The salaries of Hollywood's top movie stars have been revealed and many have Netflix to thank for their ever-growing salaries, Variety reported. At a time when studios are becoming increasingly reluctant to write out massive paychecks, popular streaming services are swooping in and bagging top movie stars with lucrative offers.
According to Variety's report, Ryan Reynolds is receiving $27 million for his role in Michael Bay's vigilante action film "Six Underground." Meanwhile, Denzel Washington requested $30 million to star in a Netflix action film which he later passed on.
These figures are much larger than the salaries offered by traditional movie studios, which are no longer tabling the generous amounts they used to. Case in point is Tom Cruise who earned up to $20 million two decades ago, but has now reportedly "settled" for $12 million to $14 million to reprise his role in "Top Gun: Maverick."
This explains why more and more Hollywood stars are strategically choosing roles in Netflix films. There is just one pitfall. There are no upsides. Even if a film does exceptionally well, the take-home pay remains the same, Variety noted.
Netflix has employed similar tactics to entice filmmakers, producers and even executives with lucrative offers, The Hollywood Reporter noted. "There are fewer good people on the market. You go to hire somebody and they've been snarfed up," said one unnamed competing exec.
So how do the salaries of Hollywood's top movie stars compare? Variety revealed what some of the top earning stars are receiving:
- Jessica Chastain – $2.5 million for "It: Chapter 2"
- Joaquin Phoenix – $4.5 million for "Joker"
- Martin Lawrence – $6 million for "Bad Boys For Life"
- Kirsten Stewart – $7 million for "Charlie's Angels"
- Ben Affleck – $8 million for "Triple Frontier"
- Idris Elba – $8 million for "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw"
- Margot Robbie – $9-10 million for "Birds of Prey"
- Leonardo DiCaprio – $10 million for "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood"
- Gal Gadot – $10 million for "Wonder Woman 1984"
- Brad Pitt – $10 million for "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood"
- Emily Blunt – $12-14 million for "A Quiet Place 2"
- Tom Cruise – $12-14 million for "Top Gun: Maverick"
- Jason Statham – $13 million for "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw"
- Will Smith – $17 million for "Bad Boys For Life"
- Robert Downey Jr. – $20 million for "The Voyage Of Doctor DoLittle"
- Dwayne Johnson – $20 million for "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw"
- Ryan Reynolds – $27 million for "Six Underground"
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