Rachel McAdams Net Worth Plus Career Earnings Timeline
At a glance
- $4MReported fee for The Time Traveler’s Wife
- $2MAgreed upfront for Morning Glory
- 2,833Her Walk of Fame star number, Jan 20, 2026
- $94MSend Help worldwide box office
Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress born November 17, 1978, in London, Ontario. Her net worth has never been publicly confirmed. On record: the Los Angeles Times reported in January 2009 that she earned $4 million for The Time Traveler’s Wife and agreed to $2 million upfront for Morning Glory. She is an Oscar nominee for Spotlight and a Tony nominee for Mary Jane. She received the 2,833rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 20, 2026, and her thriller Send Help made about $94 million worldwide. In September 2026 she was announced for The Families Stone.
Profile
| Born | November 17, 1978, London, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Raised | St. Thomas, Ontario |
| School | York University, BFA 2001 |
| Net worth | Not confirmed |
Career
| Breakout | Mean Girls and The Notebook (2004) |
|---|---|
| Oscar nomination | Spotlight |
| Broadway | Mary Jane (2024), Tony nomination |
| Next | The Families Stone; Netflix AI thriller |
Money
| Net worth | Not publicly confirmed |
|---|---|
| The Time Traveler’s Wife | $4 million (reported 2009) |
| Morning Glory | $2 million upfront (reported 2009) |
| Later fees | Not reported |
Rumors
| What people say | Bio sites print exact net worth totals that do not agree. |
|---|---|
| What is on record | Two reported 2009 fees, public box office results and no verified total. |
Did you know
The Hollywood Walk of Fame says each new star carries an $85,000 sponsorship fee; who paid for Rachel McAdams’ star was not announced.
Rumor check
Do bio sites know Rachel McAdams’ salary per movie today? No. The only well-sourced fees are from 2009.
Rachel McAdams net worth has never been confirmed by the actress or by any reliable outlet. Totals on celebrity sites are guesses. But unlike many stars, a couple of her real paychecks did make it into print.
In 2009, newspapers reported that she earned $4 million for one film and agreed to $2 million upfront for the next. Since then she has led hits, earned an Oscar nomination, made her Broadway debut and, in January 2026, got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Below we put the known numbers in order, explain what box office does and does not tell you, and list what she is working on as of November 2026.
Quick facts
BornNovember 17, 1978, London, Ontario [6]
RaisedSt. Thomas, Ontario; BFA, York University, 2001 [6]
Reported pay$4 million for The Time Traveler’s Wife [1][2]
Big honorsOscar nominee for Spotlight; Tony nominee for Mary Jane [6][8]
Walk of Fame2,833rd star, January 20, 2026 [4]
Net worthNot publicly confirmed
Rachel McAdams net worth: what is on record
People searching Rachel McAdams net worth 2026 will see big round numbers. None of them comes from a tax filing, a court record or an interview. She has not discussed her wealth in public, and no trade outlet has published a total.
Comedy and film stars at a much larger scale face the same gap. Our Chris Rock net worth guide follows Forbes yearly earnings and reported Netflix deals, still without a confirmed personal total.
What does exist is rare for an actress: two reported fees from 2009, and a long list of films with public box office results. Those facts show how she earned, not what she kept after agents, managers, taxes and living costs.
| Money item | What is on record |
|---|---|
| Net worth | Not confirmed by McAdams or any reliable outlet |
| The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | $4 million fee, per the Los Angeles Times and the Vancouver Sun [1][2] |
| Morning Glory (2010) | Agreed to $2 million upfront, per the Los Angeles Times [1] |
| Later film fees | Not reported by a reliable outlet |
| Broadway pay for Mary Jane | Not disclosed |
| Homes and investments | No verified public list |
Rachel McAdams salary per movie: what was reported?
Only two figures have solid sourcing, and both are from 2009. In January of that year, the Los Angeles Times reported on studios cutting star pay. It said McAdams agreed to $2 million upfront for Morning Glory even though her most recent fee was $4 million, for The Time Traveler’s Wife [1].
