You’ve probably heard of Bollywood actors raking in massive salaries—but what if we told you there are Hollywood stars earning tens of millions for just a few minutes of screen time?
Let’s start with global icon Tom Cruise, who reportedly earned between $100 to $120 million for his performance in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. When you break it down by screen time, Cruise was essentially paid around $1 million per minute!
That’s not all—Robert Downey Jr., one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, is set to receive $80 million for less than an hour of screen presence across two upcoming films. Similarly, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson commands a fee of $80 to $100 million for approximately 60 minutes on screen.
But topping them all is the legendary Johnny Depp, whose per-minute salary shattered expectations. In Tim Burton’s 2010 fantasy hit Alice in Wonderland, Depp played the quirky Mad Hatter—a role that lasted only 7 minutes on screen. For that short appearance, he reportedly pocketed a staggering $70 million, which comes out to $10 million per minute.
It’s worth noting that Alice in Wonderland went on to become a box office juggernaut, grossing over $1 billion worldwide, making Depp’s ultra-high fee seem like a worthy investment.
Johnny Depp’s long-time collaboration with director Tim Burton and his global appeal undoubtedly helped seal such a deal—making him not just a top-tier actor, but also the most expensive per-minute performer in Hollywood history.
