Can you guess what is the highest paid movie role in the world?
You have probably heard by now the rumors about Sony allegedly offering Daniel Craig to play $150 million to reprise his role as James Bond for two more movies. That works out to about $75 million for each movie role.
While that sounds amazing, it is not that much in comparison to a lot of other major actors in Hollywood. The following are examples of the highest paychecks these actors received for playing a role. It really makes me wish I had talent so I could pursue a career as a successful Hollywood actor.
5. Tom Cruise – War of the Worlds $100,000,000
IN order for the movie with a budget of $132 to be greenlight, Tom Cruise decided to take a 20% percent of the movie’s gross sales rather than receive a slar from the role. And it paid off. War of the Worlds went on to earn $591 million worldwide.
4. Bruce Willis – The Sixth Sense – $120,000,000
Bruce Willis negotiated a deal wherein he received a percentage of the gross and home video profits of the feature film. The Sith Sense went on to becoming one of the most-rented movies of 2000. And with a budget of $40 million, the film went on to gross over $672 million worldwide, making Shyamalan a Hollywood sensation.
3. Johnny Depp – Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise, $185,000,000
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow will most likely go down in history. Depp’s salary for the first film, The Curse of Black Pearl, earned the actor $10 million. Due to the success of the movie, Johnny Depp’s salary increased to $20 million in the sequel. By the third movie, he earned $50 million. For the most recent installment, On Stranger Tides, Depp received $55.5 million.
The Disney executive went on to say, “These may seem like astronomical figures, but studios can no longer afford such budget-busting agreements… [Depp] commands huge leverage, however, because without him the franchise would be dead and buried.”
2. Keanu Reeves – The Matrix Trilogy – $262,000,000
With a salary of $15 million for both films plus 15 percent of their respective gross, Reeves pocketed roughly $126 million from The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and $80 million for The Matrix Revolutions(2003).
1. Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Franchise $290,000,000
Because Tom Cruise contracts include a percentage of the movie’s earnings, Tom Cruise goes down in history as one of the highest earning movie actors in Hollywood history.
The Mission: Impossible franchise has grossed over $2 billion worldwide throughout the past twenty years, with Cruise earning $70 million off the first film, $75 million for the second and third and $70 million for the fourth. 2015’s Rogue Nation earned over $682 million worldwide, so his earnings will certainly adjust for future lists as the franchise does not seem to be slowing down.
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