Inside Hollywood's biggest salaries: Tom Cruise earns over $100M, 'Yellowstone' actors rake in $1M per episode
Will Smith ranks second with $35 million for action thriller 'Emancipation'
Hollywood’s biggest movie stars are bringing home hefty paychecks, with Tom Cruise being the highest-paid film star, Will Smith ranking second and Paramount Network’s "Yellowstone" actors making $1 million per episode.
With the latest release of "Top Gun: Maverick," Cruise is expected to take in more than $100 million from movie ticket sales in addition to his salary and eventual cut of home entertainment rentals and streaming revenue, according to Variety.
Tom Cruise is Hollywood's highest earner in the movie industry, raking in more than $100 million from "Top Gun: Maverick" alone. (EPK / Fox News)
Cruise, 60, who stars and produces the sequel, is slated to star in the next two "Mission: Impossible" films, which sources estimate will bring in a paycheck in the $12 million to $14 million range.
As the Hollywood star continues to top the movie industry after more than four decades, "Top Gun: Maverick" continues to soar at nearly $1.2 billion at the global box office since the film premiered in May.
"Top Gun: Maverick" continues to soar at nearly $1.2 billion at the global box office. (EPK / Fox News)
"Top Gun: Maverick" is now Paramount’s highest-grossing movie ever worldwide and the first of Cruise’s films to pass the billion-dollar mark.
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Will Smith follows the "Top Gun" star as second-biggest earner in Hollywood.
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alum signed on to star in the action thriller "Emancipation" for $35 million in June 2020.
The movie release date for Smith’s upcoming project with Apple was pushed back to 2023 due to production delays.
The announcement followed shortly after Smith’s incident with Chris Rock, when he stormed the Oscars stage and slapped the comedian for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's balding.
"The Hancock" star later resigned from the academy, and the organization banned Smith from attending the Oscars and other events for ten years.
Will Smith ranks second in Hollywood earnings with $35 million for action thriller "Emancipation." (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello / AP Newsroom)
Smith won an Oscar for "King Richard" but has remained out of the spotlight since the Oscars incident.
His biggest paycheck to date was for 2012’s "Men in Black 3," which was rumored to make him $100 million.
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The popular Paramount Network series, "Yellowstone," created by Taylor Sheridan, features some of the biggest stars who reportedly take home huge paychecks.
Academy award-winning actor Kevin Costner is making $1.3 million per episode, while Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, stars of Sheridan’s Paramount+ "Yellowstone" prequel "1923," are both making $1 million per episode, Variety reported Wednesday.
Academy award-winning actor Kevin Costner is earning $1.3 million per episode for Paramount+'s "Yellowstone." (Getty Images / Getty Images)
Sylvester Stallone is also part of the $1 million-per-episode club for starring in Sheridan’s "Tulsa King."
Other stars making mega millions include Leonardo DiCaprio, who will be paid $30 million to reunite with Martin Scorsese for "Killers of the Flower Moon."
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Netflix also plans to pay Chris Hemsworth $20 million for "Extraction 2," while Millie Bobby Brown will earn $10 million for continuing her role in the "Enola Holmes" sequel.
Hollywood stars who have also earned $20 million for their individual films are Denzel Washington in "Equalizer 3," Vin Diesel in "Fast X," Tom Hardy in "Venom 3," Joaquin Phoenix in "Joker 2" and Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds in "Spirited."
For the highly-anticipated upcoming Barbie film, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling will each make $12.5 million. Steve Carell will reportedly fetch that same amount for his role in "Minions: The Rise of Gru."