Recently, Forbes announced the list of highest-paid actors in 2025; only in the entertainment sector including acting, film production, directing and other forms of performance.
Actor Adam Sandler was honored as the highest-earning star in Hollywood last year. This 59-year-old comedian earned 48 million USD (about 1,260 billion VND) in 2025.
Last year, Sandler both produced and starred in "Happy Gilmore 2", the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 sports comedy.
He also starred in Netflix's movie "Jay Kelly" alongside George Clooney - ranked 13th in the list.
In this film, Sandler plays Ron Sukenick, the dedicated manager of famous movie star Jay Kelly (played by Clooney). This role helped him receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards.
The second person after Adam Sandler is Tom Cruise. The star of "Mission: Impossible - The final reckoning" (part 8 of the "Mission: Impossible" series) earned 46 million USD (about 1,209 billion VND).
Ranked 3rd is Mark Wahlberg with an income of 44 million USD (about 1,157 billion VND). The 54-year-old star earns money from projects such as "The family plan" of Apple TV+, "Play dirty" of Prime Video and "Flight risk" directed by Mel Gibson.
Next is Scarlett Johansson in 4th place with 43 million USD (about 1,130 billion VND). The beauty born in 1984 starred in the film projects "Jurassic world: Rebirth" and "The phoenician scheme" by Wes Anderson; and also debuted as a director with "Eleanor the great".
The actor in 5th place is Brad Pitt with an income of 41 million USD (about 1.078 billion VND). The 62-year-old actor starred in Apple's "F1" - a film currently nominated for Best Picture at the 2026 Oscars.
The remaining positions in the top 10 include: Denzel Washington earned 38 million USD, Jack Black earned 28 million USD, Jason Momoa earned 28 million USD, Daniel Craig earned 27 million USD and Millie Bobby Brown was paid 26 million USD.
Last year, Denzel Washington (71 years old) starred in Spike Lee's "Highest 2 lowest". Jack Black (56 years old) participated in "A minecraft movie" with Jason Momoa (46 years old) and a remake of "Anaconda" with Paul Rudd.
Daniel Craig (58 years old) continues to play detective Benoit Blanc in the Netflix movie "Wake up dead man: A knife out mystery".
The star of "Stranger Things" - Millie Bobby Brown - is the youngest actor to ever appear in Forbes' list, when she was only 22 years old. Besides the 5th season and also the final season of this blockbuster series, Brown also starred in "The Electric State" with Chris Pratt - who is ranked 16th in the rankings.
According to Forbes, Hollywood is facing many worries. In addition to the continuous mergers of companies, pressure from the rise of AI and a decrease in box office revenue, Hollywood is also facing the situation of "the aura of movie stars is gradually disappearing".
Today, singers, athletes, content creators on social media, and even podcast hosts have earned more money than their long-time colleagues in the film and television industries.
In addition, Dwayne Johnson's box office failure with the movie "The smashing machine", along with the cold reception for Julia Roberts in "After the hunt" or Glen Powell in "The running man", further made many film company leaders believe that a top-tier name standing on the film title is no longer enough to guarantee commercial success.
This trend is more clearly shown in 2025, when the number of films based on star appeal decreased significantly. The total income of the 20 highest-paid actors in Hollywood in 2025 is 590 million USD, 20% lower than the 730 million USD of 2024.
The head of the 2025 list - Adam Sandler - has significantly lower income than the top actor of the previous year, Dwayne Johnson (or The Rock) - who earned $88 million in 2024.
