F1 is here, and with the weekend box office numbers starting to come in, it’s looking like Brad Pitt has a big hit on his hands. But, is anyone else curious about how much a big movie star like him makes these days for leading one of the biggest movies of 2025 and how it ranks with other names of his caliber like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio?
Well, we now know the reported amount of money Pitt made, and I have to say, I’m shocked.
How Much Brad Pitt Is Earning For F1?
According to Forbes, Brad Pitt reportedly earned $30 million to play Sonny Hayes, the former Formula One driver who gets back behind the wheel after hanging up the sport in the 1990s.
He’s come a long way since reportedly making $6,000 on Thelma & Louise in the early 1990s when he was first getting his start. $30 million is a large sum. Like, some movies cost that much in total – for example, M3GAN 2.0, which just debuted in theaters too, reportedly had a production budget of $25 million on its own. To say I’m astonished is an understatement.
But, at the same time, Brad Pitt does feel like one of those few actors who can bring in a huge audience just because he’s headlining a movie. Oh, and the film’s budget is allegedly between $200 and $300 million, so Apple really splurged on this one in general.
It goes to show that Brad Pitt’s pull in the industry is still a massive one. Though I’m curious if the movie star also asked to get a cut of the backend money in his contract from box office sales as the movie races to a reported $140 million global opening weekend, per Deadline. This would be the one to do it for, since he and all his very real Formula One driving is the movie’s big pull — especially for moviegoers who are not already Formula One fans.
How Does His Reported Paycheck Compare To Other Movie Stars?
Now, Brad Pitt isn’t on the top 10 highest-grossing actors list (mostly because he never joined the MCU), but last year, Forbes did name him one of the top highest-paid actors. He was placed at No. 6 behind Dwayne Johnson’s top spot, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld and Hugh Jackman.
The big paycheck he had to his name then was for Wolfs with George Clooney, where they were each paid $35 million before the Apple movie became the most-watched title in the streaming service’s history. (So F1 allegedly isn’t even the most he’s been paid for a film!)
When it comes to other actors of a rare similar status to Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio was apparently paid $30 million as well to star in Apple’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Tom Cruise reportedly had an upfront salary of $13 million for Top Gun: Maverick before ultimately making $100 million in total after also earning money on the backend from ticket sales.
Brad Pitt isn’t cheap, but perhaps it’s the right price to get the Oscar winner to front your movie. You can see the actor in F1 in theaters now.
