Tom Cruise Net Worth (Money & Salary)

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

With a net worth of $600 million, Tom Cruise stands out as an American actor and producer who is recognized as one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars. He ranks among the wealthiest and highest-paid celebrities globally. To date, Cruise’s films have collectively generated $11.5 billion worldwide at the box office. Remarkably, for a significant portion of his career, none of his films surpassed $1 billion in earnings. Before June 2022, his top-grossing film was “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” from 2018, which garnered $800 million globally. His milestone of reaching the billion-dollar mark occurred in late June 2022 with the release of “Top Gun: Maverick,” which went on to gross $1.5 billion worldwide.

Early Life

Born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV is the son of an electrical engineer and a special education teacher. He has three sisters, and his first cousin, William Mapother, is also an actor and has worked with Tom on several projects.

Tom’s early childhood was marked by relocating across the United States, including a short period in Canada after his father secured a role with the Canadian Armed Forces. He has mentioned that his father was abusive towards him and his siblings and during this time, he attended 15 schools in 14 years.

Initially, Tom did not envision a career in acting. Although he participated in drama classes during middle school, he was more inclined toward sports. It wasn’t until high school, following a knee injury that sidelined him from wrestling, that he shifted his focus to acting. He dedicated himself to the drama club and quickly earned the lead role in their production of “Guys and Dolls.”

Even after receiving praise for his talent, Tom remained uninterested in acting for a time and even spent some time at St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati with aspirations of becoming a Franciscan priest. His stay was cut short due to expulsion for drinking.

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

Early Career

Following high school, Cruise initially relocated to New York City to pursue acting, but soon moved to Los Angeles to audition for television roles.

His feature film debut occurred in 1981 with a minor role in “Endless Love.” In the same year, he received critical acclaim for his performance in “Taps,” which led to him signing with the prominent talent agency CAA, where agent Paula Wagner advocated for him to the agency’s managing partner, Michael Ovitz. Tom would become a lifelong client of CAA, and in the early 1990s, he partnered with Wagner to launch the production company Cruise/Wagner Productions.

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

Success

Tom’s breakout performance came in the comedy-drama “Risky Business” in 1983, which earned $64 million on a $6 million budget and produced several memorable cultural references. This film solidified his status as an emerging star and garnered him his first Golden Globe nomination.

The dramatic success of “Top Gun” in 1986 catapulted Tom to global stardom, grossing $360 million and becoming the highest-grossing film of that year.

During the same year, he starred alongside Paul Newman in “The Color of Money.”

His string of successes continued with “Cocktail” and “Rain Man,” both released in 1988, with the latter winning four Academy Awards. In 1989, Tom received his first Oscar nomination for his role in “Born on the Fourth of July.”

His career continued to thrive with films like “Days of Thunder” (1990), “Far and Away” (1992), “A Few Good Men” (1992), “The Firm” (1993), and “Interview with the Vampire” (1994). His work in “A Few Good Men” earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

In 1996, he produced and starred in the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible,” which grossed $457 million and launched a successful franchise. That same year, Tom starred in the cultural hit “Jerry Maguire,” which achieved $275 million at the box office on a $50 million budget and earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, while his co-star Cuba Gooding, Jr. took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Tom kept the momentum going with numerous blockbuster films throughout the following decade, including:

• 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

Noteworthy Cruise films and their global earnings include:

• 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)

To this day, more than twenty of Cruise’s films have surpassed $100 million in global earnings. His aggregate box office total reaches $9.5 billion, not adjusted for inflation.

Salary and Earnings Milestones

• Tom received $50,000 for his role in Taps
• His earnings increased to $75,000 for Risky Business
• For the 1985 film Legend, he was compensated with $500,000
• In 1986, Tom earned $2 million for starring in Top Gun, marking the beginning of his phenomenal earnings trajectory.
• He received $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

Owning a producer credit enabled Tom to secure $70 million for his involvement with the first Mission Impossible. He netted $75 million for Mission Impossible 3.

His highest earnings from a single film are from 2000’s Mission Impossible 2 and 2005’s War of the Worlds, with Tom making $100 million from both due to profitable backend points. In a ranking of the largest acting salaries ever for a single film, Tom Cruise is placed…

three times. His aforementioned $100 million paydays rank as the third and fourth largest in history, only eclipsed by Bruce Willis’ $105 million payday from *Sixth Sense* and Keanu Reeves’ $156 million payday from *Matrix*.

Between 1983 and 2011, Tom accumulated $445 million from movie salaries. From 2011 to 2019, it is estimated that he garnered at least an additional $300 million, making his total career earnings (including salary and bonuses) between 1983 and 2019 reach $745 million.

