Introduction

Jussie Smollett is an American professional actor and singer with an estimated net worth of $300 Thousand.

Quick Facts

• Earned as much as $125,000 per episode on Empire
• Sued by the City of Chicago for $130,000 in police overtime costs
• Sold his 2,597-square-foot bungalow in Studio City for $1.655 million

Empire Salary

Jussie Smollett landed a role as Jamal Lyons on the showbiz drama, Empire, in 2015. He was one of the leading cast members alongside Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, and Bryshere Y. Gray. According to Variety, Smollett earned just $20,000 per episode in the show’s debut season. For comparison, Henson and Howard received a significantly higher salary of $120,000 per episode.

This would place Jussie’s earnings from season one at approximately $240,000. It’s believed that in the middle seasons, his pay increased to $65,000 per episode, earning him roughly $1.17 million per season. After his arrest in 2019, it was reported that Smollett was receiving $125,000 per episode for season five; however, he didn’t return for season six. According to another article from Variety, Jussie’s co-star Terrence Howard eventually filed a lawsuit against CAA over a pay dispute. His salary topped out at $325,000 per episode. 

Considering all the information above, Jussie Smollett could have potentially earned $7.15 million from his role on Empire. However, the actual number could be higher or lower depending on the timeline of his pay bumps. Nonetheless, it’s widely regarded as the highest-paying role of his career.

Chicago Attack & Lawsuit

In January 2019, Jussie Smollett and his team called the Chicago Police Department to report an alleged hate crime against the actor while walking back to his apartment. Smollett claimed that two masked assailants shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him, then attacked him, tied a noose around his neck, and poured a chemical substance on him.

The following month, the police concluded that Smollett paid two brothers $3,500 to execute the hoax. Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo had been working with Jussie on the set of Empire, and were seen on CCTV buying the rope and clothing on the night of the attack. He was indicted for disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. Smollett accepted a plea deal in March 2019, which saw the charges dropped in exchange for community service and forfeiting his $10,000 bond. 

A year later, Smollett was indicted again and convicted on five felony counts. As a result, he received a 150-day sentence in county jail, 30 months probation, and was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and $120,106 in restitution to the police department.

Despite the conviction being overturned in 2024, the City of Chicago filed a $130,000 against the actor for police overtime costs. They settled on a $50,000 donation to charity. All things considered, the event cost Jussie Smollett approximately $85,000, plus legal fees. He also lost his high-paying role on Empire and significantly damaged his reputation in the industry. 

Highest-Grossing Movies

Here’s a complete list of Jussie Smollett’s four highest-grossing movies:

1. Alien: Covenant – $241 million (2017)
2. The Mighty Ducks – $51 million (1992)
3. Marshall – $10 million (2017)
4. North – $7.2 million (1994)

Real estate

In March 2017, Jussie Smollett purchased a 2,597-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-bathroom bungalow in Studio City, California, for $1.687 million. He owned the home for just a couple of years and incurred a loss on the investment when he sold it for $1.655 million in July 2019. 

Introduction

Tom Hanks is an American professional actor with an estimated net worth of $400 Million.

Hanks has starred in almost a hundred movies during his forty-year career. While he can easily command between $20 and $25 million per movie today, once upon a time, he earned just $800 for his role in the 1980 film He Knows You’re Alone.

One of Hanks’ highest-grossing movies was Forrest Gump, which earned him an estimated $70 million after he forwent his salary in exchange for backend points. His other significant paydays include $68 million for The Da Vinci Trilogy, $40 million for Saving Private Ryan, and $20 million for Cast Away.

Quick Facts

• Earned more than $411 million from twenty-one films
• Rejected a $7 million salary for Forrest Gump in exchange for backend points

Net Worth History

Tom Hanks’ net worth is largely due to earning over $200 million in salary in the 90’s. That money has had almost three decades of compound growth. When we first researched his net worth in 2020, it was estimated to be $400 million. Since then, he’s likely seen compound growth from investments, in addition to earnings from Finch, Elvis, Pinocchio, and A Man Called Otto, to name a few.

In 2025, Tom Hanks’ net worth is estimated to be $400 Million.

Film Salaries

Tom Hanks’ first publicly recorded acting salary was $800 in 1980 for He Knows You’re Alone. Eight years later, he was earning multiple 7-figures for performances in films such as Punchline ($5 million), Big ($1.8 million), and The ‘Burbs ($3.5 million).

