World's highest-paid actress made $70 million for one film, 2x as much as 'hero'; it's not Margot Robbie, Angelina Jolie

The highest-paid actress in the world made $70 million for just one film, in which her male co-star, a superstar, earned just $35 million.

Dec 19, 2024, 17:50:20 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Pay parity in cinema is an issue that has been raised by actors and filmmakers worldwide for years. Many have criticised male stars for making several times as much as their female colleagues despite both being the leads in several cases. This one female star turned the tables a few years ago when she out-earned her superstar male colleague by 100%. In the process, she also became the highest-paid actress in the world, pocketing a neat $70 million for just one film. (Also read: World's highest-paid actor earned $156 million for one project, several times more than Tom Cruise, Shah Rukh, Brad Pitt)

The world's highest-paid actress

Sandra Bullock has the distinction of being the highest-paid actress in the world, courtesy of her pay and profit share from the 2013 blockbutser, Gravity. The Hollywood Reporter stated that Sandra Bullock took home $20 million in upfront fees for her work in the sci-fi thriller and earned millions more in her share of profits after the film earned over $730 million worldwide. Sandra had signed a deal for 15% of the profit share, giving her $50 million in profit-share and a total earning of $70 million for just one film. In comparison, her co-star in the film, George Clooney, earned $35 million for his role, just half as much as Sandra Bullock.

Other highest-paid actresses

Sandra Bullock is head and shoulders ahead of all her competition in the list of highest-paid actresses ever. In the second spot is Margot Robbie, who earned $50 million for acting in Barbie. Cameron Diaz rounds off the top 3 courtesy of her $42 million paycheck for Bad Teacher. Reese Witherspoon made $115 million in 2021, but her earnings came from multiple projects that year. Elizabeth Taylor was the first actress to earn $1 million for one film, who charged that amount in 1963 for Cleopatra.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

Sandra Bullock

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