The Vancouver Sun repeated the $4 million figure that August, when The Time Traveler’s Wife came out [2]. In the same Times report, Harrison Ford was set to receive $8 million upfront for Morning Glory, also less than his usual rate [1].
So her pay went down on the next film, not up. That was the market in 2009, not a sign her career was slipping. Contract fights over pay are common, as our guide to Lauren Cohan’s net worth and her Walking Dead salary fight shows.
Any Rachel McAdams salary for Doctor Strange, Spotlight or Send Help that you see online is an estimate. We found no reliable report of those fees.
Do box office hits mean she got rich?
Not directly. Ticket sales go to theaters, distributors and studios. An actor’s cut depends on a private contract, and most deals are never made public. Still, the numbers show which films kept her in demand.
| Film | Year | Worldwide box office |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Girls | 2004 | About $130 million, all releases [10] |
| The Notebook | 2004 | About $123 million, all releases [11] |
| Sherlock Holmes | 2009 | About $524 million [12] |
| Spotlight | 2015 | About $99 million [13] |
| Send Help | 2026 | About $94 million [3] |
Sherlock Holmes is her biggest hit in this list by far. Her 2026 thriller, released by Disney on January 30, 2026, took about $64.7 million in the U.S. and Canada and $29.3 million elsewhere [3][4].
Box office and pay are two different things, a point we also make about Richard Dreyfuss’ net worth and his 1970s box office run. Big grosses do not tell you the size of the actor’s check.
The same rule applies to a three-time Oscar winner. Our Sean Penn net worth guide lists The Numbers grosses for Mystic River, Milk and One Battle After Another without treating them as his paycheck.
How did a St. Thomas kid get to Hollywood?
She was born in London, Ontario, and grew up about 17 miles south in St. Thomas, where she did theater as a child. She earned a fine arts degree from York University in Toronto in 2001 [6].
At her Walk of Fame ceremony she said that at about age 8 she wrote her parents “a very desperate letter” asking them to help her get on Star Search. Her parents were in the crowd that day [6].
She is not the only Canadian performer whose pay stays private. Our look at Melissa O’Neil’s net worth from Canadian Idol to The Rookie runs into the same gap.
Which roles built her career?
She broke out in 2004 as Regina George in Mean Girls and as Allie Hamilton in The Notebook, then appeared in Wedding Crashers the next year [6].
Selma Blair, who broke out a few years earlier in Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde, took a very different path. Our Selma Blair net worth guide covers her TV, book and beauty-business work and why her total is still unconfirmed.
Her performance as Boston Globe reporter Sacha Pfeiffer in Spotlight earned a best supporting actress Oscar nomination in 2016 [6]. She also played Dr. Christine Palmer in two Marvel films, Doctor Strange in 2016 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022 [4].
In 2024 she made her Broadway debut in Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, which opened in April and ran through June 30 [4]. She was nominated for the Tony for best leading actress in a play [8].
What did the Walk of Fame star mean for her?
Her star was unveiled on January 20, 2026, at 6922 Hollywood Boulevard. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce counts it as star number 2,833, in the Motion Pictures category [4]. Sam Raimi and Domhnall Gleeson spoke at the ceremony [4].
The star is an honor, not a payday. The Chamber’s own FAQ says each new star carries an $85,000 sponsorship fee on selection, which covers making and installing the star and its upkeep [5]. Who paid that fee for her star was not announced.
What is Rachel McAdams working on in 2026?
Her first 2026 release was Raimi’s survival thriller, which opened on January 30 [4]. The Walk of Fame announcement also said she would soon start production on an untitled AI thriller directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, from T-Street and Netflix [4].
In September 2026, Searchlight Pictures named her among the returning cast of The Families Stone, a sequel to the 2005 Christmas film The Family Stone, with her back as Amy Stone [9]. Variety reported that the sequel was set to start filming in New York in the fall [14].
