4. Bruce Willis - The Sixth Sense (1999): $120 Million
Although best known for his work in the action genre, Bruce Willis is more than capable of great dramatic acting under the right circumstances. His understated turn in M. Night Shyamalan's debut feature is one of the best of his career, not to mention the most lucrative. How do you convince one of the biggest names in Hollywood to sign on to a mid-budget psychological horror movie from an unknown director? Simple, offer them a contract they can't turn down. Instead of his usual $20m salary, Willis' contract gave him a basic fee of $14m plus 17% of the movie's profits. Both a critical and commercial success, The Sixth Sense would land six Academy Awards nominations including Best Picture as well as earning a massive $672.8m at the box office. The actor was also entitled to a percentage of the movie's home video revenue, and The Sixth Sense turned out to be the most-rented title of 2000 that was viewed by an estimated 80 million people from the comfort of their homes. Both his salary and profit participation deal combined to earn the balding action star an estimated $120m from the project, a tiny little bit more than the $150,000 paid to Academy Award-nominated costar Haley Joel Osment.
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