Are Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds set to become the next Hollywood power couple to achieve billionaire status? As their savvy investments come home to roost, it may not be too long before they join the likes of Jay Z and Beyoncé, François Pinault and Salma Hayek, and Miranda Kerr and Evan Spiegel.
Thanks to T-Mobile recently announcing its US$1.35 billion acquisition of Mint Mobile – a budget wireless provider that Reynolds holds a minority stake in – the duo are certain to get a lot richer, with Reynolds bagging at least US$300 million from the sale, according to the BBC.
The couple were previously estimated to be worth US$180 million, meaning they made almost double that overnight from a single investment.
We take a look at how Lively and Reynolds, who first met on the set of Green Lantern, made a series of money moves that have put them firmly into the Hollywood power couple big leagues.
Here are nine ways through which they’ve built their growing bank balance …
1. Films
Both Lively and Reynolds have earned big in film and TV.
Lively got her claim to fame playing New York socialite Serena Van Der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, while Reynolds’ best loved character to date is still arguably Deadpool.
And while Lively has starred in other hits including A Simple Favor, The Shallows and Savages, husband Reynolds has broken multiple box office records with films such as Free Guy, The Adam Project, Red Notice and of course, the Deadpool franchise – with each instalment making over US$780 million at the box office, according to Screenrant.
2. Aviation American Gin
Clearly, the 46-year-old actor also has an eye for investments.
In 2018, Reynolds bought a stake in alcohol business Aviation American Gin, before selling it just two years later to European beverage company Diageo for a whopping US$610 million, per Investopedia.
3. Maximum Effort
Also in 2018, Reynolds teamed up with digital content guru George Dewey to launch Maximum Effort, a film-production company and marketing agency. According to its website, the brand creates films, TV series, ads and “cocktails for the personal amusement of Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds”. They’ve worked on projects with Celine Dion, David Beckham and Hugh Jackman, and produced viral ads using music from good pal Taylor Swift.
Advertising platform MNTN bought Maximum Effort in 2021, and kept both founders as chief branding and creative officers.
4. Betty Buzz
Lively has an entrepreneurial spirit too. The 35-year-old started Betty Buzz, a line of non-alcoholic sparkling drinks using clean ingredients, “real” juice and natural flavours. As someone who doesn’t drink, Lively wanted to shine a light on mixers, the “unsung heroes of the drink world”, according to the website’s brand introduction.
5. Match Group – the group behind Tinder, Match.com and Hinge
One of the smartest ways to invest? By having a diverse portfolio – and Reynolds sure knows how to do that.
In 2020, he joined Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife, on the board of directors at Match Group, the giant behind dating apps including Tinder and Hinge.
“Most millennials and Gen Z can’t remember what dating was like before the advent of Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge,” he said in a statement. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work with the team on their future growth and success.”
6. Wealthsimple
The Canadian actor has also put money into Wealthsimple, a Toronto-based wealth management service that has a current value of US$5 billion, according to the company. Drake and Michael J. Fox also hold a stake in it.
7. Wrexham football club
Disney+ documentary Welcome to Wrexham follows the story of how Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football club, in 2021. As one of the UK’s lesser-known teams, the move was unexpected and raised a lot of questions among fans.
Reynolds shared to The Athletic: “One day Rob sends me an email that outlines his plan to buy a lower-league club and grow it into something more resembling a global force. I just thought it was so unexpected and so interesting, and I love building businesses, and this is a business.”
8. Endorsement deals
Reynolds and Lively have both worked with a string of luxury brands over the years.
Blake Lively stuns, wearing Haute Couture and the Soleil Brooch inspired by the
original 1932 piece pic.twitter.com/H8MJPEI0— CHANEL (@CHANEL) October 10, 2012
While Reynolds’ Piaget deal in 2016 surely brought in the big bucks, Lively has scored endorsements with Chanel, Stella McCartney and L’Oréal Paris over the years.
9. 1Password
Last year, Reynolds added another business to his ever-growing empire. He began investing in 1Password, a password management software worth US$6.8 billion, and starred in the start-up’s advertisement.
The brand behind the comedic campaign? Maximum Effort, of course.
Note: This story was originally published on SCMP and has been republished on this website.
