How much did Miles Teller make Top Gun?

The long-awaited sequel to the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun finally arrived in theaters in 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick. The film sees Tom Cruise reprising his role as hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, with Miles Teller joining the cast as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s late best friend and radar intercept officer Lt. Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. With over 30 years between films, fans were eager to see Maverick back in action and find out just how much Teller was paid to co-star in one of the biggest films of the year.

Miles Teller’s Career Leading Up to Top Gun: Maverick

While Tom Cruise’s salary for Top Gun: Maverick made headlines, Teller’s compensation also drew interest as he has become a rising star in recent years. Teller made his feature film debut in 2010’s Rabbit Hole alongside Nicole Kidman. His breakthrough came in 2013’s The Spectacular Now, where he showed his promise as a dramatic actor. That same year he starred in the teen comedy 21 & Over.

In 2014, Teller starred in the popular music drama Whiplash, earning critical praise and his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. More major roles followed including the hit comedy films That Awkward Moment (2014), Get a Job (2016), and the Divergent series (2014-2016). In 2016, Teller appeared in the acclaimed drama Bleed for This and acted alongside Miles Teller in the war film Thank You for Your Service (2017).

With steadily increasing name recognition and acting chops, Teller was able to command bigger paychecks. In 2018, he earned $1 million for his part in Only the Brave. The following year he made $6 million for Top Gun: Maverick, indicating his growing status as a box office draw.

Salary Details for Top Gun: Maverick

For Top Gun: Maverick, Miles Teller earned a salary of $6 million according to reports. While an exact number has not been confirmed, this seven-figure payday marks a huge increase from earlier in his career. It also signals that studios see Teller as a leading man who can help carry major blockbuster films.

To put Teller’s $6 million salary in perspective, his co-star Tom Cruise was reported to have earned between $12-14 million for returning as Maverick in the sequel. Cruise also got a substantial backend box office deal. As a worldwide superstar, Cruise naturally commanded a higher paycheck than his younger co-star.

However, earning $6 million for Top Gun: Maverick moves Teller into a new echelon as far as actor salaries go. He earned more than most other cast members like Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, and Glen Powell who were likely paid in the low millions or under $1 million range. Teller’s pay boost also came after his successful turn in the 2021 blockbuster War Dogs where he proved capable as a major box office draw.

How Miles Teller’s Salary Compares to Other Top Young Actors

At 35 years old, Miles Teller is part of a group of rising young leading men in Hollywood that command big paydays while headlining major franchise films. Let’s take a look at how Teller’s Top Gun: Maverick salary stacks up against what some other top actors under 40 earned for big recent blockbuster projects:

– Timothee Chalamet: $3 million for Dune
– Tom Holland: $5-10 million for Spider-Man: No Way Home
– Zendaya: $5 million for Dune
– Taron Egerton: $3 million for Rocketman
– Alden Ehrenreich: $3 million for Solo: A Star Wars Story

Based on these comparable salaries, Miles Teller’s $6 million paycheck for Maverick positions him among the top tier of popular young actors today. While not quite at the level of Tom Holland who earns up to $10 million as Spider-Man, Teller now makes more than Oscar-nominee Timothee Chalamet and rising stars like Zendaya and Taron Egerton.

His backend box office deal for Maverick will also give Teller the chance to earn much more if the film is a hit. Top Gun’s long-awaited sequel recently became only the second pandemic-era film to gross over $1 billion worldwide. Considering the original Top Gun made around $360 million in 1986, Maverick’s global success makes the sequel one of the most profitable films in years.

So while Miles Teller’s $6 million salary is already a huge number for an actor under 40, his total Maverick payout is likely to end up even higher given the film’s rare billion-dollar box office achievements. Teller has clearly reached leading man status and his future asking prices will likely only continue rising.

How Much Did Teller Make for His Breakout Whiplash Role?

