[imagesource: Scans]

Back in the day, a movie star would depend on being at the top of the box office to be successful in the industry.

But the digital revolution has changed things up, and not at all in a way that impacts them negatively.

Their success is now being measured by views on popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, which pays movie stars based on new equations that create exponentially higher upfront paydays, reports Variety.

Often, our movie stars are compensated on the projected back-end box office participation they would reap if their movies were released exclusively in theatres.

Daniel Craig is a shining example, getting $100 million after the sale of two sequels to Knives Out. Added to the salary increases he might receive for the second and third films in the murder mystery series, he is likely sitting on a lovely nine-figure check.

A quick look at what other noteworthy stars are taking home for some of their recent movies:

Tom Cruise is one of the few stars making a killing from multiple angles:

The actor is among a handful of traditional movie stars who demand first-dollar gross on their backend participation, meaning Cruise gets paid before his studio earns a dime from box office receipts.

This entitles him to tens of millions of dollars in bonuses after certain box office milestones are achieved over the life of his films.

He’s earning $13 million for his upfront acting fee in this year’s Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount, but that number will fly much higher if the film is a hit.

We can’t talk about Tom without having a look at the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick:

And here’s Knives Out, because it made Daniel Craig around $100 million richer:

There’s something to be said about seeing only three female actresses on that list of big earners, but that’s possibly a story for another day…

[source:variety]