Stranger Thing is one of Netflix's tentpole shows, and it's already had four massively successful seasons. So, heading into the fifth and final season, it's no surprise that the Stranger Things cast would really be raking in the dough. But, just how much are they making? A new report claims that after renegotiating their salaries for Season 5, the cast members have been divided into tiers with the two actors in the top tier making the most money. For all of them, however, it's a huge jump from their reported Season 1 salaries. Read on to find out how much the stars of Stranger Things are reportedly being paid for the fantasy show's last batch of episodes.
READ THIS NEXT: The Most Hated TV Finales of All Time.
The stars of the show got huge raises.
NetflixPuck reports that the stars of Stranger Thingsrenegotiated their salaries for Season 5, and that the main cast members received large increases. According to the report, the cast—which features a high number of series regulars at 20 actors—negotiated together, and were divided into pay tiers for their fifth season salaries.
Best Life has reached out to Netflix for comment but has not received a response.
Winona Ryder and David Harbour are in the first tier.
NetflixAccording to Puck, the Stranger Things actors in tier 1 are Winona Ryder and David Harbour, the two adult stars of the show who have been around since the beginning. (Or, rather, the two stars who began the series as adults—a number of stars who started as kids are now over 18.) The report claims that Ryder and Harbour will each make $9 million for playing Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper again.
The main kids and teens are also making serious money.
Steve Dietl/NetflixTier 2 reportedly consists of the main "kids" on the show: Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Noah Schnapp (Will), and Sadie Sink (Max). They are all said to be making $7 million each for Season 5. Tier 3 consists of the actors who play the older, teenage characters: Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Joe Keery (Steve), and Maya Hawke (Robin). They will reportedly make $6 million a piece.
For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
But what about Eleven?
Tina Rowden/NetflixThe fourth tier includes almost everyone else and is reported by Puck to be making "much less" than those organized above them.
But you probably noticed that none of the tiers—and certainly not the last one—include Millie Bobby Brown, who stars as Eleven. Stranger Things was her breakout, but she now has a separate deal with Netflix that also includes her Enola Holmes films and the upcoming movie The Electric State. For the second Enola Holmes movie, released in 2022, Brown reportedly made $10 million. It's unclear how much she's being paid for Stranger Things Season 5 through the terms of that deal.
Their Season 1 salaries weren't anywhere near these amounts.
CarlaVanWagoner / ShutterstockIf these numbers are correct, the Stranger Things cast is earning a huge percentage more than they did for previous seasons. According to The Hollywood Reporter, during Season 1, the kid cast members were making around $20,000 per episode, which would be around $160,000 for the season. Ryder was said to be making $100,000 per episode at the start, while Harbour was priced at $80,000. With the show taking off almost immediately, their pay has increased over the years. THR reported that the child actors were making $250,000 per episode by Season 3, which would have amounted to around $2 million for the season.
