Ryan Reynolds spent years as a working actor before becoming a household name, but since he went from talented newcomer to bankable movie star, he’s been headlining some of the highest-grossing films of the past decade. The Deadpool star injects his signature comedic flair into his films, and he has proven to be a reliable draw, whether in theaters or on streaming. In 2021 and 2022 alone, he’s landed huge wins for Netflix with titles like Free Guy and The Adam Project.

Reynolds regularly pulls in tens of millions of dollars per movie, but he doesn’t stop there. He’s used his celebrity, sense of humor, and marketing prowess to partner with brands and even launch his own successful company, making even more money for his work outside of the film industry.

Read on to find out how much Reynolds is worth, how much he’s made for some of his highest-profile movies, and what he does when he’s not acting.

4 Ways Ryan Reynolds Makes His Millions

1. Film & TV

Reynolds is one of the highest-paid actors in the world, according to Forbes, and he regularly commands eight-digit paychecks. While his salary isn’t publicly available for most of the films and the few TV shows he’s appeared in, those paychecks that have been unearthed are impressive.

Here are just a few of Reynolds’ largest paydays.

Since becoming a headliner, Reynolds has also starred in films like Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, The Adam Project, Free Guy, The Croods 2: A New Age, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Life, and Criminal. Though his salary for these projects isn’t publicly available, he likely took home several million for each, based on what he was paid for other films around the same time. Reynolds also has a handful of films coming up that will bring in millions more, including Clue, Dragon’s Lair, and Deadpool 3.

During a 2018 appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael, he revealed that he earned just $150 an episode for his first acting gig in 1991 when he was a teenager. “For me, I thought I was like a gajillionaire,” Reynolds said. “For a 150 bucks a day it was like a dream come true.”

2. Businesses

Reynolds has used his riches to make himself even richer by investing in companies and purchasing partial ownership stakes in a number of firms that saw him enter the alcohol, communications, and sports industries.

In 2018, Reynolds acquired a minority ownership stake in Portland-based Aviation Gin. After he joined the team, the actor began promoting the alcohol brand heavily on social media and in commercials. In 2020, spirits conglomerate Diageo purchased Aviation Gin (and several other brands) for $610 million, which Food & Wine reports was split into an initial payment of $335 million and a potential $275 million, based on the company’s ongoing performance. Estimates suggest that if Reynolds has a 20% stake, he might have taken home $67 million from that first payout, and there may be another possible $55 million coming his way.

A year after he invested in Aviation Gin, Reynolds began working in the communications field. Reynolds acquired another minority stake in Mint Mobile, a prepaid cell phone company. Estimates suggest he bought between 20% and 25% of the firm, and he soon began appearing in commercials for the brand. In 2021, rumors began to circulate in the industry that Altice was interested in purchasing the company for somewhere between $600 and $800 million. If the deal goes through, Reynolds could earn as much as $200 million for his involvement and investment.

In 2020, Reynolds joined the board of the Match Group, which owns dating sites and apps like Tinder, Match.com, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, PlentyOfFish, and others. What he’s paid for his celebrity association and work isn’t clear.

One year later, Reynolds partnered with fellow actor Rob McElhenney to purchase the Wrexham AFC football club, based in Wrexham, Wales. According to the BBC, the two stars paid a combined $3.4 million to own the brand, and they already have a docuseries about their experience with the team coming to FX titled Welcome to Wrexham.

3. Production Company

In 2018, Reynolds and former studio marketing executive George Dewey formed Maximum Effort, a production company that works on movies to commercials. The marketing arm of the firm was spun off and sold as a separate entity to advertising software company MNTN in June 2021, though the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. So far, Maximum Effort has production credits on Reynolds’ films like Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Deadpool 2, and work has begun on the John Krasinski-directed Imaginary Friends, which will also star Reynolds. In 2021, Maximum Effort signed a three-year first-look deal with Paramount Pictures, which picked up Imaginary Friends.

MNTN has created commercials for companies Reynolds is involved with, including Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, and Match.com. Several of these ads have gone viral, including one featuring a woman known for appearing in a Peloton ad and another that featured the first taste of Taylor Swift’s re-recording project, as it was soundtracked by “Love Story (Taylor’s Version).”

4. Modeling/Endorsements

Throughout his years as a superstar, Reynolds has used his fame to help other brands sell their products, which is often a big moneymaker for top-tier actors and musicians. Some of these commercials and ads were produced by Maximum Effort or MNTN, while others simply feature Reynolds. He has signed on to work with brands like 1Password, Armani, BT Smart Hub (the commercial he filmed was eventually banned in the U.K.), Hugo Boss (he shot several ads for the fashion house), Hyundai, Kraft, L’Oréal, Nissan, and Toon Blast, though what he earned monetarily for these efforts was never made public.

What Is Ryan Reynolds’ Net Worth?

$150 MILLION

Reynolds is worth $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That sum reportedly doubled in just five years, as his total was previously pegged at $75 million. Forbes reports that in 2020, Reynolds ranked as the second-highest-paid actor in the world, bringing home $71.5 million. Reynolds’ net worth is totally separate from his wife Blake Lively’s net worth, which is $30 million.