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World's highest-paid actor has a $275 million deal, but no hit in 6 years; yet out-earns Tom Cruise, RDJ, Dwayne Johnson
The world's highest-paid actor had his last box office hit back in 2019, yet earns more than Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr, Dwayne Johnson each year. Here's why.
It was in 2019, before the world was even introduced to the term 'COVID-19,' that Adam Sandler last tasted box office success. His film Uncut Gems made $50 million at the box office on a $19-million budget. Since then, the actor-comedian has largely relied on Netflix for his releases. His theatrical films have not succeeded since. Yet, in 2025, he is the world's highest-paid actor, with an astonishing $275-million deal from Netflix.
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.
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.
