Netflix has already shown itself to be a powerhouse when it comes to original movies but the streaming service isn't the only one benefitting from trying to match the major studios with big budget films. It turns out that the company's attempt to lure top talent has succeeded in making a couple of actors very wealthy, as the newest Forbes list of the highest paid actors in Hollywood contains both Will Smith and Adam Sandler, who saw large portions of their income in the last year come from Netflix.
Adam Sandler signed a four-movie deal with Netflix back in 2014 and extended that to an additional four movies last year. He came in at number eight on the Forbes list with an income of $39.5 million. While exactly how much his Netflix deal is worth is not clear, and he has been involved in non-Netflix projects like the recent Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, he almost certainly wouldn't be so high on the list if it weren't for his long-term deal that has produced films like The Ridiculous Six and Sandy Wexler.
Will Smith is on the list two spots higher than Adam Sandler with an income of $42.million. While he only made one Netflix movie in the last year, The Insider reports that Smith made $20 million for Bright, so nearly half of what he made in the last year came from the Netflix film. While critics weren't particularly kind to the film, it was embraced by viewers and a sequel is on the way. Much like traditional films, if the audience response is strong enough, it ultimately doesn't matter what anybody else thinks.
Part of trying to make big movies that attract an audience is making them with movie stars that people like to see and Netflix isn't shy about paying for those stars. Netflix isn't shy about much of anything if it involves spending money. The streaming company has been churning out movies and television at an incredible pace over the last few years. The muti-picture deal with Adam Sandler was a big deal when it happened but now it seems more like business as usual at Netflix. Learning that another major movie star will see their next film released on the service rather than in the theater is no longer shocking.
With more Adam Sandler pictures on the way and Bright 2 expected to start filming early next year, we could very easily see both these actors remain among the most financially successful for the next year or so. Of course, that assumes that Netflix doesn't drop even more money on another big star who is able to push these two off the Forbes list.
