While it’s common knowledge that Hollywood stars make a lot of money, you might be surprised by just how much they can earn each year. That’s why Forbes has put together a list of the highest-paid actors in 2025 and revealed the jaw-dropping amounts these celebrities brought in.
Take a look at the A-list actors — from comedians to action stars — who made the list!
1. Adam Sandler
Getty$48 million ($60 million gross)
Being funny can definitely pay off. “The 59-year-old [Adam] Sandler was one of the first big stars to leave movie theaters behind in 2014, finding a cushy home at Netflix, where he is unquestionably the biggest draw on the platform,” according to Forbes. As for the money-making projects Sandler took on in 2025, “he produced and starred in the long-awaited Happy Gilmore 2, and got a second payday for co-starring in Netflix’s Jay Kelly, earning a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Golden Globes and several critics’ awards along the way.”
2. Tom Cruise
Getty$46 million ($54 million gross)
It doesn’t look like Tom Cruise’s star power will be fading any time soon. When it comes to 2025, the actor played “his Ethan Hunt character for perhaps the final time,” according to Forbes. In the process, “the 63-year-old action star took less money up-front for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning—which materialized when 2023’s Dead Reckoning was split in two—in exchange for an ultra-rare, first-dollar gross participation in the movie’s nearly $600 million in box office revenue.”
3. Mark Wahlberg
Getty$44 million ($58 million gross)
“In 2025, the 54-year-old starred in AppleTV’s The Family Plan 2 and Prime Video’s Play Dirty, commanding an estimated $25 million for the latter after Robert Downey Jr. left the project to rejoin the Avengers franchise,” Forbes explained when it comes to Mark Wahlberg’s inclusion on the list. “The busy year also included Mel Gibson’s lower-budgeted Flight Risk and a handful of producing projects, while his 35-year-old rap song ‘Good Vibrations’ continues to pop up in TV shows and movies, paying him handsomely each time.”
4. Scarlett Johansson
Getty$43 million ($50 million gross)
It shouldn’t surprise anyone to find Scarlett Johansson on this list. As Forbes notes, “Universal felt it needed star power to reboot its flagship Jurassic franchise and offered the 41-year-old Avengers alum an estimated $20 million up front plus a significant share of profits to land her for Jurassic World: Rebirth, which became one of the year’s biggest hits.” Beyond that, “Hollywood’s highest-paid actress also made her directorial debut in 2025 with Eleanor The Great, and returned to Wes Anderson’s acting ensemble for the third time in The Phoenician Scheme.”
5. Brad Pitt
Getty$41 million ($54 million gross)
“F1 was Apple’s most ambitious movie project to date, and the tech giant spared no expense to secure a producer (Jerry Bruckheimer), director (Joseph Kosinski) and star who could turn the movie into a true theatrical hit,” Forbes pointed out. “The film even earned an unexpected Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, and a sequel is now in the works.” When it comes to Brad Pitt’s pay, “[i]n a rare concession, Apple agreed to give the 62-year-old [actor] a traditional gross participation deal, rather than the buyout that has become standard among the streamers, allowing him to share in the movie’s more than $600 million in box office receipts.”
Who Else Is On the List & How Much They Made
GettyCheck out the other stars who made the list:
6. Denzel Washington
$38 million ($42 million gross)
7. Jack Black
$28 million ($33 million gross)
8. Jason Momoa
$28 million ($33 million gross)
9. Daniel Craig
$27 million ($32 million gross)
10. Millie Bobby Brown
$26 million ($35 million gross)
11. John Cena
$26 million ($35 million gross)
12. Reese Witherspoon
$26 million ($34 million gross)
13. George Clooney
$25 million ($30 million gross)
14. Leonardo DiCaprio
$25 million ($29 million gross)
15. Rob Mac
$23 million ($30 million gross)
16. Chris Pratt
$22 million ($29 million gross)
17. Tom Hardy
$21 million ($28 million gross)
18. Jennifer Aniston
$20 million ($26 million gross)
19. Cameron Diaz
$20 million ($23 million gross)
20. Jason Bateman
$19 million ($25 million gross)
