War and the Big Lists · 1940s
Top-earning actor
≈ $482,819
Repeats his 1939 salaryEstimate
About $11.1 million in 2025 dollars
No 1940 salary list was reported in detail. Cooper worked for both Goldwyn and Paramount at about $150,000 a picture; the figure repeats his 1939 total.
Top-earning actress
≈ $426,944
Repeats her 1938 salaryEstimate
About $9.8 million in 2025 dollars
No detailed 1940 list survives; Colbert remained among the best-paid women in America.
By U.S. theatrical rentals, the studios' share of ticket sales
$3.7 million
★ Starring Claudette Colbert
$3.5 million
$3 million
