In a year when the Barbenheimer phenomenon dominated the industry, it was Adam Sandler who made the most money among Hollywood A-listers in 2023. The Sandman did not have any theatrical releases in 2023. However, his million-dollar Netflix deal spawned two live-action films and one animated film this year. Along with these movies, Sandler had a busy time doing stand-up comedy shows across the U.S. Adam Sandler earned $73 million from all these projects in 2023.
Sandler is way ahead of the next actor on the list. Margot Robbie’s earnings from Barbie made her the second-highest-earning actor of 2023, with $59 million. Tom Cruise and Matt Damon secured the third and fourth positions with $45 million and $43 million, respectively.
Adam Sandler’s Netflix Movies Made Him The Highest-Earning Star Of 2023
Ever since Adam Sandler signed up with Netflix to create his signature comedy films for the platform, his net worth has been on the rise. According to an engagement report released by the streaming platform for 2023, subscribers spent more than 500 million hours in the first six months of 2023 watching Sandler’s movies.
The Grown Ups star released three movies on Netflix last year, the most popular among them being the sequel film, Murder Mystery 2. Netflix subscribers across the world spent a total of 173 million hours watching the film in 2023. The film was a Netflix Top 10 in 90 different countries. His co-star in the film, Jennifer Aniston, also ranked sixth on the highest-paid actors list.
Sandler’s other films of the year included You’re So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah and Leo. The former starred Sandler’s wife and daughters in prominent roles and became a surprise hit on Netflix. The animated movie, Leo, was Sandler’s collaboration with Netflix Animation. All three films were produced by the Blended actor’s Happy Madison Productions.
The 57-year-old actor clearly proves that he’s still a favorite among home audiences. While his contract was renewed for further collaborations in 2020, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos shared, “There’s no such thing as too much Sandler” (via People). Sandler also focused on his career as a comedian in 2023, when he returned to stand-up comedy. The 50 First Dates actor did 44 shows across the country last year.
According to Forbes, Sandler earned an estimated $73 million in 2023, making him the highest-paid actor by a considerable margin.
Tom Cruise and Matt Damon Are Placed After Adam Sandler and Margot Robbie On The List
Margot Robbie is the second-highest-paid actor of 2023, earning $59 million. A major share of this paycheck came from her billion-dollar hit, Barbie, where she also served as a producer. She and Ryan Gosling, also number 4 on the list, are set to earn more money from the film for the rest of their lives. Robbie’s LuckyChap Productions also produced the much-talked-about film of 2023, Saltburn.
Tom Cruise is one of the highest-paid actors in the industry and earned $45 million last year, making him the third-highest-paid actor of the year. Cruise’s latest Mission: Impossible film earned him a paycheck that included a percentage of the film’s box office collection. He also continued to earn profits from the streaming of the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. In January this year, Tom Cruise signed a deal with Warner Bros. while continuing his work with Paramount and other studios.
Matt Damon‘s earnings mostly came from his production company with Ben Affleck, Artists Equity Studio. Their first film, Air, starred Damon and was directed by Affleck. He also starred in Oppenheimer but took a reduced salary for his appearance, earning a mere $4 million paycheck for the film.
The list of highest-paid actors also includes Leonardo DiCaprio ($41 million), Jason Statham ($41 million), Ben Affleck ($38 million), and Denzel Washington ($24 million).
