Among the 10 performers who had the highest amount of income - more clearly: those who earned the most in 2023 - there are only two women, and the winner does not release his films in theaters, but on
Netflix
.
Forbes
magazine
conducted a survey to calculate the gross and net earnings of the main Hollywood stars in the period 2023.
How they did?
They interviewed agents, lawyers, managers, and industry experts, as well as data sources like IMDBPro and Polestar.
But be careful: the figures that follow represent earnings before taxes for the 2023 calendar year, and less representation fees: 10% for agents, 10% for managers and 5% for lawyers, as established in the industry. entertainment, although some actors don't have all three.
"Mystery in Sight" made its two stars, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, enter the Top Ten of those who earned the most last year.
The classification, Forbes
magazine clarifies
, only includes earnings related to entertainment, whether from acting, producing, directing or other forms of performance, such as stand-up.
What was not counted are ventures not related to entertainment, such as arrangements with beauty or beverage brands.
Below, the 10 actors who earned the most in 2023. There are surprises.
1 Adam Sandler
$73 million ($97 million gross)
Sandler, alongside Jennifer Aniston in the Netflix hit "Mystery Ahead."
Mystery in Sight
was the smash hit for the Cool Dad
actor
in 2023. In the first three months after its release, Netflix reported that the film was watched 173 million hours worldwide and ranked in the Top 10 in 90 different countries.
To the earnings from the film, add that Sandler performed more than 40 live comedy tour dates in 2023.
He earned $25 million
, plus a production percentage for
Mystery in Sight
.
2. Margot Robbie
$59 million ($78 million gross)
Australian Margot Robbie, at the "Barbie" premiere in London.
The recent visitor to Patagonia has the means to pay the $14,000 per person for her stay at the resort in Chubut, meals and master classes by Francis Mallmann.
Since its release in July, Barbie
has raised $1.5 billion worldwide.
Margot played a double role in the film, since in addition to starring in it she was one of the producers.
She collected $50 million, with or without bonuses included.
Oh, do you know how much the Greta Gerwig movie cost?
100 million dollars.
Robbie
collected approximately 12.5% of all final earnings, which
Forbes
estimates at more than $60 million.
His production company LuckyChap also produced the satire
Saltburn
last year, and in February 2024 Robbie signed a new exclusive first-look deal with Warner Bros., the studio behind
Barbie
.
3. Tom Cruise
$45 million ($53 million gross)
Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible: Death Sentence Part 1."
The 61-year-old actor is one of the last, if not the last, movie star who can still achieve the vaunted “first dollar gross” deal.
What does it consist of?
In which he is paid a percentage of what his film earns at the box office, and other income from the day of its release, before the studio even recovers its money.
In 2023, he cashed in on the latest
Mission: Impossible
film and continued to receive streaming and on-demand earnings for 2022's
Top Gun: Maverick
. His settlement is typically $13 million plus a percentage of earnings per film.
He also signed a development deal with Warner Bros., as did Margot Robbie.
4. Ryan Gosling (tie)
$43 million ($50 million gross)
Ryan Gosling as Ken
He had never charged so much.
He may just be Ken, but the supporting role in the year's highest-grossing movie was enough for an Oscar nomination... and one of the biggest paychecks of the 43-year-old Gosling's career.
As a bonus, her power ballad from the movie
I'm Just Ken
, has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify.
4. Matt Damon (tie)
$43 million ($50 million gross)
Damon, with his friend Ben Affleck, in "Air."
He is fourth in the ranking, and he was paid little for his role in "Oppenheimer."
The new Artists Equity studio, from friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, was born with the premise of helping all members of the team and sharing the profits from the films.
His first project was
Air
, directed by Affleck, who also had a small role, and starring Damon.
Well, it was sold to Amazon before it went into production for a reported $130 million.
That figure was well above the film's budget, ensuring there would be plenty of money to go around.
Additionally, the 53-year-old actor received a salary of just $4 million for his supporting role in
Oppenheimer
, well below his normal salary, but in exchange for a small portion of the film's substantial earnings.
6. Jennifer Aniston
$42 million ($56 million gross)
Jennifer Aniston arrives at the premiere of "Mystery Ahead" with Adam Sandler, in Los Angeles.
Aside from the royalties that she continues to collect every time
Friends
is revived or sold , the 54-year-old actress continues to star in films and television series.
Aniston earns up to $2 million for acting and executive producing each episode of
The Morning Show
on AppleTV+, and appeared alongside Adam Sandler in
Mystery in Sight
for Netflix (she earned $25 million, plus a fee because she was a producer, same as her co-star), while promoting brands like Uber Eats, Pvolve Fitness, Vital Proteins, and her own hair care line, LolaVie.
It all adds up.
7. Leonardo DiCaprio (tie)
$41 million ($48 million gross)
Leo arrives at the premiere of "The Moon Killers" at the Cannes Film Festival.
Later, he was not nominated for an Oscar, but he received a fortune for Scorsese's film.
AFP Photo
And what do I care, might say the 49-year-old actor who was not nominated for an Oscar by the Hollywood Academy for
The Moon Killers
.
But on the economic balance it is doing well.
His starring role in Martin Scorsese's epic included a hefty salary, as well as his buyout of the theatrical profits once the film hit AppleTV+ (it would have been $30 million).
7. Jason Statham (tie)
$41 million ($48 million gross)
Dtatham in "Megalodon 2."
He had 4 successful movies in 2023.
For the last 20 years the former diver has been fighting evil men, megalodons or even The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
But the 56-year-old actor's earning power has never been higher than in 2023, when he starred in three big-budget franchises:
Fast X
,
The Meg 2
and
The Expendables 4
.
In addition, he had started the year with
Agent Fortune: The Great Deception
, Guy Ritchie's spy film.
And he is currently the star of the highest-grossing movie for now in North America in 2024,
Beekeeper
.
He doesn't earn less than $13 million per movie.
9. Ben Affleck
$38 million ($45 million gross)
Affleck directed and had a role in "Air," which he produced with his friend Matt Damon.
We already said that Jennifer Lopez's husband is Matt Damon's partner in the new Artists Equity studio, and the business that was selling
Air
to Amazon Prime Video.
Well, to that add the odd film, like one directed by Robert Rodríguez, which although it passed without any pain or glory, left him a few dollars.
On the side, the 51-year-old actor does Dunkin' commercials.
10. Denzel Washington
$24 million ($28 million gross)
Denzel Washington.
At 69 years old she had a hit with "El juticiero: Final Chapter."
It is not often that an actor over 60 stars in successful sagas (like Tom Cruise).
Well, the third installment of the
The Vigilante
franchise , which added the
Final Chapter
title to the title , brought in $20 million.
But, in addition, the almost 40-year catalog of the two-time Oscar winner also produces profits for this actor who turns 70 in December.