Celebrity News July 29, 2026
Star Salaries: Scarlett Johansson, Brad Pitt, The Rock & More A-Listers Cashing In
With fewer films being made, the rise of AI, and prolific Internet content creators, movie stardom and those massive star salaries are under siege. But a few A-listers are still cashing in.
Forbes reporter Matt Craig tells us, “It is still a very, very good time to be an A-list movie star or director or producer.”
Craig said Scarlett Johansson scored a massive mega million-dollar deal for “Jurassic World Rebirth.”
She earned $20-million upfront, plus about 15 to 20 percent of the net movie profits. In total, we estimate her total payday was around $45 million.
Meanwhile, Brad Pitt banked an estimated $35 million for his race thrill ride “F1," plus a box office bonus.
Along with big paydays, some stars have built their own multi-million-dollar celebrity brands like George Clooney, who took home almost a quarter of a billion bucks from the sale of his Casamigos Tequila.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, worth an estimated $800 million, is a box-office superstar and a savvy businessman with many brands including co-owner of the United Football League.
Craig shared, “He has an energy drink. He has a tequila brand. He has an Under Armour licensing deal. And often times he does movies in order to get publicity in order to grow his personal brand.”
Social media stars like Kendall Jenner and Bethenny Frankle both made upwards of $20 million a year in endorsements and brand deals.
Hailey Bieber has built her brand with modeling campaigns and partnerships with companies like Levis's and Bare Minerals. She sold her beauty line Rhode for a billion dollars, pocketing a chunk of change from that deal.
