The Highest-Grossing Leonardo DiCaprio Movies (And His Gigantic Paychecks), Ranked

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• The Departed (2006)

• Shutter Island (2010)

• Catch Me If You Can (2002)

• The Great Gatsby (2013)

• Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

• The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

• Django Unchained (2012)

• The Revenant (2012)

• Inception (2010)

• Titanic (1997)

Highlights

• Leonardo DiCaprio started his movie career at a young age and quickly secured more prominent roles, earning an Oscar nomination at just 19 years old.
• DiCaprio has starred in numerous hit films, with many of them becoming blockbusters and earning hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office.
• Despite his success, DiCaprio waited many years before winning his first Oscar, finally taking home the trophy for his role in The Revenant . His net worth is estimated at approximately $300 million.

Leonardo DiCaprio, one of Hollywood's greatest modern actors, started his movie career at the age of 17, with small roles in Critters 3 (1991) and Poison Ivy (1992).

In 1993, DiCaprio, then 19, began to secure more prominent roles. He portrayed the character of Toby (who endures the cruelty of his stepfather) in the "harrowing, moving drama" This Boy’s Life, alongside Robert DeNiro.

But Leo's breakout film was What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, where he played Arnie, the disabled brother of the titular Gilbert (Johnny Depp).

At the age of 19, he earned an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Supporting Actor"; Academy Awards famously evaded DiCaprio for many years following the first of his many nods from the Academy.

After that, Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t look back, creating and starring in myriad hit films, year after year.

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Now, almost all of his movies are blockbusters, and moviegoers all over the world eagerly await his performances.

So, let’s see which Leonardo DiCaprio movies were the highest-grossing, how much profit they earned, and how much money the talented star reportedly pocketed from them.

10 The Departed (2006)

The Departed’s Total Gross: $291.4 Million

A "Best Picture" winner at the Oscars, The Departed is a star-studded extravaganza, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Vera Farmiga – brought to screen by one of the greatest directors in Hollywood history, Martin Scorsese.

The budget of the movie was $90 million and the film, due to a notable cast and gripping plot, was able to pull the audience into theaters in droves.

In just three days, the movie earned $26.8 million.

Martin Scorsese's epic drama scored a take of $132.3 at the domestic box office, and the movie earned an impressive $159.08 million internationally.

That means The Departed likely profited more than $200 million, closer to $201.4 million, to be exact.

Scorsese allocated a massive $45 million – half of his working budget for the film – to pay the salaries of just four of its cast members.

Leonardo DiCaprio claimed most of the pie ($20 million of the $45 million), while Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon were paid $10 million each.

Mark Wahlberg got $5 million, but was nominated in the category of "Best Supporting Actor" for his role.

9 Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island’s Total Gross: $294.8 Million

The Departed was a multi-star project, for which a powerful ensemble cast took part in its success.

But with Shutter Island, it is not inaccurate to say that the film became a hit due to a breathtaking performance by Leo.

Shutter Island stands out as one of the best movies in Leonardo DiCaprio’s career, in terms of both his performance and the audience's enthusiastic reception.

In its opening week, the film grossed $41 million.

Martin Scorsese directed the film, which collected $128 million at the domestic box office and $166.7 million from international shores.

While DiCaprio’s exact salary for Shutter Island was not disclosed, it is safe to assume that he received $20 million, considering he was earning that amount consistently around the time of its release.

8 Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Catch Me If You Can’s Total Gross: $352.1 Million

Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can regaled audiences with an engaging "con man and FBI agent" cat-and-mouse game, with strong performances by Leo and Tom Hanks.

After Titanic, DiCaprio attained serious superstar status, and made several good movies in its wake – but 2002 is the year he solidified his career further, with movies like Gangs Of New York and Catch Me If You Can.

Three-time Golden Globe winner Leonardo DiCaprio’s Catch Me If You Can was produced for $52 million, and the movie grossed more than half of its budget during its opening week, earning $30 million.

The movie had a domestic box office take of $164.6 million, which was quite impressive in 2002, and at the international box office, it made off with $187.5 million.

Catch Me If You Can was released in December 2002.

Adjusted for inflation to today's dollars, its domestic and international earnings would be $279.95 million and $318.9 million, respectively (and over $599 million, cumulatively).

Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly earned $20 million for his portrayal of Frank Abagnale in Catch Me If You Can.

7 The Great Gatsby (2013)

The Great Gatsby’s Total Gross: $353.6 Million

F. Scott Fitzgerald's epic "Great American Novel" contender The Great Gatsby has been adapted to the screen no fewer than four times in the history of Hollywood – but no other adaptation of the source material was as successful as the version featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

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Visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann directed The Great Gatsby, which earned an astonishing (but unsurprising) $50 million in its opening week.

The two-time Oscar Award-winning film (for "Best Costume Design" and "Best Protection Design") came together on a budget of $105 million dollars, against a yield of $353.6 million at the box office, profiting more than $248 million.

At home, The Great Gatsby made $144.8 million and in the international market, the movie accumulated $208.8 million.

For this iconic adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, as the titular and tragic main character Jay Gatsby, Leonardo DiCaprio received $20 million.

