Who would have thought Ant-Man would become this big? All jokes aside, the latest release in the Ant-Man series promises to be huge; Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is Paul Rudd's time to shine. Paul Rudd as Ant-Man has been featured in other Marvel movies as well, including Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. So with all these appearances in all these high-profile blockbusters, one would think that Paul Rudd is a pretty wealthy man.
That assumption is not wrong. So let's take a look at Paul Rudd's career and his total net worth so far, especially after he got his career's biggest break with the role of Ant-Man.
Paul Rudd Has Starred In Some Iconic Movies To Date
Paul Rudd began his career as an actor in the movie Clueless, where he starred opposite Alicia Silverstone (although, to be honest, Silverstone was the only star of that movie; everyone else came second).
The cult success of Clueless put Rudd firmly on Hollywood's radar of actors to cast in future projects. He was lucky. Not many actors get this lucky with their debut films.
And although not much is known about his salary in Clueless, it is known that Alicia Silverstone secured a $10 million 2-picture deal with Columbia Pictures shortly after the movie's success.
Which, by itself, caused massive outrage in Hollywood at that time because she was just an 18-year-old debuting actress. So it's likely Paul Rudd didn't make anything even close to that.
But Rudd took an unconventional path for his career after Clueless, choosing to move to New York and do Broadway instead. (And intermittently doing movies that had varied levels of success.)
Landing The Breakthrough Role Of Ant-Man
Getting cast as Scott Lang in Marvel's Ant-Man was Paul Rudd's biggest break. And he made sure he didn't screw it up.
It is estimated that Paul Rudd made $300,000 for his role in Ant-Man. (The studio wasn't sure Ant-Man by itself would be a massive hit.) This is significantly less than the salaries of fellow MCU actors who weren't as big, just like Rudd, when they were cast.
For example, Tom Holland was paid $500,000 for Spider-Man: Homecoming and Chadwick Boseman received $2 million for Black Panther. But then again, negotiating power and a good agency can lead to higher numbers for many actors, even if they are just starting out.
But once the popularity of Ant-Man skyrocketed, Rudd had more bargaining power, and his salary jumped to $8 million. It is estimated that Paul Rudd made $41 million just from his roles in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame.
Paul Rudd: Sexiest Man Alive
Of course, banking on the continued success of a franchise is a risky move. And sometimes there is no guarantee that future films will be made. So it pays well to have the media make as much noise about one's acting career as possible. Just to stay relevant and fresh in the public's memory.
And for Paul Rudd, being named the 'Sexiest Man Alive' (in 2021) by People magazine was a really good thing.
"I mean I'm going to lean into it hard," Rudd told the magazine. "I'm going to own this. I'm not going to try to be like 'Oh, I'm so modest.' I'm getting business cards made."
Funny guy.
What Is Paul Rudd's Estimated Net Worth?
According to CelebrityNetWorth, Paul Rudd's net worth is an estimated $70 million. Most of this is attributed to his success in the Ant-Man movies.
And if things continue to look up for him, the figure will keep climbing to greater heights. But that depends on the success of the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Movie journalist Erik Davis (of Fandango) said the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has 'big Star Wars vibes' and is 'MCU at its freakiest and most inventive'.
Some critics are even saying that the new villain in the Ant-Man universe – Kang the Conqueror (played by Jonathan Majors) – was the highlight of the movie.
“Thanos was the appetizer while Jonathan Majors #KangTheConqueror is the main course.” – Geek Vibes Nation.
And given that Ant-Man and the Wasp was selected by Marvel Studios to start off Phase 5 of their cinematic universe, this third movie in the Ant-Man series will definitely be important in the overarching storyline.
Plus, Kevin Feige (Marvel Studios president) had dropped hints earlier that MCU Phase 6 will have back-to-back Avengers movies, with one of them titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
So it looks like Kang the Conqueror in Quantumania is a pivotal introduction to what's to come. And that potentially means more Ant-Man appearances for Paul Rudd in future MCU movies.
Paul Rudd's Future After Marvel And Ant-Man
The interesting thing about Paul Rudd is he didn't just stick to Ant-Man after getting cast as Scott Lang. He continued to take up an eclectic mix of roles. Like The Fundamentals of Caring, Sausage Party (voice role), The Catcher Was a Spy, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
And the future looks pretty much the same.
Although, at the moment the only two movies he is starring in outside of the MCU are an untitled cryonics project (about the first person to be cryonically preserved) and Will (a fictional story of a world where people's lives are written by 'heavenly scribes'). So it looks like Rudd is taking on fewer projects now.
Nevertheless, if things continue the way they are, especially with MCU, there's no doubt that Paul Rudd's net worth will soon enter the triple-digit millions.
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