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 is an American actor and producer regarded as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He ranks among the world’s highest-paid and wealthiest celebrities. As of now, films featuring Tom Cruise have grossed a staggering $11.5 billion at the global box office. Interestingly, for a significant portion of his career, no film that Tom starred in ever crossed the $1 billion mark. Up until June 2022, the highest-grossing film in his career was “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” from 2018, which amassed $800 million worldwide. Ultimately, it was “Top Gun: Maverick” that helped him achieve the billion-dollar milestone in late June 2022, with total earnings of $1.5 billion globally.

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 cousin, William Mapother, later became an actor, appearing with Tom in various projects.

Tom’s early years involved plenty of moves across the country, including a brief relocation to Canada following his father’s job with the Canadian Armed Forces. He later claimed that his father was a bully, who often mistreated Tom and his siblings. Throughout his childhood, Tom attended 15 different schools within a span of 14 years.

Pursuing an acting career wasn’t always Tom’s ambition. Although he took drama classes in middle school, he primarily identified as a jock. His focus shifted to acting in high school after a knee injury sidelined him from the wrestling team, leading him to dedicate himself to the drama club, where he quickly landed the lead in their Guys and Dolls production.

Despite the positive reviews and encouragement he received for his acting abilities, Tom initially lacked interest in the profession. In an unexpected turn, he spent some time at St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati aspiring to be a Franciscan priest, although he was ultimately expelled due to his drinking.

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

Early Career

After graduating high school, Tom moved to New York City to pursue acting but later transitioned to Los Angeles to audition for television roles.

His film career started in 1981 with a minor role in “Endless Love,” and that same year, he gained critical acclaim for his performance in “Taps.” This role was pivotal, leading to his signing with the prestigious talent agency CAA. A CAA agent, Paula Wagner, promoted Tom directly to the agency’s managing partner, Michael Ovitz. Not only did he become a lifelong client, but in the early 1990s, Tom and Paula co-founded a production company named Cruise/Wagner Productions.

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

Success

In 1983, Tom delivered a breakout performance in the comedy/drama “Risky Business,” which grossed $64 million against a budget of $6 million and produced several cultural milestones. This film solidified Cruise’s status as an emerging star and earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.

The release of 1986’s “Top Gun” catapulted Tom Cruise to international fame. The film garnered $360 million worldwide and was the highest-grossing film of that year.

Later that same year, he acted alongside Paul Newman in “The Color of Money.”

The successes continued with “Cocktail” and “Rain Man,” both of which hit theaters in 1988. Notably, Rain Man won four Academy Awards. Tom received his first Oscar nomination the following year for “Born on the Fourth of July.”

His string of hits continued with 1990’s “Days of Thunder” and 1992’s “Far and Away,” as well as 1992’s “A Few Good Men,” and in 1993’s…

Notable films include “The Firm” and “Interview with the Vampire” from 1994. For “A Few Good Men,” he received a nomination for a Golden Globe.

In 1996, Tom Cruise not only starred in but also produced the smash hit “Mission: Impossible,” which grossed $457 million and led to multiple successful sequels. That same year, he featured in another massive success, “Jerry Maguire,” which made $275 million on a $50 million budget and earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. His co-star, Cuba Gooding, Jr., was awarded the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Over the following decade, Tom continued to deliver hit films. Some of his other remarkable projects 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

Additional prominent Cruise films along with their international grosses:

• The Firm (1993) – $158 million ($350 million when adjusted for inflation)
• Mission: Impossible II (2000) – $550 million ($923 million with 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, over twenty of Cruise’s films have surpassed $100 million in global earnings. His total box office earnings stand at $9.5 billion, without inflation adjustment.

Salary and Earnings Milestones

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

Thanks to his producer role, Tom earned a total of $70 million from his credits on the original Mission Impossible. For Mission Impossible 3, he made $75 million.

His two highest-paid films to date remain Mission Impossible 2 (2000) and War of the Worlds (2005), each netting him $100 million, largely due to significant backend points. In the realm of top acting paydays for a single film, Tom Cruise appears three times on the list, including those aforementioned $100 million earnings.

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

From 1983 to 2011, Tom accrued $445 million in movie salaries. From 2011 to 2019, it’s likely that he earned at least an additional $300 million. This brings his total career earnings (salary and bonuses) from 1983 to 2019 to $745 million.

