“When you go into a movie that’s expensive and you’re paying him a certain salary, what makes you feel good is you know that he is going to work just as hard,” Netflix film chief Scott Stuber told The Hollywood Reporter. “We can do a lot in the marketing, but there’s no amount of TV spots you could buy that can replicate the authenticity and the passion of the artist saying to the world, ‘I believe in it.’ And that’s what he does really well.” Smith is one of the highest-paid stars in show business, and generally, producers earn handsome returns on making him the face of a film. In addition to acting, Smith has also dipped his toes into producing and gone multi-platinum as a musician, in addition to nurturing the careers of his kids, Willowand Jaden Smith, who are each stars in their own rights. From humble beginnings in West Philadelphia (born and raised!) to the upper echelons of Hollywood, keep reading to find out Will Smith’s net worth, how he made it—and which of his movies earned him the biggest chunk of change ever made by an actor on a single project ever.
How did Will Smith become famous?
Smith first rose to prominence as rapper the Fresh Prince, teaming up with longtime friend Jeffrey Allen “DJ Jazzy Jeff” Townes for hits including “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “Summertime.” He leveraged the success he had in music in a sitcom career—and the rest, as they say, is history.
What is Will Smith’s net worth?
Smith has an estimated net worth of $350 million.
Is Will Smith a billionaire?
Smith is not a billionaire (yet!), but who knows what the future holds for someone with his business savvy and talent?
How much money does Will Smith have 2022?
Smith has an estimated net worth of $350 million in 2022.
How much did Will Smith get paid for Aladdin?
Smith made a wish to make at least $20 million for playing the Genie in 2019’s Aladdin—and he got it. Sources told The Hollywood Reporterthat Smith was paid $12.5 million upfront and earned the rest (and then some) through back-end points on box office grosses; the live-action adaptation grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
How much did Will Smith get paid for MIB?
Smith reportedly got paid $5 million for the inaugural Men In Black film. It’s unclear if that sum includes the profits from his hit single inspired by the movie. For Men In Black II, Smith got a big pay bump: $20 million, plus 10% of the box office grosses.
How much did Will Smith get paid for Independence Day?
The first time Smith fought aliens on film was in Independence Day in 1996. He pocketed a cool $5 million while welcoming them to Earth—then blowing them to bits and back into space. When asked if he believed in aliens himself, he said, “I just think it would be arrogant of us to think that humankind is the only ‘kind’ that exists in the entire universe. How is that possible? But I’m a conspiracy junkie, though, so I believe all that stuff.” He didn’t reprise the role in Independence Day: Resurgence in 2016 because of scheduling conflicts. Roland Emmerichrevealed, “I just wanted to make a movie exactly like the first, but then in the middle of production Will opted out because he wanted to do Suicide Squad.”
How much did Will Smith get paid for I Am Legend?
Smith made $25 million for I Am Legend, which broke box office records for a December release at the time of its 2007 debut with a $77 million opening weekend—but he told Oprah Winfreyhe wasn’t satisfied. “I’m excited for 30 seconds, and then my mind drifts and I say to [producing partner James Lassiter], ‘Hey, why do you think we missed 80 [million]?” Smith recalled (via Entertainment Weekly). “He said, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘No, it was 77, do you think if we would have adjusted the ending? Because I wanted the ending to feel more like Gladiator.’ He’s like, ‘It’s the biggest opening in history, ever. What are you talking about?’ I’m like, ‘J, I get that, I’m just asking why do you think we missed the 80?’ And it’s the only time he ever hung up on me.”
How much did Will Smith get paid for Suicide Squad?
Smith was paid $20 million to star as Deadshot in the original 2016 Suicide Squad. He wasn’t able to reprise his role in the 2021 reboot due to scheduling conflicts, but told GQ that he was happy that his character wasn’t killed off so that he could potentially return later on.
How much did Will Smith get paid for Bright?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith took home a hefty $27 million for the Netflix film Bright. He will reportedly get a raise for the upcoming sequel, though the exact figures haven’t been revealed just yet. It will be his third outing with director David Ayer, who also helmed Suicide Squad and the original Bright.
How much did Will Smith get paid for King Richard?
Variety reports that Smith will make $40 million for King Richard. This huge sum is a combination of his actual salary plus cash added on upfront to make up for lower box office grosses and bonuses since the film will be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. Smith, who stars as Venusand Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, in the film, told The Los Angeles Times that it’s a project close to his heart. “Like the rest of us, I’ve been following their careers for years. There was an interview with Richard and Venus—we depicted it in the film—where he interrupts the interviewer who keeps grilling her about her confidence. And it really struck me. I didn’t totally know what it was at the time, but I just remembered how Venus’ eyes [hid] a little smirk, like she had a lion [on her team] and her lion would kill somebody to protect her,” he said. “There was a certainty and a confidence in her in that protection. And I remember at the time thinking to myself, ‘I want my kids to have that look in their eyes when I show up.’” He added, “Richard had been villainized and vilified so much in that world but I remember feeling something different was at play. As an actor, I was excited to be able to explore [his] life, motivations, and traumas and to really retell the narrative to transform [it] because the [truth] is really in Venus and Serena’s eyes. They love their father, and you don’t get that look if your father is a villain.”
