2023 brought a number of challenges to the acting industry – the strikes, the threat of AI, and the subsequent production delays, to name a few. Nonetheless, the top highest-paid actors of 2023-2024 haven’t failed to capture our hearts with their amazing talent, and they’ve got the paychecks to prove it.
Last year also marked the comeback of the movie industry from COVID-19, marking our summers with the Barbenheimer craze and making us weep at Killers of the Flower Moon for over three hours.
But how much did the stars get paid for their amazing performances? In this guide, we dive into the glitzy world of show business and take a look at the highest-paid actors and actresses of 2023-2024. Let’s find out.
Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in 2023-24
These stars of the big and small screens came out on top in 2023 and aren’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon. Here’s what we found out.
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10. Denzel Washington 2023 Earnings – $24 Million
Opening up our top 10 is the oldest actor on the list and the only one who’s been nominated for an Oscar a total of nine times. The 69-year-old star of Philadelphia and The Equalizer, Denzel Washington, made an approximate total of $24 million in 2023.
Washington’s most recent project was the third movie in The Equalizer franchise, where he starred as the main character Robert McCall and which he also produced. His upcoming projects include Gladiator 2 and The Piano Lesson.
9. Ben Affleck 2023 Earnings – $38 Million
The star of Gone Girl and Jennifer Lopez’s husband, Ben Affleck, claims the ninth spot in our ranking. The 51-year-old actor, producer, and co-founder of “Artists Equity” made $38 million in 2023.
The main sources of these earnings were movies that Affleck had produced and starred in, including Air, Small Things Like These, and Hypnotic. Many of Affleck’s projects are joint efforts by him and his close friend Matt Damon (more on him later).
Together, they’re working on several upcoming ventures, including Witness for the Prosecution and the sequel to The Accountant.
8. Jason Statham 2023 Earnings – $41 Million
The only British actor on the list is the star of the Fast and Furious franchise Jason Statham. The 56-year-old actor had a very busy 2023, having starred in Fast X, Meg 2, and Expend4bles. There’s also The Beekeeper, released in January of this year.
These high-value projects earned Statham a whopping $41 million in 2023.
In addition to The Beekeeper, Statham has the new Fast and Furious movie to look forward to fairly soon (titled Fast X: Part 2). He’s also producing Levon’s Trade, where he’s also the lead actor.
7. Leonardo DiCaprio 2023 Earnings – $41 Million
Earnings, 2023: $41 million.
It’s been 27 years since Jack Dawson captured our hearts in Titanic, but actor Leonardo DiCaprio continues to shine in lead roles. The star and executive producer of Killers of the Flower Moon has been nominated for seven Oscars, having won one for The Revenant.
In 2023, DiCaprio made $41 million, tying his earnings with Jason Statham’s. In addition to Killers of the Flower Moon, the 49-year-old actor produced Ozi: Voice of the Forest, and We Are The Guardians in 2023. His upcoming projects include producing a biopic about the creator of Atari and playing Theodore Roosevelt in another biopic, among others.
6. Jennifer Aniston 2023 Earnings – $42 Million
The star of Friends and Murder Mystery 2, Jennifer Aniston, is one of the only two women who made it to the highest-paid actors list and claims the sixth spot in our rating.
Her 2023 earnings of approximately $43 million come from the popular Netflix comedy Murder Mystery 2, as well as her Apple TV series The Morning Show, the fourth season of which is expected in 2025.
Given that the series has been renewed for at least one more season, Aniston is sure to have a busy few years. She’s also working on several other projects as an actor and a producer, but little is known about them.
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5. Matt Damon 2023 Earnings – $43 Million
Kicking off the top five is the Best Picture Winner Matt Damon.
The 53-year-old actor and producer of Good Will Hunting and Jason Bourne fame had a great year in 2023, playing Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer and Sonny Vaccaro in Air. The roles managed to help him earn a significant amount, totalling around $43 million for the year.
As an actor, Damon is expected to star in several thrillers in the coming years, including The Instigators and Animals. He’s also producing an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution.
Needless to say, many of these projects feature members of the Affleck family, given Damon’s many years of friendship with Ben Affleck (ninth on our list). So, perhaps, we’ll be seeing both actors again in our 2024-2025 lists of highest-paid stars.
4. Ryan Gosling 2023 Earnings – $43 Million
He might be “just Ken,” but we think that the dazzling performance of Ryan Gosling at the Oscars alone more than warrants the actor’s paychecks.
The 43-year-old Barbie star is fourth on our list, having earned $43 million in 2023 – the same as Matt Damon.
Although we don’t yet know if we’ll ever see a Barbie sequel, the Oscar-nominated Canadian heartthrob has plenty to be excited about in the coming years. He’s producing and starring in a space adventure Project Hail Mary and is signed on as an executive producer for the horror movie Wolf Man. Ryan Gosling sure has a lot of Kenergy.
