Tom Cruise Net Worth (Money & Salary)

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

With a net worth estimated at $600 million, Tom Cruise stands out as an American actor and producer and is regarded as one of the most significant stars in the history of Hollywood. He ranks among the wealthiest and highest-paid celebrities globally. At the time of this writing, the films featuring Tom Cruise have amassed an impressive $11.5 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Notably, throughout much of his career, none of his movies crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office until June 2022. Before that time, his top-grossing film was 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” which earned $800 million around the world. It wasn’t until late June 2022 that Tom finally surpassed the billion-dollar milestone, thanks to “Top Gun: Maverick,” which ultimately brought in $1.5 billion globally.

Early Life

Born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, Tom hails from a family where his father was an electrical engineer and his mother worked as a special education teacher. He has three sisters, and his cousin William Mapother later pursued a career in acting and worked with Tom in several projects.

Tom spent his formative years moving across the United States, including a short period in Canada after his father found employment with the Canadian Armed Forces. He has claimed that his father was a bully, often abusive towards him and his siblings, and he attended 15 different schools over the span of 14 years.

Initially, Tom did not aspire to become an actor. He participated in drama classes during middle school but identified more as an athlete. A knee injury, however, led him to shift his focus to acting when he joined the drama club in high school, where he quickly landed the lead in a production of Guys and Dolls.

Even after receiving accolades and encouragement for his talent in acting, Tom remained uninterested in pursuing it at that time. He even spent some time at the St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, aspiring to be a Franciscan priest, but he was expelled from seminary for drinking.

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

Early Career

Following high school, Tom moved to New York City with the intent of becoming an actor but soon transitioned to Los Angeles to audition for roles in television.

His film debut came in 1981 with a minor role in “Endless Love.” That same year, he garnered critical acclaim for his performance in “Taps,” which led to his representation by the prominent CAA talent agency. An agent named Paula Wagner championed Tom to CAA’s managing partner, Michael Ovitz. Tom not only became a lifelong client of CAA but also, along with Paula, established a production company named Cruise/Wagner Productions in the early 1990s.

He continued to gain recognition with his role in “The Outsiders.”

Success

In 1983, Tom solidified his status as a star with his performance in the comedy/drama “Risky Business.” This film grossed $64 million on a $6 million budget and introduced several cultural phenomena, cementing Cruise as a rising star and earning him his first Golden Globe nomination.

The massive success of “Top Gun” in 1986 further propelled Tom Cruise into international fame, with the film raking in $360 million globally and becoming the highest-grossing film that year.

In the same year, he co-starred with Paul Newman in “The Color of Money.”

Tom’s successful streak continued with the releases of “Cocktail” and “Rain Man” in 1988, the latter winning four Academy Awards. His first Oscar nomination arrived a year later with “Born on the Fourth of July.”

He followed this with further successes, including 1990’s “Days of Thunder,” 1992’s “Far and Away,” and also 1992’s “A Few Good Men.” In 1993,

In 1994, he starred in “The Firm” and “Interview with the Vampire.” His performance in “A Few Good Men” earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe.

Simultaneously acting in and producing the 1996 blockbuster “Mission: Impossible,” Tom Cruise saw it gross $457 million, leading to multiple successful sequels. That same year, he starred in another cultural sensation, “Jerry Maguire,” which achieved $275 million in earnings on a $50 million budget, along with a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars. His co-star, Cuba Gooding, Jr., won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Throughout the following decade and beyond, Tom consistently delivered hits. Other noteworthy projects by Tom 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 significant films featuring Cruise and their global grosses:

• 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)

So far, Cruise has over twenty films that have earned well over $100 million globally. His cumulative global box office total amounts to $9.5 billion, excluding inflation adjustments.

Salary and Earnings Milestones

• For Taps, Tom earned $50,000
• His salary for Risky Business was $75,000
• His compensation for Legend in 1985 escalated to $500,000
• In 1986, he earned $2 million for Top Gun, marking the start of a substantial increase in his career earnings.
• He was paid $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

Thanks to his role as producer, Tom garnered a staggering $70 million from all his credits in the first Mission Impossible film. For Mission Impossible 3, he made $75 million.

His two highest earning films to date are Mission Impossible 2 (2000) and War of the Worlds (2005), from which he made $100 million each, courtesy of lucrative backend deals. Notably, in a ranking of the ten largest acting paychecks ever for a single film, Tom Cruise appears three times. Those aforementioned $100 million paydays are part of that list.

third and fourth largest paydays following Bruce Willis’ $105 million earnings from The Sixth Sense and Keanu Reeves’ $156 million from The Matrix.

From 1983 to 2011, Tom accrued $445 million from his movie salaries. From 2011 to 2019, it’s estimated he made at least another $300 million, leading his total career earnings (including salary and bonuses) from 1983 to 2019 to $745 million.

