Skip to content
NumberReels

Episode 46Bar race0:42

Hollywood's highest-paid actors: every Forbes list, 2013 to 2025

Cruise, Johnson, Sandler & the rest: each Forbes top 10

Guess the number before you watch

Guess the number

Guess the number: Adam Sandler, 2025

100 M
0 M200 M
0:00 / 0:42

Source: Forbes highest-paid actors lists, 2013-20 and 2023-25 (none for 2021-22) · Mar 2026

Part of Money at the top

Keep watching in the feed
The numbersFills in as the clip plays
  1. 1Adam Sandler48 M
  2. 2Tom Cruise46 M
  3. 3Mark Wahlberg44 M
  4. 4Scarlett Johansson43 M
  5. 5Brad Pitt41 M
  6. 6Denzel Washington38 M

Narration

Follows the clip · tap a line to jump

Runs 0:42.

How to read this chart: Bar length is the value at that moment and the order re-sorts as the values change. Watch the overtakes — and watch the axis, which usually rescales as it goes. More on bar race charts.

The takeaway

Not like-for-like: through 2020 Forbes ranked men only, before fees, endorsements included. Since 2023 it ranks all actors on film and TV pay after fees.

The data

Explore the numbers

View
2025
  1. Adam Sandler: 48M
  2. Tom Cruise: 46M
  3. Mark Wahlberg: 44M
  4. Scarlett Johansson: 43M
  5. Brad Pitt: 41M
  6. Denzel Washington: 38M
  7. Jack Black: 28M
  8. Jason Momoa: 28M
  9. Daniel Craig: 27M
  10. Millie Bobby Brown: 26M
2025

2013

Source: Forbes highest-paid actors lists, 2013-20 and 2023-25 (none for 2021-22). Covering Mar 2026.

Explore this chart

The chart from the video, redrawn live from its data. Scrub to any moment, or play it again.

Numbers of the week, in your inbox

One email every Monday: last week’s clips, the number behind each, and what’s coming next. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Transcript

  1. 48 million dollars beat Tom Cruise to number one.

  2. Robert Downey Jr. led 2013 with 75 million dollars, and held on through 2015 at 80 million. In 2016, Dwayne Johnson took the crown. In 2018, George Clooney hit 239 million, mostly from selling a tequila brand. Forbes now counts only film and TV pay, after fees. In 2024, Johnson was back on top at 88 million. Adam Sandler tops 2025 with — 48 million dollars, just ahead of Tom Cruise.

  3. Tom Cruise or Dwayne Johnson: who should top Forbes' 2026 list? Drop your answer below, and follow for daily stats from NumberReels.

Source & method

  • SourceFigures from Forbes highest-paid actors lists, 2013-20 and 2023-25 (none for 2021-22).
  • PeriodCovering Mar 2026.
  • ChartRendered as a bar race chart.
  • ElsewhereAlso on YouTube and Instagram.
  • ReuseFree to repost with credit. For broadcast, courses or a watermark-free copy, License this clip.
Support the project

Related

More like this