Jim Carrey made 35 million off The Cable Guy?

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]After an incredible run in 1994 with [music] Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber all hitting number one, Jim Carrey became [music] the first actor in history to have three films top the box office in the same year. Knowing his star power was at an all-time high, Carrey [music] struck gold when Columbia Pictures approached him for The Cable Guy. The studio paid him a staggering $20 up front, the highest salary ever paid to a comedic actor at the time. [music] This clip from 1996 shows Jim being asked if he thought he was worth the $20 and his response was classic Jim Carrey.

[00:00:32]>> Do you think you're worth the $20?

[00:00:36]>> [laughter] >> Yes.

[00:00:42]Because and then some. Not only did he get paid up front, but he also reportedly earned 15% [music] of the film's box office gross. The Cable Guy went on to gross about $102 worldwide against a $47 [music] million budget, bringing Jim's total earnings to roughly $35 million. When all was said and done, it's safe to say Jim was absolutely worth it.