Ben Affleck Net Worth: How Much As The Filmmaking Legend Earned?

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Ben Affleck is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. His name has recently been making headlines because of his reconciliation with actress and musical superstar Jennifer Lopez.

Affleck and childhood friend Matt Damon rose to prominence with their drama film Good Will Hunting, which they co-wrote and starred in.

After winning the Academy Award for best screenplay, the duo became known as the young talents to watch out for.

Affleck then directed and starred in Argo, winning another Oscar – this time for best picture.

He and Lopez have been all over the tabloids since they reconnected over the summer, and it seems that this time, their relationship will last.

Ben Affleck’s Early Roles

Affleck’s first feature was in the independent film Dark End of the Street when he was 7.

At 9, he starred in the educational series Voyage of Mimi. Affleck went on to star in the show’s sequel.

After a series of minor roles and a stint in college, Affleck was cast in Kevin Smith’s 1995 film, Mallrats. 

The actor was predominantly cast as the school bully due to his larger build and chose to capitalize on his typecasting to search for the perfect role.

The two developed the ideal working relationship, and Affleck’s breakout role came in the director’s next film, Chasing Amy, two years later. 

When he was eight, Affleck met and became friends with Matt Damon, and the two took acting classes together throughout their teen years. 

The Success of Good Will Hunting

Affleck and Damon often co-wrote plays while in college.

They took the same playwriting class at Harvard University and penned a 40-page script as an assignment. 

While living together in Los Angeles, the friends decided to expand the script and shop it around Hollywood as a feature film.

Fed up with being cast in supporting roles, Damon and Affleck decided they would star in the film alongside screen legend Robin Williams.

Miramax accepted the script in 1994, and Affleck and Damon negotiated to retain creative control over the project. 

In 1997, the film was released to widespread critical acclaim, with the script being highly praised.

Good Will Hunting follows Will Hunting (played by Damon), a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hunting, who has a genius-level IQ, solves a complex math problem left on a chalkboard. Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) makes a deal with the police to have Hunting treated by therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) in exchange for leniency after Hunting is involved in a brawl with an officer. 

The film was only provided a budget of $10 million and managed to gross an impressive $225 million, subverting the studio’s expectations. 

Affleck and Damon – The Dream Team

Of his friendship with Damon, Ben Affleck told Parade.

“Before Matt, I was by myself. Acting was a solo activity where I’d just go off and do something, act in a little TV show or something, and no one understood it,” Affleck admitted. “None of the other kids knew what it was I did, how it worked, or anything. All of a sudden, I had this friend, Matt, and he gets it and wants to do it and thinks it’s interesting and wants to talk about it. Soon both of us are doing it.”

Before the film’s success, the once-struggling actors had nothing but dreams of making it big, even sharing a bank account to merge their savings and earnings from meager acting jobs.

The duo recently teamed up to pen the script for The Last Duel, starring Jodie Comer and Adam Driver.

This is the first script Affleck and Damon have worked on together in 25 years and joked the gap was due to them not knowing what to do in the years since Good Will Hunting. 

What Is Ben Affleck’s Net Worth?

After a long and prolific career in filmmaking, it is estimated that Affleck has a net worth of $150 million.

This number can be attributed to his credits as an actor, screenwriter, producer, and director.

Following Good Will Hunting, Affleck starred as the lead in the previous installments of the Batman series, playing the role in the Justice League films.

Deadline estimated that for Batman, Affleck was paid between $10 million and $20 million to play Gotham’s hero.

His star power meant that his contract stated he would only accept roles where the salary was in eight-figures.

Ben Affleck’s Relationship Rollercoaster

Affleck and Lopez were one of Hollywood’s it-couples from 2002 to 2004.

Their highly-publicized romance was expected to last, seeing as Lopez had just filed for divorce from choreographer Criss Judd.

Affleck married Jennifer Garner in 2005, after starring in Pearl Harbor and Daredevil together.

In 2015, tabloids reported that the couple was separated, and Garner filed for divorce three years later.

After a brief romance with actress Ana de Armas, news outlets reported that Lopez had been seen with her former fiancé after her split from Alexander Rodriguez in April 2021.

Since the reconciliation, the two have proudly displayed the fact that they got back together and are often seen supporting one another in public.

The couple spends time with one another’s children, and Lopez was recently seen sporting a coffee with the letter ‘B’ on it.

The press recently scrutinized Affleck for his comments about Garner, claiming he felt he was being held hostage during the marriage.

He claimed he would still be addicted to alcohol if the marriage had lasted.

Many members of the public came to his ex-wife’s defense, posting paparazzi images of Garner driving Affleck around after multiple rehab stays.

They said Affleck was ungrateful and pointed out that the marriage ended due to his infidelity.

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