Tom Cruise Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Tom Cruise’s Net Worth, Salary, and Career Earnings?

An American actor and producer, Tom Cruise boasts a net worth of $600 million. He is widely recognized as one of Hollywood’s most significant stars. Additionally, he ranks among the wealthiest and highest-paid celebrities globally. As of now, Tom Cruise’s films have grossed $11.5 billion at the worldwide box office. Interestingly, during most of his career, none of his films ever earned over $1 billion. Until June 2022, his most successful movie was 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” which took in $800 million globally. It wasn’t until late June 2022, with the release of “Top Gun: Maverick,” that Tom finally crossed the billion-dollar threshold, as the film ultimately earned $1.5 billion globally.

Early Life

On July 3, 1962, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV was born in Syracuse, New York. His father, who shared his name, worked as an electrical engineer, while his mother was a special education teacher. Tom has three sisters, and his first cousin, William Mapother, would later become an actor as well, appearing in several projects alongside Tom.

His formative years were spent moving across the country, including a brief period in Canada after his father secured a position with the Canadian Armed Forces. Tom would later describe his father as a bully who was abusive towards him and his siblings, a situation that led him to attend 15 different schools in 14 years.

While Tom didn’t initially aspire to be an actor, he did participate in drama classes during middle school, leaning more towards sports during that time. It was a knee injury that prompted him to transition to acting in high school, where he dedicated himself to the drama club and earned the lead role in their production of “Guys and Dolls.”

Even with positive feedback on his acting abilities, Tom remained uninterested in pursuing this path. He even spent time at St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, aiming to become a Franciscan priest, but was expelled for drinking.

Tom graduated in 1980 from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey.

Early Career

After completing high school, Tom relocated to New York City to pursue acting before moving to Los Angeles to audition for television parts.

In 1981, he made his film debut with a minor role in “Endless Love.” That same year, he garnered critical acclaim for his performance in “Taps.” This role facilitated his signing with the prestigious talent agency CAA, thanks to agent Paula Wagner, who advocated for him to CAA’s managing partner, Michael Ovitz. Tom would not only remain a lifelong CAA client but would also, in the early 1990s, partner with Paula to establish Cruise/Wagner Productions.

Further acclaim followed with his role in “The Outsiders.”

Success

In 1983, Tom delivered a breakout performance in the film “Risky Business,” which earned $64 million on a $6 million budget and created numerous cultural references. This film solidified his status as a rising star and earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.

With the blockbuster success of 1986’s “Top Gun,” Tom Cruise became one of the most recognized actors globally, with the film grossing $360 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of that year.

That year, Tom also starred alongside Paul Newman in “The Color of Money.”

The momentum continued with the releases of “Cocktail” and “Rain Man” in 1988, the latter of which won four Academy Awards. Tom received his first Oscar nomination a year later for “Born on the Fourth of July.”

He followed this success with “Days of Thunder” in 1990, “Far and Away” in 1992, and “A Few Good Men,” also in 1992, as well as his work in 1993’s
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The films “The Firm” and “Interview with the Vampire” (1994) contributed to Tom Cruise’s illustrious career. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in “A Few Good Men.”

In 1996, Tom Cruise not only starred in but also produced the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible,” which grossed $457 million and led to several successful sequels. That same year, he appeared in the cultural sensation “Jerry Maguire,” which achieved a remarkable $275 million on a $50 million budget and garnered him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. His co-star, Cuba Gooding, Jr., was awarded the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Continuing his success, Tom released a string of hits over the following decade-plus. Some of the notable projects he undertook include

• Eyes Wide Shut
• Vanilla Sky
• Minority Report
• The Last Samurai
• Collateral
• War of the Worlds
• Valkyrie
• Jack Reacher
• Oblivion
• Edge of Tomorrow
• American Made

Top 6 Highest Grossing Tom Cruise Films

• #5: The Last Samurai (2003) – $456 million ($716 million adjusted for inflation)
• #5: War of the Worlds (2005) – $606 million ($890 million adjusted for inflation)
• #4: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) – $690 million
• #3: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) – $700 million
• #2: Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) – $800 million
• #1: Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – $1.5 billion

Additionally, here are other notable films by Cruise along with their global box office earnings:

• The Firm (1993) – $158 million ($350 million adjusted for inflation)
• Mission: Impossible II (2000) – $550 million ($923 million adjusted for inflation)
• Mission: Impossible (1996) – $460 million ($850 million adjusted for inflation)
• Rain Man (1988) – $354 million ($865 million adjusted for inflation)
• Top Gun (1986) – $360 million ($445 million adjusted for inflation)

As of now, more than twenty films featuring Cruise have surpassed the $100 million mark worldwide, accumulating a staggering global box office total of $9.5 billion, not accounting for inflation.

Salary and Earnings Milestones

• Tom received $50,000 for his role in Taps.
• For Risky Business, he earned $75,000.
• His salary jumped to $500,000 for the 1985 film Legend.
• In 1986, Tom Cruise was paid $2 million for his role in Top Gun, marking a significant rise in his career earnings.
• He collected $3 million for Cocktail.
• $9 million for Days of Thunder.
• $13 million for Far and Away.
• $12 million for A Few Good Men.
• $12 million for The Firm.
• $15 million for Interview with the Vampire.

With his credits as a producer, Tom earned a substantial $70 million from the first Mission Impossible. He made $75 million from Mission Impossible 3.

To date, Tom’s two highest paydays came from Mission Impossible 2 and War of the Worlds in 2000 and 2005, respectively, where he made $100 million from each, thanks to lucrative backend points. Notably, Cruise appears three times on the list of the top ten largest acting paychecks ever for a single film, with these $100 million earnings ranking among them.

third and fourth largest paydays, following Bruce Willis’ $105 million payday for Sixth Sense and Keanu Reeves’ $156 million payday for Matrix.

