Adam Sandler earned a staggering $73 million in 2023, making him the highest-paid actor in the world despite not having a box-office hit since 2019. This impressive feat places him ahead of renowned actors like Tom Cruise, Tom Holland, Dwayne Johnson, Margot Robbie, Ryan Reynolds, Shah Rukh Khan, and Prabhas. Sandler’s success comes from his involvement in four releases last year, three as an actor and one as a producer. He starred in “Murder Mystery 2” and had a supporting role in “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” both released on Netflix. Additionally, he produced “The Out-Laws” starring Adam Devine and voiced the titular character in another Netflix film, “Leo.” As a producer in all three films he acted in, Sandler earned a significant share of the digital sale revenues, contributing to his massive income.
Curiously, Sandler’s films have been exclusively released on streaming platforms over the past few years, including “Hustle” (2022), “Hubie Halloween” (2021), and “Murder Mystery” (2019). His only theatrical release since the pandemic—”Spaceman” (2024)—was not a commercial success. The last time an Adam Sandler film performed well at the box office was in 2019 when “Uncut Gems” earned $50 million on a $19-million budget.
In 2023, Sandler surpassed Margot Robbie, who earned $59 million largely due to her blockbuster hit “Barbie.” Ryan Gosling, Tom Cruise, and Matt Damon also made it into the top five, each earning over $40 million. Despite Shah Rukh Khan having three box office successes—”Pathaan,” “Jawan,” and “Dunki”—no Indian actors were in Forbes’ top 10 list. However, a separate Forbes list mentioned that Shah Rukh Khan likely earned over $30 million last year.