6 Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’s Total Gross: $377.6 Million

Legendary director Quentin Tarantino paired up again with Leonardo DiCaprio to create yet another masterpiece, having previously collaborated to produce the fantastically successful Django Unchained.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood told a high-octane, multipronged story about a specific era in Hollywood with a constellation of big stars, and the movie predictably took off like a stuntman from a cannon, grossing $41 million in its opening week.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie starred in the film, and it was a massive outright success, raking in $142.5 million at the domestic box office and $235.1 million overseas.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood earned more than $377.6 million against a budget of $90 million, indicating it profited to the tune of around $287 million.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Rick Dalton (a faded hero trying to save his career), took home $10 million for his role, along with one of his many Oscar nominations.

5 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

The Wolf Of Wall Street’s Total Gross: $406.8 Million

After their earlier runaway successes (The Departed and Shutter Island), Martin Scorsese once again tapped Leonardo DiCaprio to headline The Wolf Of Wall Street.

As with Catch Me If You Can's Frank Abagnale, DiCaprio once again took on the role of an alleged real-life con man – Jordan Belfort, Wall Street's titular "wolf":

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Martin Scorsese had a $100 million budget to make The Wolf of Wall Street, and the master of directing created a masterpiece, which earned $406.8 million (profiting $306.8 million).

Its opening week was slow, netting a scant $18.3 million dollars – a small showing for Scorsese, and almost $2 million short of DiCaprio's standard $20 million cut.

But it picked up the pace later, and earned an astonishing $289.9 million at the international box office and $116.9 million at the domestic box office.

Leonardo DiCaprio sought $25 million dollars for the Oscar-nominated film, including production charges, but due to budget expenditures, he settled for a paltry $10 million.

4 Django Unchained (2012)

Django Unchained’s Total Gross: $426 Million

Django Unchained's Calvin Candie, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, is considered one of the most terrifying villains in the storied history of Western films.

Quentin Tarantino once again landed a bevy of A-list talent, like Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio to create the captivating story of a formerly-enslaved man, Django.

Django Unchained was met with a strong reception at the box office and earned $30.1 million in the opening week.

Quentin Tarantino spent $100 million to make the film, and the studio was elated to see a box office return of $426 million on that investment.

One of DiCaprio's finest movies, Django Unchained rang up $162.8 million at the domestic box office.

Django also captivated audiences overseas, earning widespread praise and $263.2 million at the international box office.

For his work as Django Unchained’s unforgettably cruel and craven antagonist, Leonardo DiCaprio netted only $1 million – yes, you read that correctly – $1 million for his short but unforgettable performance.

3 The Revenant (2012)

The Revenant’s Total Gross: $426 Million

It was a huge surprise Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated for an Oscar for his role in Titanic; he was nominated for Aviator and Blood Diamond, but didn’t win then, either.

For Wolf of Wall Street, his fans were pretty sure he would lift the gold-plated man-shaped statuette, but no luck.

His lengthy wait for an Oscar famously, finally ended in 2016, when he took home the trophy for The Revenent.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu directed The Revenant, an incredible story of survival met with a chilly reception at the box office, earning only $474,569 dollars in its opening week.

But it didn't take long for the audience to realize this was DiCaprio's finest work to date, so they flocked to cinemas and made The Revenant the third-highest-earning movie of his career.

The film earned $183.6 million in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and bagged $349.3 million in international territories.

The Revenant clinched the Oscar for Leonardo DiCaprio, who walked away with $20 million for a role in which he got thrashed by a bear.

2 Inception (2010)

Inception’s Total Gross: $839 Million

Inception is a unique and mind-bending tale, in which DiCaprio portrayed a corporate thief who steals secrets from dreams.

One of Hollywood's finest directors, Christopher Nolan, paired up with one of the greatest actors to make this challenging movie, with a gargantuan budget of $160 million.

Their hard work paid off, and in the opening week, the movie earned $62.7 million dollars. Overall, the movie amassed a staggering $839 million.

The movie earned a massive $292.5 million domestically, but at the international box office, the movie created havoc and earned $546.4 million.

Once again, Leonardo DiCaprio charged $20 million dollars for this high-concept modern classic.

1 Titanic (1997)

Titanic’s Total Gross: $2.26 Billion

Titanic is an epic tale based on the unfortunate sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1914.

Titanic bagged a small army of Oscar statues, with eleven in total across categories, and shaped Leonardo DiCaprio's future career success, introducing him to worldwide recognition.

James Cameron, the creator of Terminator (and many other major films), handpicked Titanic's then-new but talented actors.

This epic tale and its memorable characters are still a pop culture sensation, and one question still lingers: Why didn't Rose make room for Jack on that door?

The Academy's "Best Picture" of 1998, Titanic was produced on a $200 million budget.

Titanic got off to a great start, earning $28.6 million in its first week at the domestic box office – but no one dreamed the movie could make $2.26 billion worldwide.

In the domestic market, James Cameron's masterpiece picked up $674.2 million, but its real success came internationally, where the film netted $1.59 billion, becoming the highest-grossing movie at that time.

DiCaprio was young but not as naive as his heroine, Kate Winslet; his base salary was $2.5 million, and he also secured back-end cuts – while Winslet didn’t.

Due to those back-end cuts and the film's dominance of the box office, a young Leo pocketed $40 million more.

Leonardo DiCaprio's net worth is estimated at approximately $300 million, and from these ten highest-grossing movies, he earned approximately $200 million ($198.5 to be exact).

DiCaprio's pay range is increasing, as he took $30 million for his most recent film, Killers Of The Flower Moon, which hit theaters on October 20, 2023 and has earned $151.8 million to date.

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