If you have been following the movie news from Hollywood closely, you have probably heard that Sony is prepared to offer actor Daniel Craig a staggering salary of up to 150 million USD to continue his role as James Bond 007 in two upcoming films, approximately 75 million USD per film. Of course, this is just a tentative offer, and Craig himself has previously stated that he is not keen on continuing his role as 007 anymore.
However, a salary exceeding 50 million USD for any character is quite remarkable, making fans eager to learn more. To put this into perspective, let’s compare it with the salaries of other actors below:
5. Tom Cruise, “War of the Worlds” (2005) – 100 million USD
In 2005, director Steven Spielberg collaborated with actor Tom Cruise for the second time in the blockbuster “War of the Worlds,” following their previous project “Minority Report” in 2002. To finance “War of the Worlds,” which had a budget of 132 million USD, Cruise decided to negotiate a deal to take 20% of the total box office revenue instead of a set salary. Ultimately, the film grossed 591 million USD worldwide and over 110 million USD from home video sales, allowing Tom Cruise to pocket around 100 million USD for his performance.
4. Bruce Willis, “The Sixth Sense” (1999) – 120 million USD
In 1999, director M. Night Shyamalan released his first film that became a significant milestone in his career, “The Sixth Sense.” Actor Bruce Willis initially aimed for a lower salary of 20 – 25 million USD but eventually settled for 14 million USD for his role as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, while also receiving a percentage of the box office and video revenue. With a production budget of 40 million USD, “The Sixth Sense” brought in over 672 million USD at the global box office, along with an additional 80 million USD from video sales, yielding substantial earnings for Bruce Willis.
3. Johnny Depp, “Pirates of the Caribbean” Franchise (2003 – Present) – 185 million USD
The franchise based on the popular Disneyland ride has been a huge success, grossing nearly 3.7 billion USD across four films. A significant factor contributing to its success has been Johnny Depp’s outstanding performance as Captain Jack Sparrow.
In the first installment, “The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003), Depp earned 10 million USD. However, due to the franchise’s massive success, his salary for the second film, “Dead Man’s Chest” (2006), skyrocketed to 20 million USD. For the third film, “At World’s End” (2007), Depp’s pay increased further to 50 million USD. In the most recent installment, “On Stranger Tides” (2011), he reportedly earned up to 55 million USD, along with additional bonuses. A Disney executive noted that the franchise would not have sustained its popularity without Johnny Depp.
2. Keanu Reeves, “The Matrix” Trilogy (1999 – 2003) – 262 million USD
The “Matrix” trilogy directed by the Wachowski siblings grossed over 1.6 billion USD worldwide, with the first film alone earning over 460 million USD. Keanu Reeves, who starred in all three films, received a salary of 10 million USD for the original “The Matrix” (1999) along with 10% of the total box office gross, totaling 56 million USD upon completion. For the subsequent films, he negotiated a salary of 15 million USD for each, plus 15% of the box office gross for every film. Consequently, Reeves earned 126 million USD from “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003) and 80 million USD from “The Matrix Revolution” (2003). The 126 million USD for a single role in a film remains one of the highest records to date.
1. Tom Cruise, “Mission: Impossible” Franchise (1996 – Present) – 290 million USD
Without Tom Cruise in the role of Ethan Hunt, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise would likely not exist. Additionally, if Cruise hadn’t taken the initiative to acquire the production rights for all the films in the franchise, he probably wouldn’t have earned his substantial income either. As of now, the “Mission: Impossible” series has grossed nearly 2.8 billion USD at the global box office over the past two decades, with Tom Cruise earning 70 million USD from the first film, 75 million USD for each of the second and third films, and 70 million USD for the fourth installment. Given the franchise’s strong performance and continuous success, it is certain that Cruise will continue to earn substantial amounts in the future.
Source: Moviepilot
