How Dwayne Johnson turned around flop Red One to his advantage, earned $103 million to become world's highest-paid actor
Dwayne Johnson was the highest-paid actor in the world in 2024 with $88 million net earnings even as his ambitious holiday film, Red One, failed.
Forbes released the list of the world's highest-paid actors at the end of last month. The list, which includes the actors who earned the most amount of money in 2024, was once again led by wrestler-turned-superstar Dwayne Johnson. But what many noted is that, unlike many others on the list, Johnson had fewer box office successes (just one) in the year. Yet, his throne remains untouched. (Also read: Forbes' Richest Actors 2024 list out: Dwayne Johnson tops again with 'ungodly amount of money', just 3 women in top 20)
Dwayne Johnson is the world's highest-paid actor
The Forbes list put Dwayne Johnson on the top once again as the actor earned $103 million gross ($88 million net) in 2024, the most of any actor in the world. Formerly known as the Rock, the actor benefitted from his massive fees for Red One and a fortunate Disney pivot for Moana 2 that took the film to theatres instead of OTT. Johnson beat Ryan Reynolds ($85 million), Kevin Hart ($81 million), Jerry Seinfeld ($60 million), and Hugh Jackman ($50 million) to reach the top.
How Dwayne Johnson secured his throne
Dwayne Johnson had been the world's highest-paid actor on two occasions earlier but slipped from the top after 2022. Forbes noted, "The Rock returned to the top of the highest-paid actors' list after landing what is believed to be the largest fee-plus-buyout in streaming movie history, an estimated $50 million to star in Amazon's Red One last year."
Red One was a commercial failure, earning only $186 million on a $250-million budget. Yet, Johnson managed to break the bank on the film due to his high fees. He earned more revenue when the film was released on streaming, and it secured 50 million views on its opening weekend.
The actor benefitted again when his second release of the year, Moana 2, pivoted from a TV series to a theatrical release. Forbes reported that the actor "negotiated for a percentage of the movie's profits as an executive producer, an unprecedented deal for voice actors in Disney animation. After the movie grossed over $1 billion at the box office, Johnson, 52, made what one agent calls 'an ungodly amount of money'."
