World's highest-paid actor has a $275 million deal, but no hit in 6 years; yet out-earns Tom Cruise, RDJ, Dwayne Johnson
How Adam Sandler became the world's highest-paid actor
In 2020, Netflix signed Adam Sandler for a four-movie deal worth $275 million, the biggest single paycheck in the history of cinema for any actor. The platform did so because they calculated that viewers had watched the actor's films on Netflix for more than 120 billion minutes between 2015-19. This led to the actor appearing in Murder Mystery 2 and Spaceman over the next few years. His most recent release, Happy Gilmore 2, is already breaking Netflix viewing records. Variety reported that the film generated 46.7 million views in the US over its first weekend, the highest for any American film on Netflix. This success has made Adam Sandler the highest-paid actor in the world in 2023 and 2024 for two successive years. His $275-million paycheck makes sure that it stays that way for a while.
Adam Sandler's latest Netflix film Happy Gilmore 2 is breaking viewership records.
Who did Adam Sandler beat
In 2023, when Adam Sandler became the world's highest-paid actor for the first time, he earned $97 million that year, out-earning Tom Cruise ($53 million), Dwayne Johnson ($50 million), and Margot Robbie ($78 million). Even if one takes into account the salaries that actors have earned for multiple projects, Adam Sandler rules the roost. For instance, Robert Downey Jr is reportedly earning $160 million for the two Avengers films in 2026 and 2027, just over half of what Sandler got from Netflix.
Adam Sandler's upcoming work
Happy Gilmore 2's success has solidified Netflix's faith in Adam Sandler, who will soon be seen in another Netflix original, Jay Kelly. The coming-of-age film also stars George Clooney and Laura Dern in the lead roles. It will have its world premiere in November in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. This will be followed by a global release on Netflix on December 5.
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