Forrest Gump Earnings

Hanks was initially offered $7 million to star in Forrest Gump, unarguably the most iconic movie of his career. However, the movie’s production was struggling with a budget of only $50 million and was on the verge of being shut down. Hanks agreed to a deal in which he exchanged his upfront salary for a share of the box office revenue. Due to the film’s success, Hanks was compensated with an estimated $70 million, ten times his original salary.

The Da Vinci Trilogy

In 2006, Hanks earned $18 million for The Da Vinci Code, which remains his third-highest-grossing film of all time, with a worldwide total of $760 million. The original’s success paved the way for two further movies, Angels & Demons and Inferno. Hanks earned $25 million each for the second and third films in the series, totaling $68 million in salary for the trilogy.

Toy Story Salary

Hanks earned just $50,000 for voicing Woody in the original 1995 Toy Story film. The movie’s success tripled the budget for the second installment, from $30 million to $90 million. As a result, Hanks was paid $5 million in 1999 for Toy Story 2. For Toy Story 3 and 4, the budget was $200 million, and Hanks’ salary increased to $15 million per installment.

Highest-Grossing Movies

Hanks’ highest-grossing films primarily comprise the Toy Story franchise. Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 both grossed $1.07 billion at the box office, with a production budget of $200 million. Toy Story 2 grossed $497 million worldwide, compared with $90 million for the 1995 Toy Story, which took in $394 million. The original film had a much smaller budget of $30 million, making it the best-performing in terms of ROI.

The Da Vinci Code (2006) was Hanks’ third-highest-grossing movie, at $760 million. Forrest Gump came in fourth, grossing $678 million on a production budget of just $55 million. Other films to make the list include Angels & Demons ($486 million), Saving Private Ryan ($482 million), and Cast Away ($430 million).

Several films in Hanks’ career performed incredibly well at the box office but didn’t make the top ten. However, they are worth mentioning. Big (1988) grossed $152 million worldwide on a budget of just $18 million. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) grossed $228 million on a $21 million budget.

Here’s the complete list of Tom Hanks’ ten highest-grossing movies:

1. Toy Story 4 – $1.07 billion (2019)
2. Toy Story 3 – $1.07 billion (2010)
3. The Da Vinci Code – $760 million (2006)
4. Forrest Gump – $678 million (1994)
5. Toy Story 2 – $497 million (1999)
6. Angels & Demons – $486 million (2009)
7. Saving Private Ryan – $482 million (1998)
8. Cars – $462 million (2006)
9. Cast Away – $430 million (2000)
10. Toy Story – $394 million (1995)

Introduction

Tom Cruise is an American professional actor with an estimated net worth of $600 Million.

Cruise’s career began in the 1980s, and he has starred in almost fifty movies. His early salaries included $75,000 for 1983’s Risky Business, $2 million for 1986’s Top Gun, and $3 million for 1988’s Cocktail.

The most significant impact on Tom Cruise’s net worth came from his Mission: Impossible franchise earnings. Cruise starred in all seven movies and worked as a producer for all seven. When factoring in additional income from his producer credits, he’s estimated to have earned more than $300 million with the franchise.

Quick Facts

• Earned an estimated $835 million from 1985 to 2023
• Earned approximately $100 million from War of the Worlds (2005)
• Received a $50,000 salary for starring in Taps (1981)
• Previously paid $400,000 per year in child support

Net Worth History

When we first discussed Tom Cruise’s net worth in 2019, it was estimated at $570 million. Since then, the release of the long-awaited Top Gun sequel and the latest Mission: Impossible film have helped Cruise earn at least another $26 million in base salary. At the time of writing, Tom Cruise’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $600 Million.

Earnings History

Acting Career

Before becoming an actor, Tom Cruise was interested in becoming a priest as a teenager. A high school teacher encouraged him to participate in a production of Guys and Dolls, which sparked his initial passion for acting.

Originally from New Jersey, Cruise moved to New York to pursue his acting career while working as a busboy. He later moved to Los Angeles and landed a role in 1981’s Endless Love. That same year, he earned $50,000 for his next film, Taps.

Breakthrough Movie Roles (1986 – 1992)

In 1986, starred in The Color of Money and Top Gun. The latter, in which he earned the role of Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, thrust him into the spotlight. Top Gun became the year’s highest-grossing movie, reaching $357 million worldwide with a budget of just $15 million.

His performance helped him secure leading roles in 1988’s Cocktail, 1989’s Born on the Fourth of July, and 1990’s Days of Thunder. During this period, the amount Cruise could command per movie increased from $2 million to $9 million.

