Ben Affleck's Net Worth Is More Than You Probably Think
Ben Affleck is one of Hollywood's most bankable leading men, starring in multiple successful films throughout his more than 30-year career, so it's no surprise he has an impressive net worth of $150 million. After breakout roles in the mid-1990s in Kevin Smith's popular movies from View Askew Productions, "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy," Affleck took Hollywood completely by storm, co-writing and starring in the massive hit "Good Will Hunting" with his best friend, Matt Damon.
The pair won the 1998 Academy Award for best original screenplay for that film, and they both went on to have massive careers. Affleck continued his success behind the camera, as well, winning a Golden Globe for best director and the Oscar for best picture for 2012's "Argo." His bankability became even more apparent when he was cast as one of the biggest superheroes, winning the role of Batman for Zack Snyder's 2016 film "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice." Despite the audience reception at the time, the star's net worth received a big boost from that project, but he was already doing quite well for himself.
The multi-talent's net worth, while perhaps not as much as Bruce Wayne's fortune, is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But there's more to Ben Affleck's financial journey than you might think.
Ben Affleck comes from humble beginnings
Ben Affleck may be one of Hollywood's biggest stars, but his start in showbiz was humble. Affleck's first role was in 1981's "The Dark End of the Street" when he was just nine years old, per IMDb, followed by a handful of small gigs in various TV movies and series. There was also an appearance in a 1989 Burger King commercial you may have missed. Affleck's first brush with a major motion picture came when he and BFF Matt Damon appeared in 1989's "Field of Dreams." As Damon told the "Dan Patrick Show" decades later, "There were probably 3,000 extras in a big crowd scene when Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones are at the baseball game," including them. According to Bustle, they earned $30 for their participation.
As Affleck would explain to Entertainment Weekly in January 2022, he wasn't picky at the start. Rather, he agreed to everything, noting, "My mother made $28,000 a year. So I would be like, 'How could I justifiably say no to this?' Just not understanding the value of turning things down." It was also easy to say yes because there was nothing else in the pipeline. "People talk about your choices and I want to say, 'Well, it's not like I was passing on Scorsese movies,'" he quipped. Indeed, it was slim pickings until 1997's "Good Will Hunting."
Good Will Hunting delivered his first big paycheck
While working on the screenplay for "Good Will Hunting," Ben Affleck and bestie Matt Damon were roughing it. Affleck (who had just called off an engagement) was sleeping on Damon's couch, and life was anything but glamorous. As Damon revealed at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival (via The Sun), "Ben is 6ft 4in and his legs dangled off the end. Every morning I'd walk in and be like, 'God, this is just ridiculous.'" They wanted to get a bigger place, but Damon admitted, "We were so broke, we had no credit score, we had nothing." Then everything changed.
The pair's first impressive payday came when they sold the screenplay for $600,000 and split it evenly between themselves. Then the film, which hit theaters in 1997, proved to be a runaway success. It earned $138.4 million at the global box office and won the BFFs the Oscar for best original screenplay, as previously mentioned, setting them on the path to superstardom. However, the cash didn't last as long as they'd planned.
"We thought $600,000 would take care of us for 20 years, so we rented nicer apartments and each bought Jeep Cherokees," Affleck told Boston magazine in 2013. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. As he explained to Playboy (via Hollywood.com), when taxes were deducted, they were left with $125,000 each, then they blew $50,000 each on the cars and so, they really only made $75,000. "By the end of the year, we were flat broke, so I had experience of running through 600,000 bucks," Affleck said.
Acting made Ben Affleck a millionaire
Ben Affleck may have blown through his share of "Good Will Hunting" money within a year, but as he told Playboy in 2013 (via Hollywood.com), he quickly made it back. His next big screen appearance was in another hit film, 1998's "Armageddon," which earned him another $600,000 — and his acting salary grew exponentially in the years that followed. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Affleck made $10 million each for hits like "Pearl Harbor," "Jersey Girl," and "Gone Girl," while "Daredevil" brought in $11.5 million, and "Gigli" and "Suicide Squad" added $12.5 million each to his bank account. However, his most lucrative role to date was in 2003's aptly titled "Paycheck," which earned him $15 million.
As Affleck's star continues to rise, so does his salary. In 2014, he landed on Forbes' list of Hollywood's Highest Paid Actors with yearly earnings of $35 million. Jump to 2016, and he was on the list again, this time earning $43 million, thanks in part to landing the role of Batman. Then, in 2020, that number jumped again to $55 million, per Forbes. What's more, although he dropped out of directing and starring in "The Batman," he was reportedly offered $30 million in 2022 to reprise the role in a future project.
