Tom Cruise is about to land the biggest payday in Hollywood history (Image: Getty)
Tom Cruise is about to see Hollywood’s biggest-ever payday land in his bank account as he’s set to pocket $135 million after signing a deal to return as Maverick in Top Gun 3.
The 63-year-old actor is expected to make around $135 million for his return as the iconic Top Gun character, and he’ll repeat his producer role in the blockbuster franchise, too.
The movie is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2028. Cruise already earned a staggering $101.4 million in the 2022 Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the iconic 1986 hit movie, thanks to a deal that gave him a healthy cut of the movie’s huge profits.
Cruise will earn a reported $24 million salary and about eight percent of the profits.
Should Top Gun 3 match the second film’s $1.4 billion earnings, he stands to bring in millions.
Top Gun: Maverick brought in a staggering $1.4 billion at the box office (Image: Getty)
What is Tom Cruise’s net worth?
Tom Cruise is reported to be worth arpund $600 million, making him the second wealthiest Hollywood celebrity after Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Cruise has been at the top of the acting world for decades, enabling him to amass quite the fortune.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is worth a staggering $800 million (Image: Getty)
As of 2026, Tom Cruise movies have earned $11.5 billion at the global box office.
Prior to June 2022, his highest grossing movie of all time was 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which brought in an impressive $800 million around the world.
However, Tom finally hit the billion-dollar mark with Top Gun: Maverick, which ultimately went on to rake in a huge $1.5 billion globally.
Shah Rukh Khan is the richest man in Hollywood with 90 movies under his belt (Image: Getty)
How much does Tom Cruise earn per movie?
These days, Tom Cruise typically earns more than $100 million per movie.
However, the money doesn’t come in the sense of a traditional Hollywood payout where he’s given a lump sum of cash. In fact, Cruise’s salaries for movies are usually relatively low, averaging between $12-20 million per cinematic pictyre.
However, he always signs on for highly lucrative backend deals which mean he gets a solid percentage of box office gross profits, considerably bumping up his earnings.
What is Tom Cruise’s net worth compared to other celebrities?
Tom Cruise is actually one of the richest Hollywood stars, by far. He’s been acting for more than 30 years and his movies have raked in a huge $745 million for him over the years.
In terms of movie star wealth, he’s preceded by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is worth a huge $850 million.
Around the same level of wealth as Cruise is Shah Rukh Khan, also known as King Khan, who is reportedly sitting on a $600 million fortune.
With more than 90 films under his belt, he’s become one of the most successful film stars in the world and the richest man in Bollywood.
Robert DeNiro has also done very well for himself. Arguably the most talented actor of his generation, DeNiro is said to be worth around $500 million.