3. Tom Cruise 2023 Earnings – $45 Million
In the third spot on our list, we have the star of Mission Impossible, Minority Report, and Top Gun – 61-year-old A-lister Tom Cruise. Although he didn’t star in Barbenheimer, Cruise earned $45 million in 2023.
His earnings largely came from the most expensive Mission Impossible movie to date, which hit our screens last year. At the time, Cruise was also reaping the rewards from his work in Top Gun: Maverick, which came out in 2022.
The second part of Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning is scheduled to hit the screens in 2025, guaranteeing Cruise another significant income boost. In addition to that, he’s signed on to film the first-ever Hollywood movie in outer space.
Would that push his income into the stratosphere? We’ll be sure to keep an eye on it.
2. Margot Robbie 2023 Earnings – $59 Million
One of the two women on the list is the second-highest-paid actor in 2023. The stunning Margot Robbie shines in Barbie, making it one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
The blockbuster hit, combined with her co-producing of one of the most talked-about films of 2023, Saltburn, as well as starring in Asteroid City, earned her approximately $59 million in 2023.
Robbie is also the youngest person on our list, being only 33 years old. Although she didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Barbie, the movie did incredibly well at the box office. Whilst we still have no confirmation on a possible Barbie sequel, Robbie’s upcoming project, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, is expected to keep her very busy.
1. Adam Sandler 2023 Earnings – $73 Million
Yes, Miss Robbie certainly deserves the Barbie accolades and the paychecks to follow. However, the highest-paid actor of 2023 hasn’t starred in either of the Barbenheimer movies (like Tom Cruise).
Comedy genius Adam Sandler earned $73 million in 2023, and the secret to his success has little to do with the cinema, hardly surprising given his 16 Razzie nominations).
A big reason for Sandler’s success is his deal with Netflix. In addition to starring in the comedy sequel Murder Mystery 2 with Jennifer Aniston (sixth on our list) and the dramedy You’re So Not Invited to My Bar Mitzvah, he also voiced Leo the Lizard in the animated film Leo, which he also produced. His popular comedy tour contributed to his earnings as well.
We expect that Sandler will also be earning a decent amount in 2024 given his recently released Netflix sci-fi movie Spaceman. Although, given the trailer, Aragog might be the one reaping the laurels.
What Are The Highest-Grossing Movies in 2023/2024?
When it comes to the highest-grossing movies of 2023, it’s no surprise that Barbie and Oppenheimer sit at the very top. The story of the most famous doll in the world made $1.45 billion worldwide.
The story of the scientist who’s changed the world as we know it comes third after Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, having made $959 million worldwide. Here is the full breakdown of the top-grossing movies of 2023:
| Movie | USA Earnings, USD | Worldwide Earnings, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Barbie | $636.2 million | $1.45 billion |
| The Super Mario Bros Movie | $575 million | $1.36 billion |
| Oppenheimer | $329.5 million | $959 million |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | $359 million | $846 million |
| Fast X | $146.1 million | $704.9 million |
| Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | $381.3 million | $690.6 million |
| Wonka | $218 million | $628.4 million |
| The Little Mermaid | $298.2 million | $570 million |
| Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part | $172.1 million | $567.5 million |
| Elemental | $154.4 million | $496.4 million |
Who Has Made The Most Money Acting?
Acting is undoubtedly a lucrative career – if you can break into it. And traditionally, the actors who play the leading roles in films and TV shows get paid the most.
For example, the star of Marvel movies, Samuel L. Jackson, is the highest-grossing lead actor of all time as of 2023, having earned $5.72 billion in cumulative box office revenue in the US and Canada. Globally, his earnings amount to $14.666 billion.
Jackson is closely followed by his Marvel co-stars Robert Downey Jr ($5.47 billion in North America and $14.4 billion worldwide) and Scarlett Johansson ($5.32 billion in North America and $14.6 billion worldwide).
However, we should remember that the lead actors are far from the only talent shining in movies. For that reason, we’d like to highlight the highest-grossing movie star of all time – who is not a lead actor.
The creator of the Marvel universe, Stan Lee, made $30.6 billion at the box office worldwide by appearing in most MCU movies until his unfortunate passing in 2018. These earnings technically made Lee the highest-grossing movie star of all time.
How Do Actors Get Paid?
Like many of us, movie and TV actors get paid a salary, but they often work on a project-by-project basis, meaning they can theoretically be out of work for months (unless it’s a TV show that lasts 12 seasons).
When they’re shooting a movie, they’re paid at a day rate or at a weekly rate, depending on how long they’re needed on set. On the other hand, when it comes to television, a lot of TV actors are paid per episode.
Concluding Thoughts
We’ve gone over the top 10 highest-paid actors in 2023, their cumulative earnings, and the exciting stuff they’re working on. 2023 really was a big year for movies (the Barbenheimer craze alone was worth millions!), and we were glad to see many talented people appreciated for their craft.
It might’ve been a challenging year as well as an exciting one, but we look forward to what 2024-2025 might bring to the screen.
Are you excited to see Gladiator 2? How about Roosevelt? Do let us know what you’re keen to see the most!
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