To better understand Miles Teller’s massive career trajectory, let’s take a quick flashback to 2014 when he co-starred in the acclaimed indie film Whiplash. This was a major breakout role for Teller, showing off intense acting talent that earned him high critical praise. Teller held his own opposite J.K. Simmons who ended up winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing an abusive music instructor.

Despite Whiplash launching Miles Teller’s rise to stardom, his salary for that small 2014 film was likely just around $100,000. Low six-figure payouts are typical for young actors in independent films. So Teller went from making approximately $100,000 in Whiplash to a $6 million paycheck just 8 years later for Top Gun: Maverick.

This represents a massive 60x increase in his per-movie salaries over less than a decade. Very few actors ever see their fees rise so exponentially in such a short period of time. It is a testament to how talented Teller is and how quickly he has been able to transition from indie film standout to major box office draw.

How Did Teller’s Early Career Salaries Compare?

To fully appreciate how much Miles Teller’s star has risen, let’s also take a quick look back at estimated salaries early in his career:

– Rabbit Hole (2010 film debut): $5,000-20,000
– Footloose (2011): $30,000
– 21 & Over (2013): $100,000
– The Spectacular Now (2013): $100,000

These numbers are much more modest paydays compared to the millions Teller now earns per film. His small initial payouts were typical starting rates for unknown actors in supporting roles or low-budget films. Within a decade, Teller impressively elevated himself to a $6 million pay grade.

How Much Did Teller Earn for Recent Films Like Top Gun: Maverick?

Let’s also examine some reported salary figures from Miles Teller’s more recent films leading up to his Top Gun: Maverick payday:

– Divergent (2014): $1 million
– Insurgent (2015): $1.5 million
– Allegiant (2016): $2 million
– Bleed for This (2016): $2.5 million
– Thank You for Your Service (2017): $3 million
– Only the Brave (2018): $1 million
– Top Gun: Maverick (2022): $6 million

This steady progression shows Teller’s team was brilliant about increasing his per-film fees as his star-power grew. He went from making $1 million for early Divergent films in 2014 up to the big $6 million Top Gun number just 8 years later.

Teller and his agents knew to push for more money with each successive hit film on his resume. His sizable part in Top Gun: Maverick was the culmination of this strategic salary escalation throughout his impressive thirty-something filmography.

How Backend Box Office Deals Work

In addition to base salaries, top actors like Miles Teller negotiate backend box office bonuses with the studios releasing their films. This means they earn an additional percentage of the film’s overall gross revenue or net profits.

For major blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick, these backend deals can often double or triple an actor’s total payouts. Sometimes box office bonuses even exceed their initial upfront salaries.

While specific details have not been revealed, Miles Teller definitely scored backend points on Maverick’s box office receipts. Given the film’s massive commercial success, this likely means an additional $10+ million added to Teller’s final compensation.

Not bad for co-starring with Tom Cruise in one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Between salary and bonuses, Miles Teller likely took home $15-20 million total for reviving the Top Gun franchise.

How Teller’s Salary Stacks Up Against Other Recent Blockbusters

To see how in-demand Miles Teller has become, let’s look at reported salaries for other major blockbuster films and how they stack up against his Top Gun: Maverick payday:

– Dwayne Johnson: $22.5 million for Black Adam
– Ryan Reynolds: $20 million for The Adam Project
– Vin Diesel: $20 million for F9
– Brad Pitt: $10 million for Bullet Train
– Joaquin Phoenix: $4.5 million for Joker
– Anya Taylor-Joy: $1.5 million for Furiosa

With extensive lead actor experience, action stars like The Rock and Vin Diesel understandably still command higher fees than Teller. But at age 35, earning $6 million places him on par with more seasoned A-listers like Brad Pitt who took home $10 million for Bullet Train.

Even Joaquin Phoenix, coming off his Best Actor Oscar win for Joker, earned only slightly more at $4.5 million for that major blockbuster. This helps demonstrate how Teller has become a top box office draw despite being much younger than other proven Hollywood moneymakers.

How Movie Budgets Factor into Salaries

The overall budget of a film also dictates how much studios can reasonable pay the cast. Top Gun: Maverick cost around $170 million to produce according to reports. This is on the higher end for major studio tentpoles.

