Is Tom Cruise’s billionaire mission truly impossible? Look at his new net worth
What star burns brighter in Hollywood’s galaxy than Tom Cruise? With an illustrious acting and producing career under his belt, Cruise has amassed a staggering net worth of $600 million, earning him a place among the industry’s richest and highest-grossing stars.
His portfolio of movies has hauled in an impressive $11.5 billion worldwide. Yet, curiously, none of his films had ever crossed the coveted billion-dollar threshold—until Top Gun: Maverick took flight in June 2022. What does that mean for his wallet now? Let’s take a look at his net worth and see if it’s one that signals an incoming billionaire.
The heights
Cruise’s journey to the billion-dollar landmark wasn’t always smooth sailing. When his film Legend crashed and burned at the box office, it sent shockwaves through producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. However, the tide turned with Top Gun, which skyrocketed to become 1986’s highest-grossing movie.
Fast forward to 2018/2019: whispers of a Top Gun sequel began circulating among eager fans. All thanks to producer David Ellison, founder of Skydance and a die-hard fan of the original film. Backing his belief in the franchise with 25% of the sequel’s $200 million budget, Ellison made Top Gun: Maverick a reality.
The pandemic may have delayed its premiere, but when Top Gun: Maverick finally hit theaters in 2020, it was a game-changer for Cruise, marking his first-ever billion-dollar grossing film and further solidifying his star status in Hollywood’s firmament. His paycheck for the sequel? A cool $13 million. And as a producer, he also stood to earn 10-20% of the film’s “first dollar” gross revenue—a Hollywood first.
If the movie rakes in a billion at the box office, Cruise could pocket an additional $60-$120 million. Factor in potential streaming revenue, and he could earn nearly $200 million, making his original Top Gun salary look like pocket change. With a net worth like that, does that mean he’ll become a billionaire?
The champion
But for Cruise, it’s not all about the Benjamins. He’s on a mission: to bring back the glory days of cinema. To prove his point, he’s committed to watching both Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on their opening weekends this July.
Cruise is a passionate advocate for the big-screen experience. As he explained, “That’s how I make them, and I like that experience; it’s immersive, and to have that as a community and an industry, it’s important. I still go to the movies.”
Ever the Hollywood workhorse, Cruise marked his 61st birthday in true star fashion: by working. He spent the day at the Australian premiere of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, alongside co-stars Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Simon Pegg.
The future
Despite the buzz surrounding Margot Robbie’s Barbie, Cruise’s premiere remained the star attraction. His dedication to the film industry is unwavering, and he acknowledges the crucial role of big releases, like Barbie and Oppenheimer, in reviving a struggling industry.
At 61, Cruise shows no signs of easing up. His ambition? To follow in the footsteps of Hollywood titan Harrison Ford, who at 80, just wrapped up filming his fifth Indiana Jones installment. “I hope to keep making Mission: Impossible films until I’m his age,” Cruise shared.
Will Cruise achieve his lofty ambition of a billionaire’s net worth? Can he help resurrect the golden age of cinema? Only time will tell, but isn’t the suspense half the fun?
_
