Tom Cruise is a very rich man, and has been for decades, but the astonishing success of Top Gun: Maverick is set to net the A-list icon the biggest payday of his career as it continues to eat up the box office, with over $1.2 billion and counting in the coffers.
As part of his unique working relationship with Paramount, who oversee the majority of his projects, Cruise has restructured his usual contracts to sacrifice a lower upfront salary in favor of percentage points based on theatrical earnings. That means he gets paid based on box office returns before his home studio is even in the black, which is good news for his bank account.
As one analyst put it to Variety, they would “never bet against Tom Cruise”, and Maverick‘s stunning run at the multiplex is further evidence of that. When you factor in his first-dollar gross, base salary, and whatever he’s poised to make from streaming deals and home video sales, the 60 year-old is set to walk away from Pete Mitchell’s return to the cockpit at least $100 million wealthier than he was this time a couple of months ago.
Big names put butts in seats, then, even if we’re living in an era where IP dominated above all else. Like the aforementioned source says; “Most actors aren’t worth what you pay them, but Cruise and maybe Dwayne Johnson justify their salaries”, and it’s not a coincidence that you could call those two the pair of stars in Hollywood that shine brighter than any other.
Published: Jul 20, 2022 12:21 pm