The original Top Gun had a $15 million budget back in 1986. The sequel’s over 10x increase in production costs shows how expensive blockbuster films have become. This inflation also allows bigger salaries for stars like Tom Cruise and Miles Teller compared to the first film’s cast.

Smaller indie films may only have budgets of $5-10 million total. So those projects can’t afford the same multi-million payouts. Whiplash cost just $3.3 million to make, so Teller’s likely $100,000 or so salary was proportionate for that film’s scale and resources.

Big action spectacles like Top Gun: Maverick can factor huge eight-figure salaries into their massive overall price tags. This allows Teller now to command 30x what he likely made on his first breakout role just 8 years prior.

How Teller’s Fee Compares to Mark Wahlberg’s $17 Million for The Fighter

Let’s look at one more salary comparison to show how reasonable Miles Teller’s payout for Top Gun: Maverick really was. In 2010, Mark Wahlberg earned $17 million to star in the boxing drama The Fighter.

This was a major payday at the time for Wahlberg, who was trying to establish himself as a serious dramatic actor. But The Fighter only grossed about $130 million worldwide and was not a major tentpole like Top Gun: Maverick.

While Wahlberg commanded a massive $17 million salary, Teller was able to negotiate $6 million for an even bigger blockbuster film. This shows studios have actually become more prudent about star salaries, perhaps learning from overpaying certain actors like Wahlberg over a decade ago.

Miles Teller landing $6 million for a major sequel like Maverick seems right in line with current salary standards. He didn’t receive Mark Wahlberg money circa 2010 while proving himself as a franchise anchor. Teller’s pay fairly matches his draw and trajectory rather than overshooting like some past instances.

How Future Film Salaries For Teller Could Increase

At just 35 years old, Miles Teller’s career as a Hollywood leading man is really just getting started. Top Gun: Maverick shows he is now in the blockbuster big leagues after his early success in acclaimed indies.

Given Maverick’s tremendous profitability, Teller is also likely to secure even more lucrative backend box office deals on future projects. This could exponentially increase his overall earnings beyond base salaries.

As an example, Teller’s upcoming 2023 release The Fence will pair him again with Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. If that film is also a hit, Teller will be able to demand a giant salary bump for any potential sequels or follow-ups.

Major franchises tend to negotiate new deals with each installment. So if The Fence sparks a successful series, Teller could potentially double his salary into the $10+ million range for a sequel.

With consistent box office success, it’s also easy to envision Teller eventually joining the $20 million per film club. His acting abilities and proven audience appeal make him a safe long-term bet that studios will want on their tentpole projects.

Down the road, Miles Teller will likely even be able to demand partial backend ownership on certain films. This type of deal allows major stars like Robert Downey Jr. or Sandra Bullock to earn tens of millions in pure profits from their projects.

For now, Teller’s $6 million Top Gun: Maverick payday already marks a huge leap in his Hollywood status and compensation. But if he keeps choosing roles wisely, eight-figure film salaries could easily become the norm for this talented and popular new A-list star.

Conclusion

Miles Teller has come a remarkably long way from making likely around $100,000 or less for acclaimed early films like The Spectacular Now and Whiplash. After gradually increasing his asking price with each successful project, Teller landed $6 million to co-star alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

This eight-figure salary reflects Teller cementing himself as a proven box office draw capable of anchoring major blockbuster franchises. It also shows smart career trajectory planning by Teller and his team to consistently raise his per-film fees with each new acting achievement.

Compared to other top young stars and veteran A-listers, Miles Teller’s $6 million payday proves fair and on par with industry standards. More lucrative backend box office bonuses from Top Gun: Maverick’s profits will only further increase Teller’s total compensation.

Still just 35, Miles Teller is now a bona fide leading man whose future salaries could easily rise into the $10 million-plus range. As long as he continues choosing projects wisely, Teller appears poised for a long and highly-lucrative career as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents.

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