It's rare for actors to rake in huge salaries today, at least compared to the days when audiences were drawn to a movie primarily based on its leading star.
The Matrix
Years ago, if a certain actor's name were attached to a movie, it was almost a guaranteed success. Stars like Will Smith, Tom Cruise, and Jim Carrey were paid big bucks in the 1990s because they attracted a crowd.
For instance, Carrey was paid $20 million a rarity today for "The Cable Guy" in 1996, because it was expected that he could deliver a $20 million opening weekend at least.
Now, audiences are more attracted to a franchise than a star. "Avengers: Endgame" is a box-office sensation , for instance, breaking the records for the biggest domestic and worldwide openings of all time.
But some big name actors have the recognition and leverage to still strike gigantic deals. Ryan Reynolds is making $27 million for his upcoming Netflix movie, "Six Underground," according to Variety .
Below are 17 of the highest paid movie roles of all time, ranked:
17. Emma Stone as Mia in "La La Land"
Summit Entertainment
$26 million
Source: Forbes
Stone topped Forbes ' list of the world's highest paid actresses in 2017 with $26 million, most of that coming from her Oscar-winning role in the 2016 film "La La Land."
16. Ryan Reynolds in "Six Underground"
Getty Images
$27 million
Source: Variety
The release date is yet to be determined, but Reynolds is set to make $27 million for this Michael Bay-directed Netflix action movie, about six billionaires who turn into vigilantes.
15. Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"
Warner Bros.
$29 million
Source: Slate
Schwarzenegger promised that he'd be back for a third Terminator movie under some pretty specific circumstances, including a $29.25 million "pay or play" fee , which he would receive even if the movie wasn't made.
14. Jim Carrey as Carl Allen in "Yes Man"
Warner Movies On Demand/Youtube
$30 million
Source: Forbes
Carrey reportedly exchanged his salary for "Yes Man" for an ownership stake in the movie , which paid off.
13. Tom Hanks as Captain John Miller in "Saving Private Ryan"
Paramount Pictures
$40 million
Hanks has struck " act now, get paid later " deals on multiple films, in which he would receive a portion of the box office earnings. That got him at least $40 million for "Saving Private Ryan," but it's not his most lucrative deal.
12. Cameron Diaz as Elizabeth Halsey in "Bad Teacher"
'Bad Teacher'/Sony Pictures
$42 million
Diaz was paid a mere $1 million to get "Bad Teacher" produced, but received a portion of box-office earnings, which secured her over $40 million for the movie. It's known asone of the most "legendary" deals in Hollywood history.
11. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man in "The Avengers"
Marvel Studios
$50 million
Source: GQ
It should come as no surprise that Downey gets paid a lot for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he's confirmed that he got paid $50 million just for the first "Avengers" movie.
10. Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb in "Inception"
Warner Bros.
$50 million
Source: Forbes
DiCaprio earned at least$50 million for Christopher Nolan's 2010 film "Inception" just from box-office earnings, but his deal also included home video and television sales. According to Forbes , he took a pay cut because the movie was so "risky," but he and Nolan agreed to split first dollar gross points.
9. Jack Nicholson as The Joker in "Batman"
AP Photo / Warner Bros.
$50 million
Though Nicholson was paid $6 million up front for his role as the villainous Joker in the 1989 "Batman" film, he reportedlysecured a lucrative deal that included box-office earnings and merchandise sales from its sequels that he didn't even appear in.
8. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
Disney
$55 million
Source: Forbes
Forbes reported in 2010 that "On Stranger Tides" the fourth "Pirates" movie released in 2011 was the most expensive movies ever made, with production costs of over $410 million. A large portion of those costs were due to paying staff and actors. Depp alone made $55 million for the movie.
In 2011, Depp admitted that he was "overpaid" for the "Pirates" movies, for which he has reportedly made over $300 million combined.
7. Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in "Forrest Gump"
Paramount
$60 million
The box-office hit "Forrest Gump" is another case in which Hanks opted for performance-based pay , in which he received an estimated $60 million.
6. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
Paramount via YouTube screengrab
$65 million
Source: Forbes
To get Ford back for a fourth "Indiana Jones" movie, Paramount agreed to a dealthat split a large portion of the film's earnings between him, director Steven Spielberg, and producer George Lucas.
5. Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter in "Alice in Wonderland"
Disney via YouTube
$68 million
According to the Telegraph , Depp earned 50 million pounds for "Alice in Wonderland," which was about $68 million in the US.
4. Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone in "Gravity"
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
$70 million
Bullock was paid $20 million up front for "Gravity," which is an impressive number on its own. But her deal also included 15% of box office revenue, which got her at least $70 million .
3. Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol"
Paramount
$75 million
Source: Forbes
Cruise earned $75 million from the fourth "Mission: Impossible" movie, "Ghost Protocol," which allowed him to top Forbes' most powerful actors list in 2012.
2. Will Smith as Agent J in "Men in Black 3"
Sony Pictures / Wilson Webb
$100 million
Will Smith's performance-based pay for the third "Men in Black" movie got him $100 million of its $624 million gross .
1. Keanu Reeves as Neo in "The Matrix" trilogy
Warner Bros.
$250 million (combined)
Between all three "Matrix" films, Keanu Reeves' combined pay was $250 million .
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