FX.co ★ Variety reveals biggest movie stars’ salaries

Daniel Craig, $100 million

Daniel Craig topped the list of Hollywood stars with the highest salaries. In 2019, he played the role of private detective Benoit Blanc in the film "Knives Out". Last year, Ryan Johnson started shooting the sequel and he might even work on the third one. Overall, Craig will earn $100 million for each sequel of the murder mystery series. Netflix will pay the actor for the next sequels from its own pocket as the company acquired the rights to two parts of the criminal story "Knives Out" in the spring of this year for $400 million.

Dwayne Johnson, $50 million

Dwayne Johnson took second place in the rating. The Rock will earn $50 million for participating in the comedy action "Red Notice" produced by Amazon Prime. The showrunners plan to make a franchise. This is why Dwayne’s upfront paydays could balloon even higher when his backend is finalized. Last summer, Johnson topped Forbes list of the world's highest-paid actors. During the year, he earned $87.5 million. Moreover, the star received $23.5 million only for one film "Red Notice". The project will be released on Netflix this fall.

Will Smith, $40 million

The upcoming biographical drama "King Richard" about the life of the father of famous tennis players, Serena and Venus Williams, will be released in the fall of 2021. Will Smith is going to play the sisters' father and coach, Richard Williams. For this role, he picked up a salary of $40 million. Smith is used to receiving seven figure checks for his work. For example, the role of the Genie in "Aladdin" brought him a total of $270 million, including revenue for both the role and the soundtracks, as well as interest from the box office fees. So, it is no surprise that Smith has repeatedly been on the top of Forbes list of the highest-paid actors.

Denzel Washington, $40 million

The crime thriller "The Devil in the Details" was released in January of this year. Denzel Washington played one of the leading roles as a deputy sheriff. The winner of two Oscar awards received a generous salary, totaling $40 million. Notably, film studios are never hesitant to pay Denzel a lot as he is considered the biggest star in Hollywood. At this stage of his career, he can choose the roles he likes along with the salary. Last year, The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century.

Leonardo DiCaprio, $30 million

The premiere of the apocalyptic comedy "Don't Look Up" produced by Netflix is scheduled for the end of 2021. This movie unities big Hollywood stars such as Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence, and Timothy Chalmette. Yet, Leonardo DiCaprio playing an astronaut will be the one who is sure to attract thousands of views to the streaming service. For this movie, the famous actor received $30 million. This is not the highest salary in DiCaprio's career. For example, he was paid $56 million for Christopher Nolan's film "The Beginning".

Mark Wahlberg, $30 million

The Netflix action comedy "Spenser Confidential" was first released in March last year. Mark Wahlberg was the main film star. He played an ex-cop who was sentenced to prison for beating his colleague. This role brought the Oscar nominee $30 million. As a result, Mark took third place on the Forbes list of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. Last year, Wahlberg earned a total of $58 million. Notably, the film became the third most viewed one on Netflix by the end of 2020.

Jennifer Lawrence, $25 million

Jennifer Lawrence took fifth place in the Variety rating. She became the first highest-paid Hollywood actress. For the role in the Netflix film "Don't Look Up", Lawrence got paid $5 million less than DiCaprio. Her salary totaled $25 million. Lawrence gained worldwide popularity thanks to the "Hunger Games" trilogy. Curiously enough, for the first film, the actress received a very modest sum of $500,000. However, the sequel brought her $10 million.

Julia Roberts, $25 million

Julia Roberts holds the same position on the list just like Jennifer Lawrence. Not so long ago, the media revealed that she was going to play in the film "Leave the World Behind" on Netflix. The producers also promised her a fee of $25 million. Roberts will be landing a big check to star opposite Denzel Washington in this Netflix drama. Actors worked together almost 20 years ago on the film "The Pelican Brief." Roberts received the highest payment in her career for the film "Mona Lisa's Smile" released in 2003. Back then her check reached $25 million.

Sandra Bullock, $20 million

Sandra Bullock remains one of the highest-paid American actresses. She is going to star in the movie "The Lost City of D", which will be released next spring. Bullock will take in a sizable paycheck for this comedy totaling $20 million. This is not the highest salary received by the actress. The role of medical engineer Ryan Stone in the film "Gravity" brought her more than $70 million and made her the wealthiest Hollywood actress in 2014. The film managed to earn more than $723 million at the global box office with a budget of $100 million.

Ryan Gosling, $20 million

The premiere of the thriller "The Gray Man" is scheduled for next year. The film is expected to become the most expensive project ever released on Netflix. The preliminary budget of the movie is $200 million. Moreover, the showrunners intend to shoot a sequel. They want to create a movie that will overshadow James Bond. As for the salaries, they will be rather average. For instance, Ryan Gosling as a leading actor will be paid $20 million. He will play an ex-CIA operative who is betrayed by his own agency and he is forced to become a fugitive.