Mission: Impossible Franchise (1996 – Present)

One of Cruise’s most notable qualities is his ability to perform almost all of his own stunts without a double. The birth of the Mission: Impossible franchise in 1996 allowed him to showcase his stuntman talent. Tom has also worked as a producer on all seven MI movies. The producer credits, along with his upfront salary, have helped him earn $70-75 million per film on several of his projects.

So far, the MI franchise consists of seven movies:

• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• Mission: Impossible II (2000)
• Mission: Impossible III (2006)
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Mainstream Action Movie Star (2003-2016)

Following the success of Mission: Impossible, Cruise’s passion for stunt performance led to more roles in fast-paced action movies. Some of the highest-grossing action films he starred in during this time included The Last Samurai (2003), War of the Worlds (2005), Knight and Day (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), and Oblivion (2013). 

War of the Worlds, in particular, was responsible for one of the biggest paydays of Tom Cruise’s career. Thanks to backend points, he earned an estimated $100 million from the movie, which grossed $600 million at the box office.

Film Salaries

In the early 1980s, during the early days of his career, Cruise earned under $100,000 per movie. As mentioned, he earned $50,000 in 1981 from starring in Taps. In 1983, his salary increased slightly to $75,000 for Risky Business, and in 1985, he earned half a million for Legend.

It wasn’t until 1986 that Cruise began commanding seven-figure salaries for acting projects. The first was $2 million for the lead role as “Maverick” in Top Gun. During the next few years, several $3 million paydays followed for Cocktail, Born on the Fourth of July, and Days of Thunder. 

In the 1990s, Cruise’s average salary increased to $15 million per movie. In 1992, he made $25.5 million combined from A Few Good Men and Far and Away. A year later, he took home $12 million for his role in The Firm. Cruise’s first reported $20 million salary was in 1996 for Jerry Maguire.

Mission: Impossible Salary

Due to his producer credits, Tom Cruise has earned a lot of money from the Mission: Impossible franchise. He was estimated to have earned $220 million for the first three movies. While most reports on his salary for the later films estimate $13 million per movie, this is likely just his base salary.

War of the Worlds Salary

One of Cruise’s highest single-movie earnings came from his lead role in 2005’s War of the Worlds. Once backend points were taken into account, he earned roughly $100 million from the film.

Divorce Settlement

Tom Cruise was married to actress Katie Holmes for roughly six years, from 2006 to 2012. However, in June 2012, Holmes officially filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences in the court documents. The divorce proceedings were primarily centered around the couple’s daughter, Suri Cruise, who was only six years old at the time.

Holmes was granted primary custody of Suri, and their divorce settlement stated that Cruise would pay her roughly $400,000 per year in child support, equating to $33,000 per month. This arrangement would last until Suri turned eighteen in April 2024. Cruise also paid for Suri’s health care and education and set up a trust fund for her. Since Suri is now over eighteen, Cruise is no longer required to pay child support to Katie, and if our calculations are correct, he would have paid approximately $4.8 million in total between 2012 and 2024.

Additionally, Holmes didn’t receive spousal support or a personal settlement, and child support was the only issue during the couple’s brief court process.

Highest-Grossing Movies

Six films in the Mission: Impossible franchise made Cruise’s top ten highest-grossing list, but none ranked highest. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) grossed $792 million globally, followed by $695 million for Ghost Protocol (2011) and $683 million for Rogue Nation (2015). The most recent release, Dead Reckoning Part One, grossed only $568 million despite a $291 million budget. The only film in the franchise not to make the list was Mission: Impossible III, which grossed $398 million worldwide.

The highest-grossing film of Tom Cruise’s career was Top Gun: Maverick (2022), which grossed $1.5 billion at the box office while costing $170 million to produce. The other movies on the list include War of the Worlds ($604 million), The Last Samurai ($455 million), and The Mummy ($409 million).

It would be remiss if we didn’t mention the number one-performing film of Cruise’s career in terms of return on investment. The original Top Gun (1986) grossed $357 million worldwide but cost only $15 million to produce. It could technically be considered the biggest box-office success of Tom’s career.

Here’s a complete list of Tom Cruise’s ten highest-grossing movies:

1. Top Gun: Maverick – $1.5 Billion (2022)
2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – $792 Million (2018)
3. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – $695 Million (2011)
4. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – $683 Million (2015)
5. War of the Worlds – $604 Million (2005)
6. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – $568 Million (2023)
7. Mission: Impossible II – $546 Million (2000)
8. Mission: Impossible – $458 Million (1996)
9. The Last Samurai – $455 Million (2003)
10. The Mummy – $409 Million (2017)