How Much Is Adam Sandler Really Worth?

From a stand-up comedian to an undeniable member of the Hollywood A-list, Adam Sandler has had quite the career. He first made a name for himself on Saturday Night Live, serving as a main cast member from 1990 to 1995, which set him on the path toward super-stardom in the comedy genre. Films like The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, Anger Management, and more are immediately synonymous with Sandler and his goofy brand of comedy. But even though he's known the world over as a funny guy with a weird and wonderful sense of humor, Sandler has over the years also dabbled in a bit of dramatic acting that audiences have loved.

In the decades he's been in the spotlight, Sandler has proven himself a versatile actor who knows how to pull in an audience — thus allowing him to rake in the big bucks for his work. His natural talent, dedication to acting, and behind-the-camera endeavors have made Sandler a multi-millionaire.

As of 2020, Sandler's net worth is estimated to be a whopping $420 million, according to Wealthy Gorilla. That figure puts Sandler among the richest actors in Hollywood, coming in fifth behind Mel Gibson ($425 million), George Clooney ($500 million), Tom Cruise ($570 million), and beloved Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan ($600 million).

In 2019 alone, Sandler earned $57 million, putting him in sixth place on Forbes' highest paid actors list for the year. The year saw him rack up three acting credits and one producing credit, so it's quite the payday for Sandler, all things considered. The year's earnings are a substantial increase from the $39.5 million Sandler took home in 2018, which was a significant drop from his $50.5 million income in 2017.

Even with all that dosh in the bank, it pales in comparison to the enormous $3 billion Sandler's movies have raked in to date over the past 33 years.

Sandler's first credit came from The Cosby Show back in 1987, and since then he's primarily made comedy films, the most famous of which is probably Grown Ups – for which he was paid a whopping $20 million to act in and a further $5 million to produce, via The Hollywood Reporter – and its sequel, The Wedding Singer, and 50 First Dates. But while Sandler may be best known for delivering the funnies, he's also appeared in a number of dramas, which have pulled in stacks of cash at the box office. (One of those dramas, Punch-Drunk Love, brought in $24.6 million back in 2002.) His most recent drama and arguably most critically adored film to date, Uncut Gems, has so far raked in $43 million at the box office, having only been released in December 2019. What Sandler was paid for his leading role has not been disclosed. 

But live-action comedies and dramas aren't the only realms in which Sandler has proven profitable. He's also made bank through his lead voice acting role in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, in which he provides the voice of Count Dracula. The first film in the animated series brought in nearly $360 million, while its two sequels earned $474.8 million and $528.6 million, respectively.

Sandler's work isn't always well received by critics, with 35 nominations for Razzies over his career. Even so, the money his films make shows that Sandler never fails to fill theaters.

As it happens, Sandler spends just as much time behind the camera as he does in front of it. Back in 1999, he founded his own production banner, Happy Madison Productions, and the company has produced most of his films in the past 20 years. As of January 2020, Sandler has a total of 54 producing credits to his name, having served as producer on a number of the projects in which he's appeared.

Though information on the net worth of the company is not available, The Numbers pins Happy Madison Productions as having made approximately $3.9 billion at the global box office to date. Considering the company's profitability, it stands to reason that Sandler, as the owner, would be pocketing a fair bit of that money.

Sandler has even moved with the times to jump on the Netflix train, signing a deal with the streaming company back in 2014. The contract was for an estimated $250 million, and detailed that Sandler would make four films for the company. In 2017, Sandler signed a second deal for another four films (and presumably another $250 million). The first of those eight films was The Ridiculous 6, which was completely panned by critics with a shocking zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes but was watched by more people in its first 30 days on the streaming service than any other film on Netflix at the time.

In 2019, Sandler produced and starred in Netflix's Murder Mystery alongside Jennifer Aniston. The film actually topped the list of most watched content on Netflix in 2019, and already has a sequel coming in the not-too-distant future. Much of the Sandler's 2019 income stems from his deal with Netflix deal, for which he also did a comedy show late in the year.

Murder Mystery is still only the fifth film by Sandler for the streaming giant (there was also The Meyerowitz Stories, Sandy Wexler, The Week Of, and The Do-Over), so there's three more to come still from the partnership — which means even more money for the actor.