These days, however, Affleck is choosing projects based on his passions, not on cash. As he told Rolling Stone in 2012, "I'm not doing anything else for money or to position myself somehow, box office-wise or, because I want to compete with anybody else."
Directing and producing keep the money flowing
Ben Affleck first made the jump from acting to directing with 2007's "Gone Baby Gone" and he hasn't looked back since. As he told ABC News at the time, Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood were the inspiration behind his wanting to try directing and soon, it went from a mere hobby to a full-blown passion. He further explained to Fox News, "In the beginning part of wanting to be a director was just a natural extension of acting. But now this feels like what I am, or what I want to be, it's so satisfying and exhilarating."
Indeed, his directorial debut was a smash hit. "Gone Baby Gone" was Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $34.6 million at the global box office, paving the way for more projects, including 2010's "The Town" and 2016's "Live by Night." However, his biggest directorial success to date has been 2012's "Argo," which grossed $232.3 million worldwide and earned him the best picture Oscar. But he hasn't left acting behind. Affleck actually starred in all three of these latter films because, as he told Variety, it's all interconnected. "I learned more about acting from directing than I did from acting classes and being an actor," he shared.
What's more, he's also passionate about producing and founded Pearl Street Films with Matt Damon in 2012. The production company is housed under the Warner Bros. Studios umbrella, per Deadline, and is behind projects of all sizes, from "Manchester by the Sea" to "Jason Bourne."
Ben Affleck's failed side hustle
Not everything Ben Affleck touches turns to gold. Despite his various successes as an actor, director, and producer, Affleck experienced failure when he and Matt Damon co-founded a company called LivePlanet in 2000. As Entertainment Weekly reported, the startup aimed to create interactive reality TV shows and movies that viewers could actively participate in online. At the start, the company had 63 employees and was helmed by co-founder Sean Bailey, who explained, "LivePlanet does media events, shows, and films that were impossible before the advent of the Internet."
The first series they dreamt up was "The Runner," in which an individual would run across the States for 30 days while being chased by a group of people. Viewers would be able to help said chasers with clues and win cash along the way. ABC picked up the show in 2000, but in a sign of things to come, it didn't air until 2016 and only lasted one season. Other attempts at success included "Push, Nevada," which aired for one season on ABC in 2002, and HBO's "Project Greenlight," which was the most successful, lasting for four seasons.
In the end, all three LivePlanet co-founders decided to pursue other projects and, in 2008, Variety confirmed the company was shutting down for good.
The multi-talent's impressive real estate moves
Ben Affleck knows a good property when he sees one. In 2002, he bought a home in Beverly Hills for $3 million, remodeled it, and sold it for $4.5 million the following year, per Los Angeles Times. That same year, he dropped $7.11 million on an 87-acre property on the Hampton Island Preserve in Georgia, as reported by the New York Post, which he tried to sell at a profit in 2018. According to People, the actor initially listed the home for $8.9 million, then reduced the price to $7.6 million before taking it off the market completely in 2020. It was a good thing he hung onto it, as it became the site for his and Jennifer Lopez's second lavish wedding ceremony in August 2022.
These aren't the only instances when Affleck has shown off his real estate prowess. In 2019, he and ex-wife Jennifer Garner sold their former family home in Pacific Palisades, California for a whopping $31.95 million, per People. Deciding to stay in the area to be close to their kids, Affleck shelled out $19.2 million on a bachelor pad, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, which he later listed for $29.995 million in August 2022, according to The Wall Street Journal, when he and Lopez got serious.
As of this writing, Affleck's undertaking yet another housing project as he and Lopez overhaul her Bel-Air home, which the singer initially bought for $28 million, per TMZ, in order to make it perfect for their new family life.
He's been called a 'Poker King' ... but is he really?
Ben Affleck has often been spotted playing cards, and in 2004, CBS News dubbed him a "Poker King" when he beat out 90 competitors in the multi-day Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championship and won $356,400. However, his luck has had major ups and downs. According to Star (via Radar), it was also around 2004 when he reportedly lost $400,000 to then-president of Universal Studios Ron Meyer during an illegal underground tournament for Hollywood A-listers. "Ben busted big," a source, who reportedly played that night, claimed. "He drummed up a giant tab, and then all of a sudden he disappeared from the game. He wasn't seen for months."
