Everything there is to know about the actor’s infamous debt—and how much he paid for a dinosaur skull.

Nicolas Cage’s net worth is that of a national treasure who likes spending on strange treasures of his own.

The Renfield star, famous for his dedication to the craft, has seen incredible highs and lows in terms of his wealth through the years, as well as in his career as a whole. Find out how Cage became famous, how much he earned at his peak and how much he’s banking now.

How did Nicolas Cage become famous?

Don’t let the last name fool you: Nicolas Cage is an original nepo baby! Or, rather, a nepo nephew: His uncle is The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola and he counts Rocky starlet Talia Shire as his aunt.

Born Nicolas Kim Coppola, Cage attended Beverly Hills High School and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. His first acting role was in a pilot called The Best of Times, which didn’t get picked up, then as one of Judge Reinhold‘s unnamed co-workers in Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982. A year later, he starred in the cult classic Valley Girl and has worked consistently ever since.

Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman in “Valley Girl.” MGM

His biggest breakout, however, was alongside none other than Cher in 1986’s Moonstruck, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.

Cher and Nicolas Cage in “Moonstruck.” MGM

Cage’s success continued throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and he even won an Oscar in 1995 for Leaving Las Vegas.

Nicolas Cage in “Leaving Las Vegas.” MGM

He faced a brief downturn in the 2010s when financial problems drove him to do video-on-demand movies, but enjoyed quite the career renaissance in the late 2010s and early 2020s thanks to his star turns in Mandy and Pig.

Today, Cage is a beloved figure, especially on the Internet, where almost everything he’s ever done on film rightfully becomes a meme.

What is Nicolas Cage’s net worth in 2024?

Nicolas Cage’s net worth in 2024 is estimated at $25 million. While that’s obviously a ton of money, it’s pennies compared to his past wealth.

Cage’s finances have fluctuated dramatically through the years, as he at one point was worth a whopping $150 million. In April 2023, Cage opened up about being $6.3 million in debt to the IRS.

“I was over-invested in real estate. … The real estate market crashed, and I couldn’t get out in time,” Cage said on 60 Minutes. “I paid them all back, but it was about $6 million. I never filed for bankruptcy.”

While it would be easy to dismiss some of Cage’s financial issues as merely poor spending habits, conflating that with the housing crash wouldn’t be incorrect, either: At one point, he owned 15 different properties, including a private island in the Bahamas and not one, but two different European castles. He also was caring for his ailing mother, telling GQ that her care cost him upwards of $20,000 every month.

Of course, he also owned a ton of weird artifacts, a rare two-headed snake and a fleet of 50 cars, so his spending likely did play at least somewhat of a factor in his financial foibles.

In any case, Cage previously explained to The New York Times in 2019 about how his financial struggles in the mid-2000s and early 2010s influenced his career decisions.

“I can’t go into specifics or percentages or ratios, but yeah, money is a factor. I’m going to be completely direct about that. There’s no reason not to be,” he said. “There are times when it’s more of a factor than not. I still have to feel that, whether or not the movie around me entirely works, I’ll be able to deliver something and be fun to watch.”

How much does Nicolas Cage get paid per movie?

At one point, Cage commanded as much as $20 million per movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, following Cage’s career renaissance, he commands about $4 million up front per movie.

Sources told the outlet, however, that he’s willing to take a pay cut if he really loves the project and the budget doesn’t permit a big payday.

How much did Nicolas Cage make for Pig?

Nicolas Cage in “Pig”, AI Film

Cage reportedly made around $1 million or less for the 2021 indie Pig, which had a budget of just $3 million. It was the beginning of Cage’s comeback and was incredibly well-received by critics and helped him command higher salaries moving forward.

How much did Nicolas Cage pay for a dinosaur skull?

Cage famously outbid Leonardo DiCaprio for a dinosaur skull at an auction in 2007, paying $276,000 for the artifact. However, it turned out that the skull was actually stolen, and Cage was forced to return it to the Mongolian government.

To be clear, Cage didn’t break the law here, as his rep said he had a certificate of authenticity for the piece from the auction house, and he had no clue it was stolen until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified him that it may have been obtained illegally by the auctioneers.

“It was the skull I bought at an auction, and I bought it legally,” Cage told GQ. “Here’s the MacGuffin: When the Mongolian government said they needed it back, I gave it to them, but I never got my money back. So, somebody at the auction house should be in jail.”

How much did Nicolas Cage get paid for Willy’s Wonderland?

Nicolas Cage in “Willy’s Wonderland”, Screen Media

Cage’s salary for his dialogue-free performance in Willy’s Wonderland isn’t publicly known. What is, however, is that he was integral to getting the film off of the ground at all.

Willy’s Wonderland creator G.O. Parsons tweeted in March 2022, “I’ve mentioned many times that Willy’s Wonderland would not have been made without Nic’s incredible stewardship (pre-financing/pre-anything — I was just doing my own plays). He (and his team) fought for me and the project. They helped my dream come true. I could never repay them.”

How much did Nicolas Cage make for Ghost Rider?

Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze in “Ghost Rider.”, Sony Pictures

In 2007, Cage played Johnny Blaze in Marvel’s Ghost Rider (pre-MCU canon, natch). According to IndieWire, he received anywhere between $12 million and $20 million up front, plus back-end box office bonuses, for the first movie. The film had an overall budget of $110 million and grossed $228.7 million worldwide.

Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze in “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.”, Sony Pictures

The sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, had about half the budget of the first film and grossed $132.5 million globally.

How much did Nicolas Cage pay for the LaLaurie Mansion?

One of Cage’s many real-estate purchases was the LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans, infamously known among paranormal aficionados as one of the most allegedly haunted houses in the United States. Cage reportedly bought the property in 2007 for $3.4 million before losing it to foreclosure in late 2009.

“You know, other people have beachfront property; I have ghost front property—that’s what I always say. I have not experienced anything, but I like a bit of mystery, and the house has such a mystery to it.

Some of the stories about it are pretty horrific,’’ Cage previously told The New York Daily News. He added that he was such a fan of Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride as a kid that it inspired him to buy his own real-life (supposedly) haunted mansion.

How much did Nicolas Cage make for Face/Off?

Cage’s Face/Off salary isn’t publicly known. Some outlets have reported it to be in the $6 million range, but none of those claims have actually been substantiated anywhere credible.

That said, the 1997 film made $245.6 million globally on an $80 million budget, so the $6 million figure may not be far off in terms of his total pay at that time.

How much did Nicolas Cage get paid for Massive Talent?

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”, Lionsgate

Cage was reportedly paid $7 million to play a fictionalized version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent alongside Internet Zaddy and fellow sentient meme Pedro Pascal.