehnheimer’, the new Christopher Nolan, which will have a tight budget of 100 million.
List of highest paid actors:
-
Tom Cruise (for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’): $100 million
-
Will Smith (for ‘Into Freedom’): $35 million
-
Leonardo DiCaprio (for ‘Killers of the flower moon’): $30 million
-
Brad Pitt (for the film about Formula 1): 30 million dollars
-
Dwayne Johnson (for ‘Black Adam’): $22.5 million
-
Will Ferrell (for ‘The Spirit of Christmas’): $20 million
-
Chris Hemsworth (for ‘Tyler Rake 2’): $20 million
-
Vin Diesel (for ‘Fast & Furious 10’): $20 million
-
Tom Hardy (for ‘Venom 3’): $20 million
-
Joaquin Phoenix (for ‘Joker 2’): $20 million
-
Ryan Reynolds (for ‘The Spirit of Christmas’): $20 million
-
Denzel Washington (for ‘The Equalizer 3’): $20 million
-
Jason Momoa (for ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’): $15 million
-
Eddie Murphy (for ‘Hollywood Detective 4’): $15 million
-
Chris Pine (for ‘Star Trek’ sequel): $13 million
-
Steve Carell (for ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’): $12.5 million
-
Margot Robbie (for ‘Barbie’): $12.5 million
-
Ryan Gosling (for ‘Barbie’): $12.5 million
-
Millie Bobby Brown (for ‘Enola Holmes 2’): $10 million
-
Timothée Chalamet (for ‘Wonka’): $9 million
-
Matt Damon (for ‘Oppenheimer’): $4 million
-
Robert Downey Jr. (for ‘Oppenheimer’): $4 million
-
Emily Blunt (for ‘Oppenheimer’): $4 million
-
Daniel Kaluuya (for ‘Nope!’): $4 million
-
Jamie Lee Curtis (for ‘Halloween: The Finale’): $3.5 million
-
Anya Taylor-Joy (for ‘Furiosa’): $1.8 million