Forbes has published a list of the highest paid actors in 2023. The big surprise was that Adam Sandler topped the list, earning $73 million last year.
The comedian was able to earn so much thanks to his deal with Netflix, under which he stars in many films, including Murder Mystery 2, which was watched by 173 million people. Sandler also did a stand-up tour with more than 40 performances throughout the year.
He is followed by Margot Robbie, who received $59 million for her role in Barbie. The movie grossed $1.45 billion at the global box office. As the film's producer and star, Robbie received approximately 12.5% of the total revenue, which Forbes estimates at $60 million.
Tom Cruise earned $45 million last year with the continuation of the successful Mission Impossible franchise. Cruise is one of those actors who retain the right to receive a percentage of the film's earnings from the day of its premiere.
Ryan Gosling and Matt Damon are next with a 2 million dollar gap. Both actors received $43 million in 2023. Gosling earned this much for his role as Ken, which also earned him an Oscar nomination and millions of streams of his song I'm Just Ken on streaming platforms.
Matt Damon, who co-founded the Artists Equity studio with Ben Affleck, released his first project Air Jordan/Air last year, but before its release, he sold the rights to Amazon, earning about $130 million.
In general, the entire list looks like this:
- Adam Sandler - $73 million
- Margot Robbie - $59 million
- Tom Cruise - $45 million
- Ryan Gosling - $43 million
- Matt Damon - $43 million
- Jennifer Aniston - $42 million
- Leonardo DiCaprio - $41 million
- Jason Statham - $41 million
- Ben Affleck - $38 million
- Denzel Washington - $24 million
Forbes took data on actors' earnings from open sources, interviews with agents, lawyers, managers, executives and film industry experts. Forbes also notes that only entertainment income was taken into account, while income from brands or other sources was not.
We would also like to remind you that earlier we told you about 10 highest-grossing films of 2023.