With large movie theater chains like AMC and Regal closed for most of 2020, streaming companies saw fit to reimagine the theatrical landscape. Major blockbusters were purchased by top streaming platforms from Black Widow debuting on Disney+ to Amazon purchasing the rights to Coming 2 America. During the height of the pandemic, the straight-to-stream model made the most sense because moviegoers were stuck at home. As stay-at-home orders were lifted and people returned outside, Warner Bros. adopted a hybrid model opting to simultaneously release their 2021 movies on HBO Max and in theaters. Despite COVID-19 having a substantial impact on the film industry, Hollywood stars are still ranking in big bucks.
Daniel Craig Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images
Variety has revealed the top-paid stars of 2021 with Daniel Craig landing at the top of the list earning a whopping $100 million as a result of his Netflix contract. If a movie isn’t released in theaters, there are no residuals from DVD sales and TV showings, therefore, Netflix pays film actors for the projected back-end box office participation they would have claimed had their movie released in theaters.
Craig's large paycheck can be credited in part to the fact that Netflix recently acquired two sequels to Knives Out, according to a new report from Variety. Additionally, the billion-dollar company pays film actors for the projected back-end box office participation they would have claimed had their movie released in theaters. See the list of the remaining top 5 earners below:
2. Dwayne Johnson- $50 Million Red One (Amazon)
3. Will Smith- $40 Million King Richard
4. Denzel Washington- $40 Million The Little Things
5. Leonardo DiCaprio- $ 30 Million Don't Look Up (Netflix)
Other A-list stars pocketing more than $10 million USD include Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, Chris Hemsworth, Brad Pitt, Michael B. Jordan, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, and Chris Pine.
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