Sylvester Stallone net worth: how rich is Hollywood star, highest paid film roles and Rocky salary explained

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8p4wdvSylvester Stallone is one of the biggest action movie stars of all time, coming to prominence off the back of boxing epic Rocky in 1976, which became a huge franchise with its own spin-offs. 

He has since appeared in other major franchises including Rambo and The Expendables, as well as some iconic standalone movies such as Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Judge Dredd, and Escape to Victory.

The star is now the subject of Netflix documentary Sly, a retrospective on the actor’s more than half century career in the film industry. Stallone has made millions from his acting career, but has also proved successful as a writer and director, as well as making a fortune from property investment.

His is an incredible tale of success, as the actor was flat broke, living in a New York flop house, when he signed a deal to star in the film Rocky, based on a script he had written. But he made barely anything from the film compared to his later roles.

What is Sylvester Stallone’s net worth?

Various sources including EssentiallySports, and Screen Rant, give Stallone an estimated net worth of a staggering $400m (£328 million) in 2023. Despite his humble beginnings, the actor who has starred in more than 70 films, commands a salary of between $10-$20 million per movie.

His huge net worth makes him among the wealthiest actors alive today, on a par with the likes of Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Jackie Chan and Jennifer Lopez, whilst his Expendables co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger is estimated to be worth $50 million more.

What are Sylvester Stallone’s highest paid film roles?

Stallone made the bulk of his net worth through his acting roles - he made around $16 million for each of the first three Expendables films, in which he was a lead, and $3 million for the fourth instalment as he had a much reduced role. 

Other big paydays for the star include the action comedy Tango & Cash, sci-fi flicks Demolition Man, and Judge Dredd, and the fifth Rocky film, for each of which he is believed to have earned $15 million.

Interestingly, Stallone’s two highest paid film roles, for which he made $20 million on each, are both early 2000s movies that are today almost completely unknown. They are 2001 sports drama Driven, which Stallone worked on as a writer as well as starring in, and the 2002 thriller Eye See You.

However, it’s not just acting that made Stallone rich - as well as starring in Expendables 1-3, he also co-wrote and produced them. He directed Saturday Night Fever sequel Staying Alive, and was paid $10 million for his trouble.

He wrote screenplays for many of the films he starred in, including the Rambo pentalogy, Rocky series and Creed 1-2, Cobra, and Cliffhanger. His string of producer credits include Driven, Homefront, Creed 1-3, Paramount+ series Tulsa King, in which he also stars, and his Netflix documentary Sly.

Add to that his work as director on Paradise Alley, Rocky 2-4 and Rocky Balboa, Rambo (2008), and the frist Expendables film, and Stallone has shown himself to be a quadruple threat in the film world, making a success of acting, writing, producing, and directing.

How much was Sylvester Stallone paid for Rocky?

Despite now being among the 20 richest actors of all time, Stallone’s career began with a measly payday. He was paid just $35,000 up front for the script and his part as the lead star in the now iconic Rocky, in a deal with United Artists.

Fortunately, Stallone also negotiated himself a percentage of the profits, which meant that he earned $2.5 million for the film after it became a blockbuster success. But Stallone still feels that he missed out, as he did not secure ownership rights to the Rocky character, and cannot make anything from merchandising or licensing.

In the end though, Stallone did pretty well off his brainchild Rocky, as it catapulted him to Hollywood fame, made him the lead in a billion dollar franchise, and led on to other hugely successful projects.

How much has Sylvester Stallone made from property?

Outside of the movie industry, Stallone has made a fortune from various real estate investments over the last 25 years, though he has also made losses on some of the sales.  Between 1999 and 2022, he sold one Florida three California properties for a total of $94 million.

He sold a property in Coconut Grove, Florida for $16 million in 1999, but it’s unknown how much the star paid for it. His Beverly Hills mansion which he had built himself on land bought for $2.35 million in 1994 was sold to British singer Adele for $58 million in 2021, but Stallone had had to slash his original asking price by almost half from $110 million to secure the sale.

He made a loss on his vacation property in La Quinta, California, which he bought with his wife Jennifer Flavin for $4.5 million in 2010 and sold for $3.1 ten years later. The actor made another loss on his Hidden Hills, California home, selling it to Creedence Clearwater Revival singer for $17.2 million, $1 million less than he had paid for it, earlier this year.