Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
16 of the highest paid movie roles of all time - including $100 million for a single film
16 of the highest paid movie roles of all time - including $100 million for a single film
Travis ClarkMay 15, 2018, 21:14 IST
Warner Bros.
Advertisement
It's rare for actors to rake in huge salaries today, at least compared to the days when audiences were drawn to a movie primarily based on its leading star.
Years ago, if a certain actor's name was attached to a movie, it was almost a guaranteed success. Stars like Will Smith, Tom Cruise, and Jim Carrey were paid big bucks in the 1990s because they attracted a crowd.
For instance, Carrey was paid $20 million - a rarity today - for "The Cable Guy" in 1996, because it was expected that he could deliver a $20 million opening weekend at least.
Now, audiences are more attracted to a franchise than a star. Whether a movie has "Avengers" or "Star Wars" in its title is more important than if it has Robert Downey Jr. or Harrison Ford in its credits.
Advertisement
But some big name actors have the recognition and leverage to still strike gigantic deals, such as Vin Diesel for "The Fate of the Furious" ($20 million) and Daniel Craig for the next James Bond movie ($25 million).
Below are 16 of the highest paid movie roles of all time, ranked:
Stone topped Forbes' list of the world's highest paid actresses in 2017 with $26 million, most of that coming from her Oscar-winning role in the 2016 film "La La Land."
15. Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"
Schwarzenegger promised that he'd be back for a third Terminator movie under some pretty specific circumstances, including a $29.25 million "pay or play" fee, which he would receive even if the movie wasn't made.
Hanks has struck "act now, get paid later" deals on multiple films, in which he would receive a portion of the box office earnings. That got him at least $40 million for "Saving Private Ryan," but it's not his most lucrative deal.
12. Cameron Diaz as Elizabeth Halsey in "Bad Teacher"
Diaz was paid a mere $1 million to get "Bad Teacher" produced, but received a portion of box office earnings, which secured her over $40 million for the movie. It's known as one of the most "legendary" deals in Hollywood history.
11. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man in "The Avengers"
It should come as no surprise that Downey gets paid a lot for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he's confirmed that he got paid $50 million just for the first "Avengers" movie.
DiCaprio earned at least $50 million for Christopher Nolan's 2010 film "Inception" just from box office earnings, but his deal also included home video and television sales. According to Forbes, he took a pay cut because the movie was so "risky," but he and Nolan agreed to split first dollar gross points.
Though Nicholson was paid $6 million up front for his role as the villainous Joker in the 1989 "Batman" film, he reportedly secured a lucrative deal that included box office earnings and merchandise sales from its sequels — that he didn't even appear in.
8. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
Forbes reported in 2010 that "On Stranger Tides" — the fourth "Pirates" movie released in 2011 — was the most expensive movies ever made, with production costs of over $410 million. A large portion of those costs were due to paying staff and actors. Depp alone made $55 million for the movie.
To get Ford back for a fourth "Indiana Jones" movie, Paramount agreed to a deal that split a large portion of the film's earnings between him, director Steven Spielberg, and producer George Lucas.
5. Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter in "Alice in Wonderland"
Bullock was paid $20 million up front for "Gravity," which is an impressive number on its own. But her deal also included 15% of box office revenue, which got her at least $70 million.
3. Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol"
Cruise earned $75 million from the fourth "Mission: Impossible" movie, "Ghost Protocol," which allowed him to top Forbes' most powerful actors list in 2012.
