Adam Sandler has been named the highest-paid actor of 2025.
Forbes shared Sandler’s status in its The Highest-Paid Actors of 2025 list. Sandler took home $48 million from films (he made $60 million before paying anyone, like his agent or manager) including Happy Gilmore 2 and Jay Kelly.
Sandler beat some other Hollywood heavyweights to make the top of the list. Close behind him were Tom Cruise, with $46 million ($54 million gross), and Mark Wahlberg, who took home $44 million ($58 million gross).
Other stars on the list were Scarlett Johansson, Brad Pitt, and the youngest member of the group by far, Millie Bobby Brown.
Though Sandler and others on the list made some pretty big bucks, the general consensus was that collective earnings for the top twenty actors experienced a 20% decline compared to last year. That downturn comes as people continue to pivot to streaming services to watch their favorite content and theater ticket sales struggle.
In January, Sandler made it clear that he has no plans to slow down on acting. While receiving the Career Achievement Award at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards, he got candid about his plans for his future, suggesting that he’s got plenty more movies left to shoot.
“I don’t know how much time I have left — 60, 70 years. Eighty tops, maybe 90 if I start working out and taking creatine,” he joked. “I promise to everyone here tonight, I will make at least 50 more movies before I am dead — and at least 25 of them will be good.”
Sandler may be a seasoned veteran, but he’s got one of the hottest young actors in the world vouching for him.
Back in November, Sandler sat down with Timothée Chalamet at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles for a candid discussion about their films and basketball. Chalamet, who continues to grow as a superstar thanks to his performances in films like Marty Supreme and the Dune franchise, reflected on Sandler’s performance in Punch-Drunk Love and gave the legendary actor his flowers.
“To actors across all ages but really my generation, it’s one of the most important performances—impactful, deeply moving,” said Chalamet. “I think because you’ve ascended to such commercial heights that the people that aren’t really in the know don’t understand how impactful that performance was and how incredibly nuanced and deeply lived in and heartbreaking it is. I know it’s not about awards, but you should have a golden man in your hand because you’re one of the best fucking actors.”
