Every year, Forbes releases a list revealing the highest-paid actors of the moment. As per usual the list includes some of the most famous A-listers of the industry, including Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio. However, the leading actor as far as income goes might be surprising. Unlike some of the other names on the list, this star’s millions didn’t come from just one big blockbuster, but from a carefully selected collection of smaller, yet very lucrative movies. Or how Adam Sandler has clearly played his cards well.
1. Adam Sandler (73 million dollars)
Thanks to a rather successful deal with Netflix, Adam Sandler has had a pretty lucrative 2023. He first signed such a contract, worth 250 million, with the streaming service in 2014, a deal that was then prolonged in 2020. Three movies in particular have been very successful for Sandler: “Murder Mystery 2”, “You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” and “Leo”.
2. Margot Robbie (59 million dollars)
With the whirlwind “Barbie” caused in 2023, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Margot Robbie has been doing great. She’s not only the highest-earning woman on the list but also the youngest actor to be featured.
3. Tom Cruise (45 million dollars)
As a long-time classic of the movie industry, Tom Cruise’s acting moves are clearly raging well. His high earnings are mainly due to “Mission: Impossible”, which will get a second part in 2025, and “Top Gun: Maverick”, which was released in 2022 but had continued success in 2023.
4. Ryan Gosling (43 million dollars)
Just like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling played in one of the most famous movies of last year. The song he performed in it, “I’m Just Ken”, has even allowed him to score well on the musical front – including an appearance during the Academy Awards.
5. Matt Damon (43 million dollars)
“Oppenheimer” may have grossed less than “Barbie”, but it certainly was one of 2023’s most memorable pictures. Damon’s supportive role “only” earned him 4 million dollars. His high income however is mainly due to an acquisition by Amazon, to which he and partner Ben Affleck sold the rights for their movie “Air” for 140 million dollars.
6. Jennifer Aniston (42 million dollars)
With a steady passive income thanks to “Friends”, Anniston won’t soon have to worry about her revenue stream. However, the actress keeps on raking in lucrative deals. “The Morning Show” apparently earns her 2 million dollars an episode and, other than that, she has a lot of brand deals going on.
7. Leonardo DiCaprio (41 million dollars)
A new year, a new Leonardo DiCaprio blockbuster. In 2023, Leo starred in “Killers of the Flower Moon”, accounting for a big chunk of his 41 million dollars pay last year.
8. Jason Statham (41 million dollars)
Contrary to some of the other stars on the list, Statham made his money not through one big but through several smaller releases. His roles in “Fast X”, “Meg 2: The Trench” and “Expend4bles” all proved pretty lucrative.
9. Ben Affleck (38 million dollars)
Even though Affleck hasn’t been very active on the acting front, he still managed to make good money. That is, just as with Matt Damon, essentially due to the acquisition of the rights “Air” by Amazon.
10. Denzel Washington (24 million dollars)
While Margot Robbie is the youngest actor on the list, Denzel Washington is the oldest one. At 69 years old, his appearance in “The Equalizer 3” made him quite a bit of money.
