'Forbes' Designates Adam Sandler as the Highest-Paid Actor of 2023

Margot Robbie, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, and others also feature in last year's top ten.

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Forbes officially designated Adam Sandler as the highest-paid actor of 2023.

The report disclosed that the ten highest-compensated performers of the preceding year accrued a cumulative sum of $449 million USD. Their primary revenue is derived from film productions rather than television, mainly due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that suspended television production for several months.

Fifty-seven-year-old Sandler earned $73 million USD ($97 million USD gross) due to his profitable Netflix contract and 44 stand-up comedy performances. He has appeared in eight films for the streaming service and created further works through his Happy Madison production business since entering into a $250 million USD agreement in 2014. The actor featured in three Netflix films in 2023, including Murder Mystery 2 alongside Jennifer Aniston, while several of his earlier comedy were released on the streaming platform. In the initial six months of 2023, subscribers devoted more than 500 million hours to viewing Adam Sandler films.

Margot Robbie ranks second, earning $59 million USD ($78 million USD gross), a predictable outcome after the blockbuster triumph of Barbie, which amassed $1.45 billion USD globally and generated additional revenue through licensing and collaboration agreements. The Australian actress is thought to have accrued over $60 million USD as both the film's producer and lead actress, while she and her husband’s LuckyChap Entertainment co-produced the acclaimed black comedy thriller Saltburn and recently secured an exclusive first-look agreement with Warner Bros.

Tom Cruise ranks third with a net income of $45 million USD ($53 million USD gross), primarily attributable to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, supplementary streaming and on-demand revenues from Top Gun: Maverick two years prior, and a development agreement with Warner Bros. Ryan Gosling and Matt Damon each earned $43 million USD ($50 million USD gross); Gosling's income is attributed to the success of Barbie and his popular song “I’m Just Ken,” while Damon’s earnings stem from the sale of Air to Amazon for $130 million USD, alongside $4 million USD from his supporting role in Oppenheimer and a minor share of the film’s profits.

Jennifer Aniston's total earnings of $42 million USD ($56 million USD gross) are, as usual, partially attributed to her FRIENDS residuals, as well as her acting and executive producing contributions to The Morning Show (which compensates her up to $2 million USD per episode), her co-lead role in Murder Mystery 2 alongside Sandler, and brand partnerships with Uber Eats, Pvolve Fitness, Vital Proteins, and her haircare line, LolaVie. Subsequently, Leonardo DiCaprio garnered $41 million USD ($48 million USD gross) from Killers of the Flower Moon and his theatrical profit participation buy-out upon the film's release on Apple TV+, while Jason Statham also earned $41 million USD ($48 million USD gross) from the premieres of Fast X, Meg 2: The Trench, and Expend4bles.

Ben Affleck and Denzel Washington rank ninth and tenth, respectively, with earnings of $38 million USD ($45 million USD gross) and $24 million USD ($28 million USD gross). Affleck's earnings stemmed from his Dunkin’ commercials, his position as CEO of Artists Equity, and his directing and acting contributions to Air, whereas Washington's The Equaliser 3 generated over $190 million USD.