Every spring Forbes tallies up the cash flowing through T-insiders’ bank accounts, painting a vivid picture of who really won the box-office—and the board-room—last year. The 2024 list shows how streaming mega-deals, entrepreneurial side hustles and a few surprise blockbusters reshaped the pecking order. Below is a countdown from No. 10 to No. 1, blending actors and actresses into one definitive leaderboard. Figures refer to net earnings for calendar-year 2024 unless noted.
10 Will Smith — $26 million
Smith’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” salary put him back in the black after a turbulent 2022, while his Westbrook studios slate and fresh sponsorship work with Adobe and Insta360 padded the total. The action-comedy’s billion-dollar global haul proved audiences hadn’t lost their taste for the Oscar-winner.
9 Adam Sandler — $26 million
The comedian’s evergreen Netflix deal (six features plus the voice-led hit Leo) keeps ATM-levels of cash flowing, even when reviews are mixed. Add a sold-out stand-up tour and a new Pepsi campaign, and Sandler ties Smith dollar-for-dollar.
8 Nicole Kidman — $31 million
Television is Kidman’s golden goose: Expats (Amazon), The Perfect Couple (Netflix) and Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+) each paid her north of $1 million per episode. Two mid-budget romantic dramas rounded out a year that made her the only woman in the overall top ten.
7 George Clooney — $31 million
Clooney’s selective return to acting—Apple’s Wolfs opposite Brad Pitt—commanded an eight-figure check, while residual Casamigos tequila windfalls and Nespresso’s global ads kept the coffers full.
6 Brad Pitt — $32 million
Pitt pocketed a reported $30 million upfront for Apple’s Formula 1 drama F1, plus producer fees via Plan B on awards fare and commercial hits. Not bad for someone who first earned $6,000 on Thelma & Louise.
5 Hugh Jackman — $50 million
Jackman’s claw-back as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine triggered his richest payday yet. Live-concert “Greatest Showman” dates and Montblanc/R.M. Williams deals helped him leapfrog into the top five.
4 Jerry Seinfeld — $60 million
Decades after the sitcom ended, Seinfeld reruns still mint money; Netflix’s self-referential film Unfrosted plus a 60-city stand-up run sweetened the pot. The 70-year-old newly crowned billionaire shows syndication is the ultimate passive income stream.
3 Kevin Hart — $81 million
No entertainer hustles harder: three streaming movies, two docu-series, a global comedy tour, podcasts and equity in HartBeat made Hart 2024’s highest-paid comedian—and the only star to pass the $100 million gross threshold ($108 million before fees).
2 Ryan Reynolds — $85 million
Reynolds wore four hats—star, co-writer, producer and social-media hype man—for the year’s biggest live-action film Deadpool & Wolverine. Add residuals from Mint Mobile’s $1.35 billion sale to T-Mobile and Aviation Gin’s growth, and he nearly unseated the champ.
1 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — $88 million
A record $50 million Amazon payout for Red One and a lucrative profit-share on Disney’s Moana 2 returned Johnson to the throne. His Project Rock shoes, ZOA Energy drinks and 390 million-follower Instagram machine guarantee he’ll stay there as long as he wants.
Conclusion
Streaming giants, billion-dollar sequels and savvy side businesses now matter as much as any box-office opening. 2024’s ranking proves that the modern A-lister is part actor, part entrepreneur—and, in Johnson’s case, part tequila mogul and fitness brand all-star. With strikes resolved and theatrical grosses rebounding, expect more hybrid mega-deals—and perhaps a few new faces—to shake up next year’s leaderboard.