Top Gun Salary/Earnings

As noted previously, Tom Cruise earned $2 million for the 1986 film *Top Gun*. When adjusted for inflation, this figure amounts to approximately $5.4 million today. Surprisingly, that $2 million represented 13% of the film’s total budget of $15 million. The earnings of his original co-stars, such as Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer, remain unknown, but it’s likely they made significantly less than $2 million.

While filming *Top Gun*, another Tom Cruise project titled *Legend* underperformed at the box office, leaving producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson in a state of panic. Fortunately, *Top Gun* prevailed and became the top-grossing movie of 1986, amassing $360 million in revenue.

Fast forward to 2018/2019. After years of persistent rumors and anticipations from fans, a sequel to *Top Gun* was finally realized, largely thanks to producer David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison and founder of Skydance. Upon establishing Skydance in 2006, David, an avid *Top Gun* fan and pilot, made it his mission to create a sequel. When the timing was right, Skydance allocated 25% of the film’s approximate $200 million budget to the project.

Originally slated for a mid-2020 release, *Top Gun: Maverick* had to be postponed for two years due to the COVID pandemic. Tom serves as both the lead actor and primary producer for the sequel. His base salary for *Top Gun: Maverick* was $13 million. More crucially, as a producer, Tom is entitled to 10% to 20% of the film’s “first dollar” gross revenue. This unique deal is one that no other Hollywood star can typically secure. The first dollar gross is calculated after exhibitors (movie theaters) retain 40% of gross revenues, but before any other studio expenses, such as marketing and production, are deducted.

If *Top Gun: Maverick* achieves a gross of $1 billion at the box office and Tom receives 10% of the first dollar gross, he stands to earn around $60 million. With 20%, that amount shifts to approximately $120 million. Should he have 20% and include potential streaming sales later, Tom could potentially see earnings around $200 million, which would be nearly 100 times his original salary from the first *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 (5 feet 10), and two inches shorter than his ex-wife, Katie Holmes (5 feet 9).

Personal Life

Throughout his life, Tom has experienced multiple marriages. He was wed to actress Mimi Rogers from 1987 until 1990. It was during this time that Mimi introduced Tom to Scientology.

His marriage to Nicole Kidman lasted from 1990 to 2001.

From 2006 to 2012, he was married to Katie Holmes.

Katie Holmes Divorce Settlement

Tom and Katie’s marriage resulted in one daughter, Suri. At the time of their marriage, Tom’s net worth was $250 million while Katie’s was $10 million. Given the disparity, Tom insisted on a robust prenuptial agreement. Their divorce settlement required Tom to pay Katie $400,000 annually in child support for 12 years (ending in 2024). This amounts to $33,000 per month, totaling $4.8 million by the end of the payment period. Additionally, Tom is responsible for Suri’s medical costs, education, insurance, and extracurricular activities. Katie retains full custody of Suri and has decided against raising their daughter with Scientology. Notably, Katie did not request any form of spousal support or a lump sum of cash, opting instead to pursue full custody and control over Suri’s upbringing.

Real Estate

Over the years, Tom has owned and currently owns several impressive properties across the United States. In 2013, he sold a 10th-floor condo in New York City’s East Village for $3 million. In September 2015, he transferred ownership of a multi-residence property in the Hollywood Hills for $11.4 million, with Eva Longoria as the buyer. In May 2016, he sold his long-time estate in Beverly Hills to billionaire financier Leon Black for $40 million, a property he had bought for $30.5 million in 2006 while he was married to Katie Holmes. In 2018, he invested $11.8 million in multiple units within a condo complex situated in Clearwater, Florida, close to the headquarters of the Church of Scientology.

During his marriage to Nicole Kidman in the mid-1990s, Tom built a sprawling mansion in Telluride, Colorado, covering 320 acres. The main residence boasts 10,000 square feet with seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, horse stables, and a private helipad. For years, he advocated for the local airport to expand its runway to accommodate larger private jets, a request that was fulfilled in 2010. He initially listed this property for $59 million in 2016 but did not find a buyer; he tried again in 2018, with the same outcome. In March 2021, he re-listed the mansion for $39.5 million and ultimately sold it in May 2021 for that exact amount. Here is a video tour from a previous listing:

Cruise/Wagner Productions

One significant factor contributing to Tom’s remarkable wealth as an actor, distinguishing him from those who are simply very rich, is his involvement in producing many of his films. In 1993, he and his partner Paula Wagner established Cruise/Wagner Productions. Up to now, their films have garnered a total of $3 billion globally. Their partnership maintained an exclusive arrangement with Paramount for several years. However, this agreement ended in 2006 following Tom’s controversial comments regarding psychiatry and anti-depressants, which created a stir within the industry. Since then, funding has been sourced from hedge funds and Dan Snyder, the founder of the Washington Redskins. In 2006, United Artists brought Paula and Tom on board to rejuvenate the ailing studio. While Paula departed UA in 2008, both she and Tom still retain ownership of 30% of the studio.