No pay for either project has been reported.
Who is Rachel McAdams’ partner?
She has been linked with screenwriter Jamie Linden since 2016. He was by her side at the Walk of Fame ceremony [7].
They have two young children, a son and a daughter, according to USA Today [7]. We do not name them.
Rachel McAdams career and money timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| November 17, 1978 | Born in London, Ontario [6] |
| 2001 | Graduates from York University with a fine arts degree [6] |
| 2004 | Mean Girls and The Notebook [6][10][11] |
| January 2009 | Los Angeles Times reports her $4 million fee for The Time Traveler’s Wife and $2 million upfront for Morning Glory [1] |
| December 2009 | Sherlock Holmes, her highest-grossing film in our list [12] |
| 2016 | Oscar nomination for Spotlight [6] |
| April 2024 | Broadway debut in Mary Jane; Tony nomination follows [4][8] |
| January 20, 2026 | Receives the 2,833rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame [4] |
| January 30, 2026 | Send Help opens; about $94 million worldwide [3][4] |
| September 2026 | Announced for The Families Stone [9][14] |
Checked facts
Here is where the most repeated claims stand.
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| A reliable outlet has published her exact net worth | No. We found no verified figure |
| She was paid $4 million for The Time Traveler’s Wife | Yes, as reported in 2009 [1][2] |
| She took a pay cut for Morning Glory | Yes. She agreed to $2 million upfront [1] |
| Her Marvel and Send Help fees are known | No reliable report |
| She paid for her own Walk of Fame star | Not reported. The $85,000 fee is paid on selection, but the payer was not named [5] |
| She is married to Jamie Linden | Not confirmed. Reports describe him as her longtime partner [7] |
Reader questions
What is Rachel McAdams’ net worth?
It has not been publicly confirmed. We list her reported fees and box office results instead of repeating guesses.
How much did Rachel McAdams make per movie?
The only well-sourced figures are $4 million for The Time Traveler’s Wife and $2 million upfront for Morning Glory, both reported in 2009 [1][2].
When did Rachel McAdams get her Walk of Fame star?
On January 20, 2026. It is the 2,833rd star on the Walk of Fame [4].
What is Rachel McAdams’ newest movie?
Send Help, released January 30, 2026. She is also set for The Families Stone [4][9].
Does Rachel McAdams have kids?
Yes, two young children with her partner Jamie Linden. We do not name them [7].
Sources
- Los Angeles Times (Claudia Eller): Hollywood says “cut” to lavish paychecks (Jan. 20, 2009)
- Vancouver Sun (Jamie Portman): Rachel McAdams juggles two existences filming Time Traveler’s Wife (Aug. 10, 2009)
- Box Office Mojo: Send Help (2026) box office (checked Nov. 12, 2026)
- Hollywood Walk of Fame: Rachel McAdams star page and honoree bio (ceremony Jan. 20, 2026)
- Hollywood Walk of Fame: FAQ, sponsorship fee (checked Nov. 12, 2026)
- NBC Los Angeles / City News Service: Walk of Fame star honoring Rachel McAdams unveiled (Jan. 20, 2026)
- USA Today: Jamie Linden makes rare appearance at Walk of Fame ceremony (Jan. 21, 2026)
- NPR: 2024 Tony Award nominations (April 30, 2024)
- The Hollywood Reporter: The Family Stone sequel sets returning cast (Sept. 12, 2026)
- Box Office Mojo: Mean Girls (2004) box office (checked Nov. 12, 2026)
- Box Office Mojo: The Notebook (2004) box office (checked Nov. 12, 2026)
- Box Office Mojo: Sherlock Holmes (2009) box office (checked Nov. 12, 2026)
- Box Office Mojo: Spotlight (2015) box office (checked Nov. 12, 2026)
- Variety: Jean Smart joins The Families Stone with Rachel McAdams (Sept. 23, 2026)
