George Clooney headlined the Ocean’s movies, and he received massive paydays to play Danny Ocean in all three installments. Director Steven Soderbergh rebooted Ocean’s 11 as a modern heist movie with a star-studded ensemble in the early 2000s by luring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and more to play parts. Clooney is at the center of all three Ocean’s movies thanks to his role as the charismatic master thief Danny Ocean. It was thanks to his leading man stature and the incredible cast surrounding him that the franchise went on to be incredibly successful at the box office.
Warner Bros. has benefited greatly over the years thanks to the financial performance of the Ocean’s movies. Ocean’s 11 launched the franchise with an impressive $450.7 million haul worldwide, which is more than five times the reported $85 million budget. Ocean’s 12 and Ocean’s 13 also went on to have great box office performances that helped push the franchise’s worldwide total to over $1 billion. Due to the A-list cast assembled for the franchise, many of their salaries were a bit lower or different from past movies. That did not stop a large percentage of the costs going to pay George Clooney’s Ocean’s salary.
George Clooney Made $50 Million For The Ocean’s Movies
It is estimated that George Clooney made about $50 million for his appearances in the Ocean’s movies. Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven was one of the most sought-after projects in Hollywood at the time that it was in development. The desire for George Clooney and others to be part of it reportedly led them to agree to reduced rates compared to their standards (via Wall Street Journal). This seemingly did not apply to Clooney, as his Ocean’s 11 salary was reportedly $20 million, a career-high (via Celebrity Net Worth). That provides a baseline for how much George Clooney was paid for each Ocean’s movie.
- Ocean’s Eleven – $20 Million
- Ocean’s Twelve – $15 Million
- Ocean’s Thirteen – $15 Million
Clooney’s pay for Ocean’s 12 was never reported, but Soderbergh asked all returning cast members to take a pay cut to keep costs on par with Ocean’s 11. It stands to reason that his reported $15M salary for Ocean’s 13 was agreed upon after he made the same amount on the previous installment. This does not take into account any money that George Clooney made from backend points on any of the Ocean’s movies. Clooney’s co-star Brad Pitt made an additional $20M off Ocean’s 11 thanks to backend points tied to the movie’s success (via Men’s Health), so it is possible that George’s contract also had these clauses.
What George Clooney’s Current Net Worth Is
George Clooney’s net worth is currently estimated to be $500 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. Although Clooney has slowed down a bit in terms of starring in movies, he is still extremely busy and successful as a director, producer, and businessman. It is estimated that George Clooney has made over $200 million in his career for his various movie and TV roles, which includes being paid $11 million for ER, $34 million for Gravity including bonuses, and roughly $50 million for the Ocean’s trilogy. He has also been paid $40M for Nespresso commercials, has a $100M evaluation for his real estate portfolio, and sold his tequila company for $1 billion.
Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, Wall Street Journal, Men’s Health
