How Much The Harry Potter Cast Was Paid At The Beginning & End

The Harry Potter movie franchise launched Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to stardom. That was reflected in how much they were paid.

Summary

• Daniel Radcliffe earned $1 million for his role in the first Harry Potter film, with his pay increasing substantially with each sequel to a whopping $50 million for the last two movies.
• Emma Watson initially made less than $1 million for her role as Hermione Granger, but her salary rose considerably throughout the series, earning $30 million for the two-part finale.
• Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, also started with a salary less than $1 million but ended up earning $30 million for his performance in the final two Harry Potter films. However, Grint has the lowest net worth compared to Radcliffe and Watson due to a quieter post-Harry Potter career.

The Harry Potter franchise has made over $9.5 billion worldwide for Warner Bros. (via The Numbers), but how much did the Harry Potter actors make? The long-running series brought together actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, who rose to fame with the popularity of the movies, and consequently saw their salaries rise as the series progressed. Based on J.K. Rowling’s bestselling books, Harry Potter witnessed the blooming of Harry (Radcliffe), Ron (Grint), and Hermione’s (Watson) friendship at Hogwarts, where they met to study witchcraft and wizardry. Their friendship may have wavered, especially when Ron and Hermione became romantically involved, but they were always there for each other.

While the three actors are hesitant to join the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, they met for the 20th-anniversary reunion special that saw Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint back together. The iconic trio will forever be remembered as the Harry Potter character, but since then, each one has grown in their career. Radcliffe has starred in both plays and movies, Emma Watson earned praise for Beauty and the Beast and Little Women​​​​​​, and Rupert Grint is a hit on Apple TV+'s Servant, but how much did the cast of Harry Potter make during their tenure in the wizarding world?

How Much Daniel Radcliffe Was Paid For Harry Potter ($1 Million/$50 Million)

Since becoming internationally renowned for the franchise, Radcliffe has filmed a lot since Harry Potter. However, rewinding back to 2001, the young actor was being cast for his biggest role yet as The Boy Who Lived, and he was perfect as the mischievous and courageous 11-year-old wizard. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Radcliffe made $1 million for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which is a surprisingly high amount for such a young actor in just the first film in the series. Comparatively, Daisy Ridley only earned $100,000 for playing Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (via Esquire).

As the titular character with the most scenes and lines, Radcliffe's pay increased substantially with each sequel, as it essentially doubled with the following three movies. Radcliffe earned $3 million for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, $6 million for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and $11 million for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The actor made $50 million for the last two movies, which were shot back to back. By the time Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 wrapped up, he had made $109 million from the series in total (via Cosmopolitan).

How Much Emma Watson Was Paid For Harry Potter (<$1 Million/$30 Million)

Introduced as a brilliant Muggle-born witch, Hermione became an integral part of the trio, serving as the voice of reason, and perpetually saving her two friends from many difficult situations. After her stint as Hermione Granger, Watson has had prominent roles since Harry Potter. While she isn't as prolific of an actor as Radcliffe in her post-Harry Potter career, Watson has become a huge bankable star. The actor most notably starred in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, which went on to earn $1.26 billion (via Box Office Mojo). However, it's still her tenure in the wizarding world that helped her accrue the bulk of her net worth.

Watson was cast in Harry Pottery and the Sorcerer's Stone at the age of 10 and, according to Parade, made less than $1 million for the first movie. However, growing in popularity both on and off-screen for her role as the wisest member of the Golden Trio, the actress’s salary rose considerably throughout the series. Though it isn't clear exactly how much Watson made for each Harry Potter movie, the actor earned $4 million for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and she was paid a massive $30 million for the two-part finale of the Harry Potter franchise (via Cosmopolitan).

How Much Rupert Grint Was Paid For Harry Potter (<$1 Million/$30 Million)

Rounding out the trio, Grint played an excellent Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise. The sixth of seven children in the Weasley family, Ron proved himself a loyal friend to Harry, and stood by him alongside Hermione through good times and bad, ultimately defeating Voldemort and keeping their friendship strong 19 years later. As said by the directors during the 20th-anniversary reunion, Rupert “was” Ron in Harry Potter and fit the character perfectly, which likely resulted in a steady pay increase. Based on Grint's disclosed salaries for the Harry Potter series, the actor was seemingly paid the same as Emma Watson.

The Ron Weasley actor's first pay for The Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001 was under $1 million (Celebrity Net Worth), but his salary grew to $4 million mid-franchise. Just like Watson, Grint earned $30 million for his performance in the two-part Harry Potter finale. However, Grint has the lowest net worth of the trio. Radcliffe amassed his wealth thanks to being the series lead and continuously working, and Watson has made tens of millions of dollars due to charging fashion brands $5-20 million for endorsements, whereas Grint has had a much quieter post-Harry Potter career.