Top 11 Highest Paid Actors 2020

With movie theaters shut down over the last 5 months, the world became an even smaller place as entertainment was reduced to the 6.9inch display of a smart phone forcing us to bid adieu to mixed popcorn tubs & soda slashes and, tucked into our favorite couches, to binge on Netflix, Amazon or Apple TV.

Netflix's secret is not in the box office results but in the monthly subscriptions it can sign up and retain. This includes the number of times a film is streamed and repeat viewings, the actor’s social media following also helps to push these numbers forward. Amazon Prime is in 2nd place and chasing hard, however, Netflix manages to stay one up on the competition and have issued $140.5 million worth of checks to six of the top ten actors in the list.


1. Dwayne Johnson ( $87.5M )
Better known as The Rock from his WWE Days, Dwayne Johnson is the world's highest-paid actor with massive payouts coming in for his forthcoming films "Black Adam" and "Red Notice". His Under Armor line Project Rock is quite successful selling clothing, shoes and headphones.

2. Ryan Reynolds ( $71.5M )
Ryan Reynolds made more than $20 million per movie on Six Underground and Red Notice. In July, the streaming giant announced it was shelling out for a third Reynolds film, which will undoubtedly mean another eight-figure payday making him Netflix’s current golden boy.

3. Mark Wahlberg ( $58M )
Marky Mark is back thanks to a couple of eight-figure checks from Netflix for "Spenser Confidential" and upcoming sci-fi film, "Infinite". The movie star has also been busy behind camera, producing "McMillions" for HBO as well as the Quibi docuseries "Run This City". He is quite the investor and holds stakes in his family's burger chain Wahlburgers.

4. Ben Affleck ( $55M ) 
Affleck returned to the big screen this year, starring in "The Way Back" and Netflix’s "The Last Thing He Wanted". He's collected eight-figure salaries for upcoming films Medieval thriller "The Last Duel" and action film "Hypnotic".

5. Vin Diesel ( $54M )
The Fast and Furious franchise is a goldmine for Diesel, who earned nearly $20 million upfront for the upcoming "F9", he missed out though on the chance to collect a massive back-end payday this year after the film’s release was pushed to April 2021. He kept the franchise embers burning by acting as producer on the animated Netflix series "Fast & Furious Spy Racers". The pandemic also affected his action flick "Bloodshot" which was pushed to video on demand platforms only 11 days after being released in theaters.

6. Akshay Kumar ( $48.5M )
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is working on his first television series "The End" for Amazon Prime. He commands up to $13 million upfront for films like the upcoming "Bachan Pandey" and "Bell Bottom". Most of his money, though, comes from endorsement deals. He is also one of India's most philanthropic celebrities, donated $4.5 million to coronavirus relief in the country.

7. Lin-Manuel Miranda ( $45.5M )
Creator of the hit musical "Hamilton", he made his inaugural appearance on the 2020 Celebrity 100 as Disney acquired worldwide movie rights for the movie to the tune of $75 million. Miranda helped create a $1 million emergency relief fund to benefit artists impacted by COVID-19 in Puerto Rico. 

8. Will Smith ( $44.5M )
Smith began a new approach to social media in 2017 and now collects millions through Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, but the Fresh Prince can still earn big checks in Hollywood for lead parts, such as his upcoming role in King Richard where he portrays Richard Williams - father of tennis greats Serena and Venus. His next project is Netflix's "Bright 2", which reportedly comes with one of streaming's highest paychecks ever.

9. Adam Sandler ( $41M )
The comedian has found his home at Netflix. In January, he signed a deal to create four more movies for the platform after his film "Murder Mystery" became one of the streamer’s most-popular films of all time. While his dramatic role in "Uncut Gems" gained critical attention, it's his his eight-figure paydays from Netflix that pays the bills. He still does stand up and grosses more than $400,000 per show.

10. Jackie Chan ( $40M )
Six decades into his career, Chan is still starring in action flicks like "The Mystery of Dragon Seal: Journey to China" and "Project X-Traction". His films have grossed more than $2.6 billion at the worldwide box office. He pads his film income with millions from endorsement and licensing deals.

11. Kevin Hart ( $39M )
Although the funnyman took a break from touring, in 2019 he released his latest special "Kevin Hart: Irresponsible" on Netflix. He appeared in two "Jumanji" remakes that made a combined $1.8 billion at the box office. Hart also has a number of lucrative sponsorships with companies including Fabletics and Chase.