Top Gun Salary/Earnings

Earlier, we discussed that Tom Cruise received a salary of $2 million for the 1986 film “Top Gun.” After inflation adjustments, that equates to roughly $5.4 million today. Surprisingly, $2 million constituted 13% of the entire $15 million budget for Top Gun. The earnings of his original co-stars, like Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer, remain unknown but are likely significantly less than his salary.

While filming Top Gun, another Tom Cruise movie titled “Legend” flopped at the box office, causing panic among producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. Luckily, Top Gun became a massive success, ultimately earning $360 million, making it the highest-grossing film of 1986.

Fast forward to 2018/2019. After years of speculation, buzz, and anticipation from fans, a sequel to Top Gun was finally made possible largely due to producer David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison and founder of Skydance. As a passionate childhood fan of Top Gun and an avid pilot, David Ellison established Skydance in 2006 with the intention of producing a Top Gun sequel. Once everything fell into place, Skydance pledged 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 COVID. Tom serves as both the starring actor and primary producer for the sequel. His base salary for Top Gun: Maverick was set at $13 million. More crucially, as a producer, Tom is eligible for 10-20% of the film’s “first dollar” gross revenue—a deal that’s rare for any star in Hollywood. First dollar gross is calculated after movie theaters, referred to as exhibitors, deduct 40% from the box office receipts, but prior to any other studio expenses, including marketing and production.

If Top Gun: Maverick achieves a $1 billion box office gross and Tom holds a 10% stake in the first dollar gross, he stands to earn around $60 million. With a 20% stake, that could rise to approximately $120 million. If he manages to secure 20% along with future streaming sales, it’s possible Tom could earn close to $200 million, which would be about 100 times his initial salary for 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 former wife Nicole Kidman, who is 5 feet 10, and two inches shorter than ex-wife Katie Holmes, who measures 5 feet 9.

Personal Life

Several marriages have marked Tom’s life. His union with actress Mimi Rogers lasted from 1987 to 1990, during which Mimi introduced him to Scientology.

From 1990 until 2001, Tom was married to Nicole Kidman.

His marriage to Katie Holmes spanned from 2006 to 2012.

Katie Holmes Divorce Settlement

Tom and Katie’s marriage resulted in one daughter, Suri. At the onset of their marriage, Tom’s net worth was $250 million, while Katie’s was $10 million. With significantly more to safeguard, Tom demanded an ironclad prenuptial agreement. The divorce settlement dictated that Tom would pay Katie $400,000 annually in child support for a duration of 12 years, culminating in 2024. This amounts to $33,000 monthly, totaling $4.8 million. Additionally, Tom is responsible for covering Suri’s medical expenses, education, insurance, and extracurricular activities. Katie retains full custody and has decided not to raise Suri within Scientology. Katie received neither spousal support nor a lump-sum cash payment. Reports suggest that Katie chose not to pursue spousal support to ensure she retained full custody and control over Suri’s upbringing.

Real Estate

Over the years, Tom has owned a variety of impressive properties across the U.S. In 2013, he sold a 10th-floor condo in New York City’s East Village for $3 million. In September 2015, he sold a multi-residence property in the Hollywood Hills for $11.4 million, which was purchased by Eva Longoria. In May 2016, Tom sold his renowned Beverly Hills estate to billionaire financier Leon Black for $40 million, having acquired the property for $30.5 million in 2006 while still married to Katie Holmes. In 2018, he invested $11.8 million to acquire multiple units within a condo complex in Clearwater, Florida, situated near the Church of Scientology’s headquarters.

During his marriage to Nicole Kidman in the mid-1990s, he constructed a large mansion in Telluride, Colorado, which spans 320 acres. The main residence encompasses 10,000 square feet, featuring seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, horse stables, and a private helipad. He engaged in a prolonged campaign to persuade local officials to extend the airport’s runway for accommodating larger private jets, which was finally approved in 2010. In 2016, he attempted to sell this home for $59 million but did not secure a buyer. He relisted the property in 2018, again failing to find a buyer. The home was subsequently relisted in March.
“`In May 2021, Tom successfully sold the property for the same $39.5 million he had purchased it for in 2021. Here’s a video tour from a previous listing:

 

Cruise/Wagner Productions

An important factor in Tom’s rise to becoming an extraordinarily wealthy actor, rather than just a very rich one, is that he has produced numerous films himself. In 1993, together with Paula Wagner, he established Cruise/Wagner Productions. Their films have collectively brought in $3 billion worldwide. For a significant period, the company enjoyed an exclusive partnership with Paramount, which came to an end in 2006 after Tom’s controversial remarks about psychiatry and anti-depressants gained widespread attention and caused a stir within the industry. Since then, funding has come from hedge funds and Dan Snyder, the founder of the Washington Redskins. In 2006, Tom and Paula were brought in by United Artists to rejuvenate the ailing studio. Although Paula departed from UA in 2008, she and Tom still retain a 30% ownership in the studio today.