After literal years of waiting, the fifth and final season of Stranger Things has finally dropped the first of three parts. The stakes are high, the Upside Down is… doing whatever it does, and your fave Hawkins besties are sitting very comfortably on piles of Netflix cash, with some being paid a lot more than others.
Credit: Netflix
While the show started out as a cute little sci-fi series with a bunch of unknown child actors, the salaries have gotten huge. According to Deadline, back in seasons one and two, the younger cast were reportedly taking home just $30,000 (£22,770) each episode. Sure, that sounds like a huge amount, but it’s nothing compared to what they make now.
By the time season three rolled around, they were pocketing a wild $250,000 (£189,500) per episode, and the grown-ups were allegedly clearing $350,000 (£265,300). Suddenly, everyone’s a millionaire.
Here’s how much they’re earning for season five, according to Koimoi.
1. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), $10 million
Credit: Netflix
Millie isn’t even on the normal cast pay scale anymore, she has her own separate deal with Netflix thanks to her God-tier fame. Everyone else is on a salary ladder; she’s… not on the ladder. According to StyleCaster, she’s paid around $1.25 million per episode this season.
2. Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), $9.5 million
Credit: Netflix
Joyce is officially the second highest paid person in Hawkins. Winona Ryder reportedly pulled in around $1.2 million per episode, securing her spot at the very top of the food chain. Honestly? Mother deserves.
3. David Harbour (Jim Hopper), $9.5 million
Credit: Netflix
Almost matching Winona, Harbour earns around $1 million per episode. Hopper stays booked, busy, and extremely well compensated.
4. Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), $7.5 million
Credit: Netflix
Tbh, it’s still a lot of money for a 22-year-old, but I can’t believe that the main four kids are getting a whole three million less than the grown-ups.
5. Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), $7 million
Credit: Netflix
Justice for Dustin, but he is comfortably mid-table.
6. Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), $7 million
Credit: Netflix
Another member of the $875k-per-episode club.
7. Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), $6.5 million
Credit: Netflix
Although not one of the original cast, Sadie Sink is still a millionaire. After becoming one of the show’s breakout stars in Season Four, Sadie moved into the top of the “teen cast” bracket at $850k per episode.
8. Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), $6.4 million
Credit: Netflix
And here’s where the shock comes in. Noah, aka the Will Byers, the boy the entire first season was built around, is technically the lowest-paid main cast member when you line up all the leads by tier.
Yes, he’s in the same pay bracket as the other teens, but when the ranking goes from Joyce and Hopper at $9.5 million straight down to Will at the bottom, it’s hard not to notice the gap.
If you’re wondering where Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley fall: they’re on a lower “supporting cast” tier, reportedly earning about $5 million for the season, much less than the core kids.
Everyone else outside these groups? Reportedly below $500k total.
For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
Featured image credit: Netflix
