EXCLUSIVE: Show Him The Money! How Tom Cruise's Salary Demand For Next Blockbuster Is So 'Horrific' Execs Fear It Could Crash and Burn Hit Franchise
Tom Cruise is going all out for his next pay check.
June 5 2025, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
Tom Cruise is no stranger to big asks – and this one might be his boldest yet.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the pint-sized star, 62, is demanding an upfront salary of between $35million and $40million to return as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in a third Top Gun film – a colossal ask Hollywood sources tell us is holding up development on the high-profile three-quel.
Big Bucks
The adrenaline junkie has taken pay cuts in the past – but only for huge rewards on the back end of box office takings.
The studio is said to be working on a script with plans to bring Cruise into discussions later this year.
But despite their eagerness to lock him in before fall, no deal has yet been struck.
The film, should it move forward, could shoot in spring 2026 for a targeted release in May 2027.
A source close to the negotiations said: "The current status of the third Top Gun movie is that they are working on the script at the studio level.
"When it's ready for Tom's thoughts and input, it will be presented to him, and hopefully he will agree to make the movie and put it on his schedule."
They added: "His salary is still going to be subject to negotiation if and when he does commit. But it is so larger it could honestly tank the whole franchise, as it's doubtful he will allow it to continue without him – and he has big enough clout in Hollywood to make that happen."
Strong Leverage
Despite his huge salary ask, the A-lister has a massively strong negotiating card to play.
As our source said, Cruise's negotiating position is strong – and with good reason.
His role in Top Gun: Maverick, released in 2022, helped turn the sequel into one of the most profitable post-pandemic blockbusters, grossing nearly $1.5billion worldwide.
Cruise reportedly accepted a reduced upfront fee of $13million in exchange for a significant cut of backend profits, earning an estimated $100million once bonuses were paid out.
That precedent has clearly shaped his current approach.
"It’s going to be a different deal structure for the third film," our insider added. "Tom gave Paramount a discount on his salary for the last movie, but he made a killing on his profit participation because the movie was bigger than anybody imagined.
"Tom has more than proven himself worthy in this role of an upfront salary between $35 to 40 million."
The eight-time Mission: Impossible star is also fresh off what might be his most physically demanding role yet.
In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, released in UK theaters on 21 May and US theaters on 23 May, Cruise once again performed his own stunts, from underwater combat scenes to clinging to a flying biplane.
The film, which reportedly cost $400million to produce, saw him reprise his role as Ethan Hunt alongside Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames and Angela Bassett.
What A Stunt
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The 'Top Gun' star is addicted to stunts.
Box office performance remains a thorny issue in Hollywood, where profits often dictate green lights.
Cinema attendance fell by 8.8 percent globally in 2024, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory.
While some films – such as Barbie – raked in record-breaking numbers, others, including Killers of the Flower Moon and The Fall Guy, underperformed financially despite critical acclaim.
Directors such as Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan have pushed back against box office obsession.
Scorsese, 82, said: "The cost of a movie is one thing. Understand that a film costs a certain amount, they expect to at least get the amount back… the emphasis is now on numbers, cost, the opening weekend, how much it made in the USA, how much it made in England, how much it made in Asia, how much it made in the entire world, how many viewers it got."
Nolan, 54, echoed the sentiment, saying: "The life of the movie is a much longer proposition… you look at other people's films and indeed your own films in decades, not in weekends."
Still, Cruise’s camp knows his value.
Our source said: "Just like everyone else, Tom knows there isn't really a Top Gun franchise without him.
"Whether Paramount meets his price remains to be seen – but one thing is certain: Cruise is flying high, and he's not coming down cheaply."