How much did Will Smith make for Pursuit of Happyness?
Smith made a whopping $71.4 million for The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006, which also earned him his second Oscar nomination (after Ali). He told GQ that he regards the sweet tearjerker, in which his son Jaden Smith co-stars in a true rags-to-riches story, as “perfect.”
How much did Will Smith get paid for Gemini Man?
Smith made $12.5 million for Gemini Man, in which he starred alongside a digitized, younger version of himself. He told Hip Hollywoodof the experience, “When I saw me and my digital clone it was spectacular. It was actually a little freaky!” Producer Jerry Bruckheimersaid, “It’s hard to create a digital human being, that’s what we did—a full digital replacement of Will at 23. He had to work twice as hard on this film.” When asked if Smith got paid twice, Bruckheimer chuckled, “Don’t say that to him, he’ll ask me for more money!”
How much did Will Smith get paid for Wild Wild West?
Smith made $7 million for Wild Wild West, but he wishes that he hadn’t. When asked which of his movies was his worst, he admitted, “I don’t know, Wild Wild West is a thorn in my side. To see myself in chaps… I don’t like it.” He reportedly turned down Keanu Reeves’ iconic role of Neo in The Matrixfor the sci-fi western romp, so we can understand the regret. Still, he was a good sport about it, noting that Reeves and Laurence Fishburnewere both “perfect” in the movie.
How much did Will Smith make for Shark Tale?
Smith made $15 million to voice cleaner fish Oscar in Shark Tale in 2004.
How much did Will Smith make for MIB 3?
Smith reportedly earned a whopping $100 million for Men In Black 3, the most of any movie star ever for a single project. Director Barry Sonnenfeld told Vulture that the time-travel caper was largely Smith’s idea. “We were on the set of MIB II, more than a decade ago, and he came up to one night and said, ‘Baz’—he calls me Baz—‘Baz, I have an idea for the next one.’ And then he said something would happen to Tommy Lee Jones because of an alien, and he’d have to go back in the past to save Agent K, and in doing this, he and the audience would learn secrets and answers to questions that we never knew we needed to ask,” he recalled. “And my response at the time was, ‘Can we just finish this one first?’ So we both went off and did our own thing, and years later, when Sony decided they wanted to make MIB III, that was one of the ideas that they realized would help reinvigorate the franchise, because you don’t want it to be just a third caper, some other alien threatening New York City in the present yet again.”
How much did Will Smith make for Fresh Prince?
Smith made $2.8 million for the first three seasons of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, but he hardly saw a dime of it because he owed money in back taxes from his rap career. He revealed on Inside The Actors Studioin 2002 that for the first two seasons, the IRS took 70% of his earnings and that he only got back to zero in the show’s third season. He admitted he only made the series reluctantly in an effort to pay off the feds and get back on his feet—and it ended up launching him into superstardom.
How much does Will Smith make on TikTok?
Smith is estimated to have made $21,000 per TikTok post based on his follower count in 2020, which was 21.3 million at the time. Now he’s up to 63.2 million and counting—so chances are his potential earnings from the platform have tripled as well.
How much has Will Smith donated to charity?
Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, are pretty generous when it comes to sharing the wealth. In 2008, they donated $1.3 million to charitable causes. In 2020, it was reported they donated $900,000 to various causes, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lupus Foundation, and Baltimore School for the Arts. The couple have their own charitable organization, the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation, which has invested millions of dollars into educational, environmental, and health initiatives.
How much did Will Smith make from his music?
Smith made a nice chunk of change (rumored to be a cool $10 million) from his rap career between 1988 and 1990, which is what put him on the map in the first place—but he spent way too much of it in the ’90s and ended up broke due to owing millions in back taxes. That led him to pivot to acting, first with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, then into movies. Once he was established as a movie star, he pivoted back to music simultaneously, with hit songs like “Men In Black” and “Wild Wild West” in addition to Big Willie Style album singles “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” (which was his first No. 1 song) and “Miami” heating up the charts. Smith has sold a total of nine million albums throughout his music career, with 1998’s Big Willie Style’s 6 million units as his highest seller. Though it’s unclear how much of his music profits were his to keep, business was good enough for rapper, producer, and billionaireKanye Westto want him to get back into the rap game. Next, find out five things you never knew about Will Smith!