Top Gun Salary/Earnings

As previously noted, Tom Cruise’s salary for the 1986 film “Top Gun” was $2 million. When adjusted for inflation, this amounts to approximately $5.4 million today. Interestingly, the $2 million represented 13% of Top Gun’s total $15 million budget. It remains unknown what his original co-stars, including Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer, were paid, but it can be assumed they earned significantly less than $2 million.

While Top Gun was in production, a Tom Cruise film titled “Legend” failed at the box office, leaving producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson anxious. Luckily, Top Gun became a huge success, ultimately grossing $360 million in 1986, making it the highest-grossing movie of that year.

Fast forward to 2018/2019: After years of speculation, excitement, and hopes from fans, a sequel to Top Gun was finally realized, largely thanks to producer David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison and founder of Skydance. David, an avid fan of the original Top Gun and a pilot himself, founded Skydance in 2006 with the ambition of producing a Top Gun sequel as his first project. Once everything fell into place, Skydance committed 25% of the film’s approximate $200 million budget.

“Top Gun: Maverick” was originally set for a mid-2020 release but faced a two-year delay due to COVID-19. Tom served as both the star and primary producer for the sequel. His base salary for this film was $13 million, but significantly, as a producer, Tom stands to earn 10-20% of the film’s “first dollar” gross revenue—a deal that no other Hollywood star can replicate. The first dollar gross is distributed after movie theaters, or exhibitors, take their 40% share of the earnings, yet before all other studio expenses, such as marketing and production costs.

Should “Top Gun: Maverick” achieve $1 billion in box office sales and Tom holds 10% of the first dollar gross, he could earn around $60 million. If he commands 20%, his earnings could reach approximately $120 million. Additionally, considering his potential 20% share and future streaming sales, it is highly likely that Tom might earn around $200 million, which would be about 100 times his initial salary for Top Gun.

Tom Cruise Height

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

Personal Life

Several times, Tom has tied the knot. His marriage to actress Mimi Rogers lasted from 1987 until 1990, during which Mimi introduced Tom to Scientology.

From 1990 to 2001, Tom was wed to Nicole Kidman.

His marriage to Katie Holmes spanned from 2006 to 2012.

Katie Holmes Divorce Settlement

One daughter, Suri, was born from Tom and Katie’s marriage. Entering the union, Tom’s net worth was $250 million, while Katie’s stood at $10 million. With significantly more assets to safeguard, Tom was adamant about having a robust prenuptial agreement. The divorce agreement mandated that Tom pay Katie $400,000 annually in child support for 12 years (until 2024). This amounts to $33,000 each month, totaling $4.8 million over the duration. Additionally, Tom is responsible for Suri’s medical costs, education, insurance, and extracurricular activities. Katie retains full custody of Suri and has opted not to raise their daughter within Scientology. No spousal support or lump-sum payment was awarded to Katie. Reports indicate that Katie declined any spousal support to gain complete custody and authority over Suri’s upbringing.

Real Estate

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

In the mid-1990s, during his marriage to Nicole Kidman, Tom constructed a vast mansion in Telluride, Colorado. His Telluride property covers 320 acres, featuring a main residence of 10,000 square feet with seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, horse stables, and a private helipad. Tom lobbied for years to expand the local airport’s runway to accommodate larger private jets, a desire that was finally fulfilled in 2010. He first listed this home for $59 million in 2016, but ultimately, it did not attract a buyer. Again listed in 2018, the property still found no interested buyers. In March, he re-listed the home once more.
“`In May 2021, Tom ultimately sold the property for $39.5 million, the same amount he acquired it for in 2021. Below is a video tour from a previous listing:

 

Cruise/Wagner Productions

One significant factor contributing to Tom’s transformation into an exceptionally affluent actor, rather than just a very wealthy one, is his involvement in producing numerous films. In 1993, he partnered with Paula Wagner to establish Cruise/Wagner Productions. Their films have grossed $3 billion globally to date. For many years, the company had an exclusive agreement with Paramount, which ended in 2006 after Tom’s contentious remarks about psychiatry and anti-depressants gained widespread attention and stirred controversy within the industry. Since then, funding has primarily come from hedge funds and Washington Redskins founder Dan Snyder. In 2006, United Artists approached Paula and Tom to help revitalize the beleaguered studio. Although Paula departed UA in 2008, she and Tom continue to own 30% of the studio to this day.