But it's not just poker he loves. Affleck is also a skilled blackjack player, having reportedly won $800,000 at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas in 2001, per TMZ. Jump to 2014, and the Hard Rock banned him from playing blackjack for life because he was apparently too good. Affleck was accused of counting cards at the time and later admitted to Details (via Vanity Fair), "I took some time to learn the game and became a decent blackjack player. And once I became decent, the casinos asked me not to play blackjack."
Even so, his love of cards has remained as strong as ever and his luck is just as volatile. In 2019, In Touch reported that Affleck lost $60,000 in 40 minutes at Hollywood's Commerce Casino. A source told the mag, "He refused to fold, so people were just taking his money!"
Ben Affleck's fancy car collection
When it comes to spending his millions, Ben Affleck likes buying expensive homes, gambling huge sums at cards ... and purchasing fancy cars. According to The U.S. Sun, his collection of lavish rides may be worth upwards of $1.2 million and includes a $316,000 Bentley Mulsanne Speed, a $150,000 Mercedes-Benz S-63 AMG, and a $117,000 Audi S8. When Hot Cars broke down his collection in August 2022, they also spotted a slew of other impressive rides, namely a Lexus RX, a Tesla Model S, a Lamborghini Urus, a Bentley Bentayga, and a vintage Chevrolet Chevelle SS (the latter of which is worth anywhere from $72,900 to $1.2 million), There's also the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat (costing at least $69,000), which he bought after his 2015 split from Jennifer Garner, per People.
It's an impressive collection, to say the least, and one he seems ready to grow. Affleck was spotted shopping for a Rolls-Royce in July 2022 ahead of his marriage to Jennifer Lopez. Yup, Affleck is a car enthusiast, and it's a passion he appears to want to pass to his son with Garner. That June, he and Lopez took his then-10-year-old, Samuel, to look at a rental Lamborghini. Affleck even reportedly let him sit behind the wheel, after which the kiddo accidentally reversed it into another car parked close by, according to TMZ. Oops! Thankfully, a representative for Affleck stated to the outlet, "There was no damage and everyone's ok."
This star likes to share his wealth
Ben Affleck doesn't just like to spend money on himself and his family, he also likes to give back. Through the years, the actor has been involved in numerous charitable projects and has supported Feeding America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, A-T Children's Project (which researches therapies and a cure for Ataxia-Telangiectasia), and the cancer-fighting charity The Jimmy Fund. In 2010, he even co-founded his own charity, Eastern Congo Initiative, whose aim is to "support the Congolese people as they build health, freedom and prosperity for life."
Meanwhile, in 2017, Affleck told Fox 5 DC (via People) that all the money he earns in the future from films he made with Harvey Weinstein would be donated to the anti-sexual violence organization RAINN, as well as Film Independent, a non-profit supporting independent filmmakers. "I just didn't want to cash any more checks from the guy, you know?" Affleck explained. More recently, Affleck has become a passionate supporter of a Los Angeles homeless shelter called The Midnight Mission.
As for why he loves giving back, he told People in 2020, "I found that I get a lot out of giving a little bit of my time to other people." Affleck added, "I don't know that it helps them or not, but I know it's helpful to me."
Ben Affleck's expensive romance with Jennifer Lopez
Ben Affleck has no qualms about spoiling the woman he loves. Indeed, he's shelled out millions for both of his engagements to Jennifer Lopez. When the couple first got engaged back in 2002, ABC News reported that the actor dropped $2.5 million on her engagement ring, which featured a very massive and very rare pink diamond. Lopez eventually returned the ring to Affleck when they called off their engagement, and we're not sure if he held onto it — but if he did, he stood to earn a lot of money. According to Page Six Style, the ring could now be worth as much as $11 million because of the rarity of its color and size.
Jump to 2022, and Affleck one-upped his past self with an even rarer stone — a green diamond — which is said to be worth an estimated $10 million, per Us Weekly. The couple's romance became even more lavish when they dropped $400,000 on their Georgia wedding, as reported by the Daily Mail. As of this writing, they're spending major cash on a home remodel, shopping around for fancy cars, and more, but given their combined fortunes, we imagine it's no issue.
While the details of Affleck's 2018 divorce from Jennifer Garner and any alimony he may be paying are private, we do know he can certainly afford it. Add Affleck's impressive $150 million net worth to Lopez's $400 million fortune, and he's certainly not strapped for cash.