Online Reporter
Hollywood’s top talent can command some seriously high salaries, and the likes of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Hugh Jackman can make staggering sums for starring in a single movie.
Using data collated by Forbes, read on to discover the 20 highest-paid movie stars of 2024 based on their earnings from upcoming or recently released projects. We’ve also included their estimated net worths and details of the savvy side hustles that further boost their bank balances.
All dollar amounts in US dollars. Earnings figures represent gross amounts before taxes and agent fees.
20. Joaquin Phoenix: $22 million
Joaquin Phoenix ranks as the 20th highest-paid actor of 2024. Sources suggest the majority of his $22 million earnings came from reprising his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck in Joker: Folie à Deux. The fee marked the biggest upfront payday of his career, despite the film flopping at the box office, grossing just $207.5 million against a $200 million production budget.
The Oscar-winning star has an estimated net worth of $80 million, primarily amassed from his acting career.
18. Scarlett Johansson: $25 million
Scarlett Johansson earned $25 million last year thanks to two high-profile roles: the rom-com Fly Me to the Moon, which she starred in alongside Channing Tatum, and a vocal part in the animated movie Transformers: One.
18. Jason Statham: $25 million
Jason Statham has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most bankable action stars, allowing him to command millions for his roles. Last year, he banked $25 million, with most of his earnings coming from his starring turn in the action movie The Beekeeper.
17. Jake Gyllenhaal: $26 million
Jake Gyllenhaal starred in two streaming hits last year: the remake of the 1980s action flick Road House for Amazon Prime Video and the thriller series Presumed Innocent for Apple TV+. These roles earned him $26 million.
16. Denzel Washington: $27 million
Denzel Washington earned $27 million last year, primarily for his role in the sword-and-sandal epic Gladiator II. He also profited from royalty cheques on his decades-spanning back catalog of hit movies.
The veteran star, known for iconic roles in Training Day and Malcolm X, has an estimated net worth of $300 million.
15. Channing Tatum: $28 million
Channing Tatum had a busy 2024, starring in both the rom-com Fly Me to the Moon and the thriller Blink Twice. He also made a cameo in the Marvel blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine. These projects earned him $28 million.
14. Mariska Hargitay: $29 million
Mariska Hargitay is the highest-paid TV star in the world. She’s portrayed Detective Olivia Benson on crime drama Law & Order: SVU for over 20 years, appearing in almost every episode. She earns $750,000 per episode between her acting and producing salary and additionally takes home a share of the show’s syndication profits. Last year alone, she earned a phenomenal $29 million.
11. John Cena: $30 million
John Cena starred in a slew of comedy movies in 2024. His projects included Argylle for Apple TV+, Ricky Stanicky for Hulu, and Jackpot! for Amazon Prime Video. He also found time to appear in the TV shows Die Hart 2 and The Bear. Altogether, these roles earned the busy star $30 million pre-tax and fees.
11. Matt Damon: $30 million
Matt Damon earned $30 million in 2024, with a large portion of his earnings coming courtesy of his role in the crime comedy The Instigators. Damon co-owns the studio behind the film and earned a percentage of the movie’s equity when it sold to Apple TV+, in addition to his acting fee.
11. Will Smith: $30 million
Since his breakout role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, regularly commanding super-sized paydays. Reprising his role as Detective Mike Lowrey in Bad Boys: Ride or Die last year was no exception, with Smith earning $30 million.
10. Mark Wahlberg: $31 million
Mark Wahlberg starred in two very different movies last year: the indie sports drama Arthur the King and the Netflix big-budget action thriller The Union. The bulk of his $31 million earnings came from the latter project.
9. Adam Sandler: $35 million
Adam Sandler earned $35 million last year, thanks to his multi-year $250 million content creation deal with Netflix. In 2024, he produced and starred in the sci-fi film Spaceman for the streaming giant and currently has a highly anticipated Happy Gilmore sequel in the works.
8. George Clooney: $37 million
George Clooney starred in two movies in 2024 − the family-friendly IF and the spy comedy Wolfs − earning a total of $37 million. Most of his earnings came from the latter, despite Clooney publicly denying reports that he and co-star Brad Pitt were each paid around $35 million for the project. Insiders dispute his claim, stating the movie was “definitely a for-profit endeavor” for Clooney.
7. Nicole Kidman: $41 million
Nicole Kidman ranks as the highest-paid actress of 2024, earning $41 million. Kidman had a busy year, starring in two movies − the R-rated drama Babygirl and the rom-com A Family Affair. She also found time to appear in three TV miniseries: The Perfect Couple on Netflix, Lioness on Paramount+ and Expats on Amazon Prime TV.
6. Brad Pitt: $42 million
Brad Pitt banked a plump $42 million in 2024, thanks to his roles in the spy comedy Wolfs, which premiered exclusively on Apple TV+, and his upcoming sports drama F1, set for release later this year.
Pitt’s total estimated fortune is $400 million, mostly earned through his acting career.
5. Hugh Jackman: $66 million
Hugh Jackman reprised his iconic Wolverine role last year in the blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s believed to be the biggest payday of his career to date.
The Australian actor’s estimated net worth is $100 million. Most of his fortune comes from playing Wolverine, with Jackman earning $20 million each pre-tax for X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine.
4. Jerry Seinfeld: $70 million
Jerry Seinfeld earned an eye-watering $70 million in 2024. In addition to consistent syndication revenue from his hit sitcom Seinfeld, which continues to generate a fortune year after year, he profited from more recent projects too. These include stand-up comedy gigs and his recent Netflix comedy film, Unfrosted, which he wrote, directed, and starred in.
3. Ryan Reynolds: $100 million
Ryan Reynolds had a stellar 2024, starring in, co-writing, and executive producing Deadpool & Wolverine, the second-highest-grossing film of the year, earning $1.3 billion worldwide. He also appeared in the family film IF and produced the Netflix documentary Welcome to Wrexham, bringing his total earnings to $100 million.
2. Dwayne Johnson: $103 million
Dwayne Johnson earned a staggering $103 million in 2024. His massive payday included a record-breaking $50 million for Amazon’s Red One, the largest fee-plus-buyout deal in streaming history. He also earned a slice of the box office profits for Moana 2, which grossed over $1 billion globally.
With an estimated net worth of $800 million, Johnson first found fame as a WWE star before pivoting to Hollywood, where he became one of the highest-paid actors thanks to roles in the likes of Jumanji and the Fast & Furious franchise. Beyond acting, he has a lucrative side hustle in the form of his tequila brand, Teremana.
1. Kevin Hart: $108 million
Kevin Hart had an insanely busy 2024, starring in multiple projects across different platforms. He appeared in the theatrical release Borderlands, the Netflix film Lift, the Amazon Prime movie Die Hart 2: Die Harter, and the TV shows Die Hart and Fight Night. On top of that, he hosted a weekly Spotify podcast and still found time to perform 90 stand-up comedy shows. These endeavors earned him $108 million pre-tax and fees.
The actor and comedian’s estimated total fortune is $450 million. In addition to his acting and comedy gigs, Hart profits from endorsement deals with major brands like DraftKings and Chase. In 2022, he also launched his own media company, HartBeat. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he owns an 85 percent stake in the company, which is valued at $650 million − MSN.
