Forbes has released their annual list of the highest-paid actors and the common denominator throughout the list is Netflix and the amount of money they’re willing to pay to have a major star headline one of their movies.
For the second year in a row, Dwayne Johnson comes in at number one with $87.5 million earned in 2020. A major factor is the $23.5 million he’s collecting from Netflix to star in their upcoming action film, Red Notice, which will resume shooting next month after shutting down due to COVID-19.
Right behind Johnson is Ryan Reynolds at $71.5 million for the year. The Deadpool star made $20 million a piece for 6 Underground and the aforementioned Red Notice (both at Netflix) and the streaming giant recently announced a third collaboration with the Canadian actor as well.
Rounding out the top three, meanwhile, is Mark Wahlberg with $58 million and that’s right, a Netflix movie (Spencer Confidential) is the driving force behind his big year.
If you want to know Netflix’s true power in Hollywood though, look no further than number nine on the list where Adam Sandler sits with $41 million. Once the most reliable box office draw in the business, Sandler hasn’t had a theatrical hit in years. But thanks to his lucrative deal with the streaming service, he remains as relevant as ever.
One notable newbie to this year’s list is Lin-Manuel Miranda at number seven. Thanks to Disney acquiring the streaming rights to Hamilton for $75 million, Miranda comes in with $45.5 million in 2020. The remaining names, meanwhile, include Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, Will Smith and Jackie Chan.
An important factor to consider when thinking about this list is that it doesn’t just account for success in movies. Endorsements and social media presence are also a part of the metric and when you put it that way, no one rivals Dwayne Johnson. He really is the people’s champ.
