Marvel star Robert Downey Jr tops Adam Sandler, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as highest-paid actor of all time
Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel universe as Doctor Doom, reportedly earning $79 million for the role. This makes him the highest-paid actor of all time, surpassing some big names.
Robert Downey Jr. is back on top of the charts for the highest-paid actor.
After Marvel Universe announced at Comic-Con San Diego that Downey Jr. would be returning – not as Iron Man but as The Fantastic Four villain, Doctor Doom – numbers began to roll in on his salary.
Downey Jr. will make $79 million on the film with additional "performance escalators" that will give him a piece of the box office revenue, according to the Daily Mail.
The outlet also reported that prior to this big announcement from Marvel, the actor brought in just over $512 million for appearing as Tony Stark in four "Avengers" films as well as cameo appearances in "The Incredible Hulk," "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Captain America: Civil War."
Marvel Comics and Downey Jr.'s representative did not immediately respond to Fox Business' request for comment.
In 2023, Adam Sandler was the highest-paid actor, and the year prior, Tyler Perry held the top spot. Below is a look at the highest-paid actors, dating back to 2014.
Sandler took the spot for the highest-paid actor in 2023, partially due to his production company, Happy Madison.
Forbes released its highest-paid actors list last year and reported that Sandler netted $73 million in 2023 alone. Per the outlet, Happy Madison Productions produced many films for Netflix, including "Murder Mystery 2" that starred Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.
Happy Madison Productions extended their deal with the streaming service in 2020 to create four more films.
Aside from acting and producing films, Sandler still occasionally hosts stand-up comedy shows. Forbes reported that the star brought in more than $400,000 per show.
Sandler last topped Forbes' list in 2002.
In 2022, Tyler Perry was the highest-paid actor, according to Forbes.
At the time, Forbes released a list of the highest-paid entertainers of the year. Genesis and Sting held the first two spots on the list, with Perry coming in third.
Per the outlet, Perry made $175 million that year.
The outlet reported that his income was from streaming his films, his BET TV shows and his production backlot that he owns in Atlanta.
At the time, Forbes noted that in 2022, Perry was the only billionaire to make their list.
Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson dominated the top spot as the highest-paid actor for several years in a row.
Forbes released their highest-paid actors list for 2020, noting that Johnson held the top spot for the second year in a row. In 2020, Johnson earned $87.5 million and in 2019, the actor brought in $89.4 million.
In 2019, Johnson earned a salary of $23.5 million for "Jumanji: Next Level," according to Forbes. The outlet also noted at the time that Johnson was paid $700,000 per episode for HBO's "Ballers," as well as a "seven figure" salary for his clothing line collaboration with Under Armour.
Johnson first topped the list in 2016, earning $64.5 million, per Forbes.
Surprisingly enough, George Clooney took the top spot for highest-paid actor in 2018, even though he hadn't starred in a film since 2016.
According to Forbes, which measures both on and off-screen income, Clooney's tequila company had huge success in 2017, which boosted him to the top of the chart in 2018.
The actor sold his tequila company, Casamigos, for $1 billion to Diageo. The outlet reported that Clooney took home $233 million from the sale, landing him the title of highest-paid actor in 2018.
Mark Wahlberg topped the list in 2017, raking in $68 million.
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According to Forbes, Wahlberg's income was largely due to his films, "Daddy's Home 2" and "Transformers: The Last Knight."
Wahlberg knocked Johnson out of the top spot, at least for that year. According to Forbes, Johnson earned $65 million in 2017.
He's at the top of the charts in 2024, but Downey Jr. first topped Forbes' list 10 years ago, in 2014, by making $75 million.
Forbes reported that the star's income was largely due to his role as Iron Man in "The Avengers" film, which was the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Per the outlet, the majority of Downey Jr.'s income in 2014 came from his 2013 film, "Iron Man 3." The outlet reported that the film grossed $1.2 billion in box office revenue.
The actor's Iron Man character in the Marvel Universe also helped secure him the top spot on Forbes' list of highest-paid actors in 2015.
According to the outlet, the star brought in $80 million, largely thanks to "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United."