How Did Adam Sandler Make $14 Million More Than Margot Robbie In 2023?

Barbie took over the world last year, earning $1,445,638,421 at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo (beating out Super Mario Brothers' $1,361,972,248 by a healthy margin). So it comes as quite a shock that the film's star, Margot Robbie, has made a significant amount less than someone whose movies didn't even make it to theaters. Per Forbes' annual Highest-Paid Actors list of 2023,  Adam Sandler beat out Robbie as Hollywood's top-earning star.

According to the list, the Sandman made $73 million net -- even without any theatrical releases last year. Instead, Sandler went the streaming route and produced and starred in three films for Netflix: Murder Mystery 2, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, and Leo.

Sandler also performed in 44 stand-up shows across the US. The three Netflix movies were produced under Sandler's movie deal with the streaming giant, and that is most likely how he snatched up the top spot. In 2014, Sandler signed a four-picture deal with Netflix for $250 million, according to Business Insider. That deal was renewed in 2017 and again in 2020, resulting in ten movies made in ten years for Netflix.

In the first six months of 2023, Sandler's Murder Mystery sequel was the fifth most-watched movie on the platform, according to the company's "What We Watched" report. Per the report, his Netflix movies were streamed for a total of 337.5 million hours in those same six months. Forbes reported that Netflix often uses premium fees to buy out actors, striking deals that don't include a cut of the profits for the first two years after the work is out.

Taking second place, Robbie made $59 million last year despite being the lead actor and producer of the box-office juggernaut Barbie, which was the highest-grossing film of 2023 — both domestically and worldwide. Sandler's newest Netflix film, Spaceman, was released earlier this month.

Meanwhile, we won't be seeing Robbie on the big screen or at home any time soon. As we previously reported, the Australian actress feels like everyone is “probably sick of the sight of me” following Barbie and the film's promotional blitz. Robbie set up her own production company, LuckyChap, in 2014. It has already been over a year since she has acted on set, but as a producer, she won't get a break.