English actor Tom Holland will earn more than $100 million for his starring role in the summer blockbuster Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The 30-year-old star secured a principal salary of $20 million for the critically acclaimed motion picture, alongside a backend bonus that carries no monetary cap. Three insiders shared the details with The Wrap on Tuesday, while the Daily Mail has requested comment from representatives for Holland and Sony.
The base salary represents a $10 million raise from what Holland earned for the 2021 release Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The financial windfall follows unprecedented commercial success for the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed movie. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has generated more than $2.02 billion at the global box office since it opened on July 31.
The Marvel production recorded the largest domestic opening ever with a weekend gross of $360,091,572, according to Box Office Mojo.
The Spider-Man franchise is built around Peter Parker, a teenager who gains superhuman abilities after a spider bite. The films are produced through a unique corporate partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, which controls the cinematic rights to the character.
Decade of salary increases
Holland has commanded progressively larger payments across his seven appearances as the character over the past decade.
The actor made his debut as the Marvel superhero in the 2016 crossover movie Captain America: Civil War. He received $250,000 for the initial performance.
That movie introduced his iteration of the superhero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a long-running franchise of interconnected films where characters frequently appear in each other's solo projects.
He went on to earn $500,000 for his first solo feature, the 2017 movie Spider-Man: Homecoming. His compensation rose to $4 million for the 2019 sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home.
His initial six-film contract with Sony concluded with Spider-Man: No Way Home, which earned him a $10 million base salary.
The original deal also included appearances in the ensemble productions Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019. These crossover movies brought together dozens of major characters to conclude a decade of interlocking stories.
The latest contract covering his new $100 million payday was negotiated by attorney Robert Offer alongside William Morris Endeavor agents Liam Buckley, Andrew Dunlap and James Farrell.
Mirroring Robert Downey Jr
The financial trajectory has drawn comparisons to his Marvel cinematic universe costar. One executive told The Wrap that Holland's sound business maneuvers make him "the new Robert Downey Jr."
Downey played Tony Stark, the billionaire inventor known as Iron Man. The character served as an on-screen mentor to the teenage Peter Parker during Holland's early appearances in the franchise.
Downey began his run in the franchise with a $500,000 payment for the initial 2008 Iron Man movie. His compensation escalated to approximately $50 million for 2013's Iron Man 3, combining a $10 million base salary with backend proceeds.
Downey continued to secure massive salaries for his subsequent Marvel appearances. He earned $10 million for a brief supporting role in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
His final compensation eventually surpassed $100 million for his efforts across Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Handling the superhero spotlight
Holland follows in the footsteps of cinematic predecessors such as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, who both previously played the character on screen.
Maguire starred in a highly successful trilogy of films directed by Sam Raimi in the 2000s, while Garfield took on the role for two movies in the following decade.
His wife and Spider-Man costar Zendaya spoke to Rotten Tomatoes last month about how Holland connects with the audience and resonates in the role. Zendaya plays MJ, a classmate and romantic interest to Peter Parker in the current film series.
"My favorite thing about Tom's Spider-Man is how Tom handles Spider-Man outside of Spider-Man," she said. "So many people connect to this character, to Peter Parker's Spider-Man."
Zendaya noted that the role carries particular significance for younger viewers who look up to the superhero.
"And especially young people, especially children, and I think that he's just handled that weight with such grace," she added.
She said the actor "really loves and cares so much about the character and what the character means to other people," adding that "when you are in front of these kids, you are Spider-Man."