From 1983 through 2011, Tom earned a total of $445 million in movie salaries. From 2011 to 2019, it is estimated that he earned at least an additional $300 million. This brings his overall career earnings (including salary and bonuses) from 1983 to 2019 to $745 million.

Top Gun Salary/Earnings

As previously mentioned, Tom Cruise’s salary for the 1986 film “Top Gun” was $2 million. When adjusted for inflation, this equates to approximately $5.4 million today. Interestingly, that $2 million represented 13% of the total budget for Top Gun, which was $15 million. The earnings of his original co-stars, such as Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer, remain unknown but likely were considerably less than $2 million.

While filming Top Gun, a movie titled “Legend,” in which Tom starred, unfortunately performed poorly at the box office, leaving producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson in panic. Thankfully, Top Gun turned out to be a significant success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1986, generating $360 million in revenue.

Fast forward to 2018/2019. After years of speculation and excitement from fans, a sequel to Top Gun came to fruition, largely thanks to producer David Ellison, heir to Larry Ellison and founder of Skydance. After founding Skydance in 2006, David, a fervent fan of the original Top Gun and a pilot, aimed to create a sequel as his FIRST project. When the timing finally permitted, Skydance allocated 25% of the film’s estimated $200 million budget.

“Top Gun: Maverick” was originally slated for a mid-2020 release but faced a two-year delay due to the COVID pandemic. Tom serves as both the star and a primary producer for the sequel. His base salary for Top Gun: Maverick was set at $13 million, but, more significantly, as a producer, Tom is entitled to 10 – 20% of the film’s “first dollar” gross revenue. This arrangement is unparalleled in Hollywood.

The first dollar gross is calculated after exhibitors, or movie theaters, take 40% of the ticket receipts but before any other studio expenses, including marketing and production costs, are deducted.

Should Top Gun: Maverick reach $1 billion at the box office and Tom receives 10% of the first dollar gross, he could earn approximately $60 million. At a 20% share, his earnings would soar to about $120 million. Considering potential streaming sales in the future, it’s conceivable that Tom could recoup roughly $200 million, marking an increase of about 100 times his original salary for Top Gun.

Tom Cruise Height

What is Tom Cruise’s height? He stands at 5 feet 7 inches tall. This makes him three inches shorter than his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, who is 5 feet 10 inches, and two inches shorter than his ex-wife Katie Holmes, who is 5 feet 9 inches.

Personal Life

Throughout his life, Tom has had multiple marriages. His first union was with actress Mimi Rogers, lasting from 1987 to 1990, during which she introduced him to Scientology.

Subsequently, he married Nicole Kidman in 1990, and their marriage continued until 2001.

His marriage to Katie Holmes took place from 2006 until their separation in 2012.

Katie Holmes Divorce Settlement

From Tom and Katie’s marriage, one daughter named Suri was born. Tom entered the marriage with a substantial net worth of $250 million, contrasted with Katie’s $10 million. To safeguard his assets, Tom insisted on a robust prenuptial agreement. Their divorce settlement mandated Tom to pay Katie $400,000 annually in child support for 12 years, totaling $4.8 million by 2024, which breaks down to $33,000 monthly. Additionally, Tom is responsible for Suri’s medical costs, education, insurance, and extracurricular activities. Katie retains full custody of Suri, choosing not to raise her under the Scientology doctrine. Notably, Katie did not receive any spousal support or lump sum payment, reportedly for the sake of retaining full custody and authority over Suri’s upbringing.

Real Estate

Over the years, Tom has owned and currently possesses several remarkable properties across the United States. In 2013, he offloaded a condo on the 10th floor in NYC’s East Village for $3 million. In September 2015, a multi-residence property in Hollywood Hills changed hands for $11.4 million to buyer Eva Longoria. In May 2016, he sold his long-term Beverly Hills estate for $40 million to financier Leon Black, a property Tom had acquired for $30.5 million in 2006 while still married to Katie Holmes. Moreover, in 2018, Tom invested $11.8 million in multiple units within a condo complex located in Clearwater, Florida, near the Church of Scientology’s headquarters.

During the mid-1990s, when married to Nicole Kidman, Tom developed a large mansion in Telluride, Colorado. This sprawling property covers 320 acres. The main residence offers 10,000 square feet, featuring seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, horse stables, and a private helipad. He dedicated years to advocating for the local airport’s runway expansion, allowing larger private jets to land. His efforts were rewarded in 2010, when the expansion was completed. Tom initially listed this home at $59 million in 2016 but found no buyer. A relisting followed in 2018, but again, he did not secure a buyer. Eventually, he re-listed the property in March.
“`In May 2021, Tom ultimately sold the property for precisely $39.5 million, which he had purchased for the same amount in 2021. Below is a video tour from a previous listing:

 

Cruise/Wagner Productions

One significant factor contributing to Tom’s immense wealth as an actor, as opposed to being just very rich, is his production of many self-produced films. Together with Paula Wagner, he co-founded Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1993. Their films have generated a remarkable $3 billion globally to date. For many years, the company maintained an exclusive partnership with Paramount, which ended in 2006 due to Tom’s controversial remarks regarding psychiatry and antidepressants that stirred discontent across the industry. Since then, funding has been sourced from hedge funds and Dan Snyder, the founder of the Washington Redskins. In 2006, both Paula and Tom were brought on board by United Artists to revitalize the struggling studio. While Paula departed the studio in 2008, she and Tom continue to hold a 30% ownership of the studio today.