It's no secret that Hollywood is a lucrative industry.
There's no limit on how much money a film, franchises especially, can bring in at the box office. But how much do the stars that appeal to the masses and make people actually go to theaters in the first place pull in?
An upcoming issue of The Hollywood Reporter goes in-depth on which actors and actresses in Tinseltown (the "A-List" as the magazine refers to them) make the most money. The names on the list are not all that surprising, but the cash they can demand per picture is.
At the top of the industry is Leonardo DiCaprio. He may not have an Oscar to his name (yet), but the star whose breakout movie "Titanic" earned $2,186,772,302 back in 1997, according to Box Office Mojo, does not have much to worry about outside of one day winning one. DiCaprio most recently made $25 million for his lead role in Martin Scorsese's 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street." However, he had the opportunity to make even more. His contract included his producing fee, so going over budget affected his pay, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Matt Damon, Robery Downey Jr., Denzel Washington and Sandra Bullock round out the group with DiCaprio that can make in the $20 million ballpark per movie. Damon and Downey Jr. have the luxury of being leads in massively successful franchises. Damon will be making that figure for the next Jason Bourne-series movie, while Downey Jr. makes at the very least $20 million per "Iron Man" picture.
Over the years Washington has become one of this most highly respected actors in the business, which explains his power to earn as much as he does. Sandra Bullock, the only woman in the $20 million club, made a staggering $70 million for "Gravity," thanks to a lucrative and secure contract she signed. The actress was paid $20 million up front but made almost double off of profits the film made. Proving that it is all about finding the right role for these actors and actresses though, Bullock made only $10 million for "The Heat,"
A few stars that will most likely soon join the ranks of DiCaprio and company include Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
