Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis And Will Smith They share a unique record in the film industry Hollywood: They are the only actors who have achieved an estimated income of 100 million dollars for a single film, according to an analysis by Espinof.
This milestone, which illustrates the magnitude of the contracts of the big stars, takes on a special nuance in the case of Cruise, who achieved this feat in 2011 three different occasionswhile Willis and Smith did it once each.
The origin of this record dates back to 1999, when Bruce Willis became the first actor to exceed the $100 million barrier for his performance The sixth sense. Tom Cruise initially achieved and exceeded this achievement in the following years Mission Impossible 2 in 2000, then with War of the Worlds in 2005 and more recently with Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.
Will Smithjoined this select group in 2012 Men in Black 3. Espinof highlights that, according to estimates, the exact figures may vary slightly, but the consensus of the most reliable sources is that the earnings of each of these actors are around $100 million for each of these titles.
Contrary to what one might think, none of the three received this amount as direct salary. The mechanism that allowed us to achieve such numbers was this Negotiating a share of box office revenuea strategy that can multiply the profits of its protagonists in films with great commercial success. Espinof emphasizes that this type of agreement, reserved for the biggest stars in the industry, was crucial in establishing this record.
Regarding the collection of films involved, the data shows that the differences are not that pronounced, with one exception. The sixth sense receive 672 million dollars at the box office, Mission Impossible 2 collection 546 million dollars, War of the Worlds reached the 603 million dollars And Men in Black 3 Sumo 654 million dollars. The case of Top Gun: Maverick stands out from the others with a collection 1,495 million dollarscementing Cruise’s position as the actor who has achieved this record the most times.
In addition to this trio Sylvester Stallone And Harrison Ford share a unique record: with their iconic roles of Rocky And Indiana Jonesare the only actors to have starred in number 1 films at the box office for six consecutive decades.
On his part Keanu Reeves came to notice 156 million dollars from Matrix reloaded And Matrix RevolutionsBoth films were made consecutively and are considered two different titles, so they are not eligible for this particular record.
It is also mentioned Robert Downey Jr. as the only actor who could come close to this mark in the future, as his earnings from returning to the Marvel Universe are expected in Avengers: End of the World And The Avengers: Secret Wars exceed 100 million dollarsalthough so far there are only estimates and no official figures confirming that the bar set by Cruise, Willis and Smith has been met or exceeded.
The podium of highest-paid actors for a single film remains unchanged for now, waiting for a new blockbuster to modify this exclusive record, it is said Espinof in his analysis.
About The Author
