Tom Cruise's net worth as 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' hits theaters

The face of the "Mission: Impossible" films, Tom Cruise, is back to reprise his role as Jack Reacher, a former military police officer currently working as a homicide investigator. A sequel to the 2012 hit "Jack Reacher," the film has Cruise's character on the run from the law while trying to uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy. Catch "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" in theaters Oct. 21.

Global superstar Cruise has been entertaining audiences for decades. Learn more about his net worth and massively successful career.

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Tom Cruise Net Worth: $550 Million

Cruise is slated to earn $53 million this year, according to Forbes, which placed him in the No. 4 spot on its list of The World's Highest-Paid Actors of 2016. His total earnings per film are unknown, but Forbes' $53 million estimate includes back-end pay for "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" and upfront fees for "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" and "American Made."

While $53 million is more money than most people will see in a lifetime, it's actually a bit of a step down for Cruise. In 2012, the actor topped Forbes' list of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, bringing in an estimated $75 million from May 2011 to May 2012.

Of course, being one of the top-earning actors in show business is nothing new for Cruise, who began earning as much as $20 million per film in the 1990s, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Since his career is still going strong, it's likely that Cruise's net worth, which CelebrityNetWorth.com estimates at $550 million, will continue to rise in the coming years.

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Top Tom Cruise Movies

He's starred in nearly four dozen movies, but Cruise's most successful role by far is that of Ethan Hunt, the Impossible Missions Force — IMF — senior field operations agent he's portrayed in five "Mission: Impossible" films. In total, the franchise has garnered nearly $3 billion at box offices worldwide since its 1996 debut. A sixth film, "M:I 6 — Mission: Impossible," is in the works, but as of late August, production was paused due to a pay dispute between Cruise and Paramount, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Of course, Cruise also has plenty of other hit movies on his resume. A 2015 Rolling Stone readers' poll revealed his top three fan-favorite films have nothing to do with the "Mission: Impossible" series. "Top Gun" placed first on the list, followed by "Tropic Thunder" and "Magnolia."

Cruise movies have amassed a jaw-dropping $8.6 billion at box offices worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Not surprisingly, his "Mission: Impossible" franchise is largely responsible, with all five films placing in Cruise's top seven highest-earning features:

"Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" — $694.7 million
"Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" — $682.3 million
"War of the Worlds" — $591.7 million
"Mission: Impossible II" — $546.4 million
"Mission: Impossible" — $457.7 million
"The Last Samurai" — $456.8 million
"Mission: Impossible III" — $397.9 million

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Tom Cruise's Early Career

In 1981, Cruise made his acting debut in the film "Endless Love," where he held only a minor role. After playing small parts in a variety of movies for a couple years, he landed his first starring role in the 1983 film "Risky Business." Subsequently, he became the household name he is today.

These days, Cruise primarily focuses on action films, but when he was getting started in the 1980s, he demonstrated his acting range by dipping his toes in a variety of genres. In fact, some of his early films, such as "Risky Business," "Cocktail" and "Top Gun," have become classics.

Cruise rocked the 1980s, just as he's dominated every decade since. Some of Cruise's most popular films — and their box office earnings — from his first few years on the job include:

"Rain Man" — $354.8 million
"Top Gun" — $353.8 million
"Cocktail" — $171.5 million
"Born on the Fourth of July" — $161 million
"Risky Business"– $63.5 million (domestic release)

Tom Cruise Awards

After more than three decades as one of the most popular actors in Hollywood, it's no surprise that Cruise has earned quite a few awards. He's been nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards and won three for his work in "Born on the Fourth of July," "Jerry Maguire" and "Magnolia."

Despite receiving three Academy Award nominations for "Magnolia," "Jerry Maguire" and "Born on the Fourth of July," he has yet to win an Oscar. Still, he's had plenty of other wins, and he was honored with The Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at the BAFTAs in 2005.

He's won a total of three MTV Movie Awards — including the MTV Generation Award in 2005 — and two People's Choice Awards, among others. "Jerry Maguire," one of his most acclaimed films, brought in $273.6 million worldwide, but interestingly, "Magnolia," another highly celebrated movie, only generated $48.5 million in theaters.

Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher

Based on the novel "One Shot" by Lee Child, "Jack Reacher" chronicles the story of a man accused of killing five people after missing one shot. The suspect requests the assistance of his acquaintance Jack Reacher, who immediately knows something is wrong, as the man is a trained military sniper. Consequently, Reacher embarks on a mission with the accused's defense attorney to find the real killer.

"Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" was adapted into a screenplay from the 18th book in Lee Child's series. This time, the film, which co-stars Cobie Smulders, has Reacher as the one wrongly accused of murder. And while working to prove his innocence, he discovers he might have a child he never knew about.

A hugely profitable film, "Jack Reacher" had a budget of $60 million but garnered $218.3 million at theaters worldwide. Only time will tell if "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" will be able to surpass the earnings of the first film, but Paramount seems hopeful, as the film had an estimated budget of $68 million, according to IMDb.

Tom Cruise's Personal Life

Currently unwed, Cruise has been married three times — most recently to actress Katie Holmes, who filed for divorce in 2012. The two had a lavish three-day Italian wedding in 2006 that reportedly cost $3.5 million.

The father of three sold his 10,286-square-foot Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion for $40 million in May 2016. In September 2015, he sold his Hollywood Hills, Calif., home to actress Eva Longoria for $11.4 million, and he also unloaded a New York City condo for $3 million in 2013.

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His 298-acre Telluride, Colo., compound is currently on the market for $59 million, as well as his East Grinstead, Sussex, home in England, which is listed for $7 million. The long-time Scientology devotee is said to be moving to Clearwater, Fla., the location of the church's headquarters.

Not surprisingly, Tom Cruise doesn't fly commercial. He owns a Gulfstream IV aircraft, which costs an estimated $36 million and seats a crew of two, along with up to 19 passengers. The size of his current fleet is unknown, but he's been rumored to own three to five private jets.