Tom Cruise - Top Gun: Maverick (2022) - At least $100 million It cost more than $100 million for Tom Cruise to get back in the skin of Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. According to Variety, Cruise agreed to reprise the role for $13 million upfront plus a fraction of the total box office, which has reached nearly $1.5 billion, and a portion of future home entertainment sales.
Will Smith - Men in Black 3 (2012) - $100 million Way back in 2012, Smith earned $100 million for his role in 'Men in Black,' which was said to be the biggest single movie deal ever at the time. The film had a budget of $225 million and earned more than $624 million.
Keanu Reeves - The Matrix - $83.3 million per film Keanu Reeves reportedly took home a total of $250 million for the Matrix and its two sequels, which averages to $83.3 million per film. Most was earned due to the film's box office success since his base salary only reached around $13 million on average.
Tom Cruise - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - $75 million It didn't take too long for Maverick to make it back onto the list, proving that Tom Cruise is undeniably one of Hollywood's biggest stars. While it's a jaw-dropping amount of cash, at least Cruise performs his own stunts!
Robert Downey Jr. - Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Downey took home a cool $75 million for playing Tony Stark in what many consider to be one of the best action films of all time. The actor's Iron Man truly was the soul of the blockbuster, but it certainly came at a price.
Sandra Bullock - Gravity (2009) On top of earning $70 million for playing Dr. Ryan Stone in 'Gravity', she also snagged an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she earned a $20 million guaranteed payment plus 15% of the box office earnings for the film that made a solid $723 million.
Johnny Depp - Alice in Wonderland (2010) It cost $68 million for Johnny Depp to get into the shoes of the Mad Hatter for the adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, according to The Telegraph. Those were definitely different times for the actor. And for Hollywood.
Adam Sandler - Netflix deal In what was likely his biggest payday ever, Sandler signed a $250 deal with Netflix to make four movies in 2014, according to Forbes. Then, he sent a similar deal again in 2017 and again in 2020. Some of the films have been huge hits for the platform including 'Hustle' (2022), 'Uncut Gems' (2019) and 'Murder Mystery' (2019).
Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump (1994) Tom Hanks took home $60 million and an Oscar for Best Actor for playing the endearing Forrest Gump. According to Entertainment Weekly, the actor tied his salary to box office sales. Lucky for him, the film was both a critical and popular hit, taking home $677 million in theaters.