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The highest-paid actor in Hollywood right now is Adam Sandler, who banked an estimated USD$48 million in 2025 without a single box-office hit, according to Forbes. It is the clearest sign yet that streaming deals, not ticket sales, now decide who sits at the top. Below is the full Forbes 2025 ranking of the 10 highest-paid actors, what they earned and how they earned it. Collectively the top 20 took home USD$590 million, down 20 per cent on the year before.
Highest Paid Actors at a Glance
- Highest-paid actor overall: Adam Sandler (USD$48 million)
- Highest-paid woman: Scarlett Johansson (USD$43 million)
- Youngest on the list: Millie Bobby Brown, 22, the youngest in 20 years
- Top 20 combined earnings: USD$590 million, down 20 per cent year on year
The 2025 Ranking at a Glance
- Adam Sandler, USD$48 million
- Tom Cruise, USD$46 million
- Mark Wahlberg, USD$44 million
- Scarlett Johansson, USD$43 million
- Brad Pitt, USD$41 million
- Denzel Washington, USD$38 million
- Jack Black, USD$28 million
- Jason Momoa, USD$28 million
- Daniel Craig, USD$27 million
- Millie Bobby Brown, USD$26 million
1. Adam Sandler, $48 million
Paid: USD$48 million ($60 million gross)
Sandler tops the list without a single box-office hit, which tells you everything about how completely streaming has rewritten the maths. His long-running Netflix output deal pays him whether a film lands or not, and 2025 delivered the long-awaited Happy Gilmore 2. He has built a model where the work keeps coming and the cheque clears regardless of the reviews.
2. Tom Cruise, $46 million
Paid: USD$46 million ($54 million gross)
Cruise still does it the old-fashioned way, with big swings on the big screen. His back-end deal on Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning rewards him on box-office performance, the model that has kept him one of the last true theatrical movie stars while his peers chase streaming cheques.
3. Mark Wahlberg, $44 million
Paid: USD$44 million ($58 million gross)
Wahlberg’s earnings come less from one mega-hit than from sheer volume and shrewd deal-making across streaming and theatrical. Producer credits keep him paid behind the camera as well as in front of it, and he rarely lets a year pass without several films in the pipeline.
4. Scarlett Johansson, $43 million
Paid: USD$43 million
The highest-paid woman on the list, Johansson headlined Jurassic World Rebirth in 2025, stepping into one of the biggest franchises going. Her blend of franchise leads and producing work keeps her at the very top of the field.
5. Brad Pitt, $41 million
Paid: USD$41 million
Pitt’s pay packet was supercharged by F1, the 2025 motor-racing blockbuster he both starred in and produced. Taking a slice of the upside on one of the year’s biggest originals paid off handsomely when the film became a genuine summer hit.
6. Denzel Washington, $38 million
Paid: USD$38 million
Washington’s return to the toga in Gladiator II carried a back-end deal that paid off as the sequel drew crowds worldwide. At this stage of his career he takes the roles he wants on the terms he wants, and the numbers follow.
7. Jack Black, $28 million
Paid: USD$28 million
Black rode the runaway success of A Minecraft Movie, the 2025 video-game adaptation that became a global phenomenon and turned its leads into some of the year’s biggest earners. Few bets paid off as well in 2025.
8. Jason Momoa, $28 million
Paid: USD$28 million
Tied with Black, Momoa also cashed in on A Minecraft Movie, stacked on top of the residuals still flowing from his Aquaman years. The franchise muscle that made his name keeps working for him long after the cameras stop.
9. Daniel Craig, $27 million
Paid: USD$27 million
Post-Bond, Craig has found a lucrative second act as detective Benoit Blanc. His Netflix deal for the Knives Out sequels, including 2025’s Wake Up Dead Man, keeps him handsomely paid for one of the most enjoyable franchises going.
10. Millie Bobby Brown, $26 million
Paid: USD$26 million
At 22, Brown was the youngest actor on the list in two decades. Her Netflix output, from the Stranger Things finale era to films like The Electric State, has made her one of the platform’s most bankable names and proof that the next generation is already cashing in.
How the Forbes 2025 List Works
The figures come from Forbes, which estimates pre-tax earnings before fees for agents, managers and lawyers are deducted. They cover the 2025 calendar year and include upfront salaries, back-end profit participation and streaming buyouts. The headline trend this year is the squeeze: the combined earnings of the top 20 fell 20 per cent to USD$590 million, as studios trimmed upfront pay and leaned harder on performance-based deals.
Highest Paid Actors FAQs
Adam Sandler, who earned an estimated USD$48 million in 2025 according to Forbes. His long-running Netflix output deal pays him whether his films succeed at the box office or not, which is how he topped the list without a single 2025 box-office hit.
Scarlett Johansson, with USD$43 million in 2025, the highest-paid woman on the Forbes list. She headlined Jurassic World Rebirth and continues to pair major franchise leads with producing work that keeps her among Hollywood’s very top earners.
The 10 highest-paid actors each earned between USD$26 million and USD$48 million in 2025. Combined, the top 20 took home USD$590 million, down 20 per cent on the year before as studios trimmed upfront pay in favour of performance-based deals.
Forbes estimates pre-tax income before fees for agents, managers and lawyers are deducted. The figures cover the calendar year and include upfront salaries, back-end profit participation and streaming buyouts, drawing on data from industry insiders and filings.
Highest Paid Actors in 2024: Last Year’s List
For comparison, here is how the ranking looked a year earlier. In 2024 the list was led by Dwayne Johnson, and the top earners pulled noticeably bigger numbers, a reminder of how much the top 20 has tightened since.
- Dwayne Johnson, $88 million
- Ryan Reynolds, $85 million
- Kevin Hart, $81 million
- Jerry Seinfeld, $60 million
- Hugh Jackman, $50 million
- Brad Pitt, $32 million
- George Clooney, $31 million
- Nicole Kidman, $31 million
- Adam Sandler, $26 million
- Will Smith, $26 million
- Mariska Hargitay, $25 million
- Channing Tatum, $24 million
- Jason Statham, $24 million
- Mark Wahlberg, $23 million
- Matt Damon, undisclosed
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