Ryan Reynolds has more than one reason for fist-pumping celebrations following Wrexham’s dramatic Easter Monday win.
The owner of the Welsh football side and his wife Blake Lively have almost doubled their fortune to $690 million in the past year.
The star of Deadpool and the Gossip Girl actress have proven to be astute tacticians in the business world.
They have their fingers in countless pies, including gin, mobile phones, non-alcoholic drinks, fashion, cosmetics, movies and, of course, football.
Wrexham, which is co-owned by Ryan and fellow actor Rob McElhenney, lost almost $5.6 million last year.
But the North Wales side’s 3-2 victory over nearest promotion rivals Notts County this week means they are odds on favourites to climb out of the non-league and into the more financially lucrative English Football League.
Canadian Reynolds, 46, bought Wrexham with the aim of getting them into the $11.2 billion Premier League.
Their battle for success, which was documented in a Disney Plus TV series, is proving to be blockbuster viewing.
Reynolds said that the tussle between Wrexham and Notts County had “created drama unlike anything you’d ever see in a damn movie.”
He has converted his wife Blake into a fan of football and the couple are buying a $2.8 million home in the village of Marford not far from his club’s Racecourse ground.
Here we look at Hollywood power couple’s biggest deals and estimated net worth.
Ryan Reynolds – net worth $650 million
Reynolds is one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars – earning $106 million in 2020 and netting around $30 million per movie.
He struck a very savvy deal when he agreed to star in and produce the Marvel comic book movie Deadpool in 2016.
While he was paid “just” $2.8 million upfront, Reynolds took a share of the box office profits which earned him up to $56 million.
But he’s not just an actor. He’s made his fair share of savvy investments.
Communications giant T Mobile have agreed to pay up to $2 billion for Mint Mobile which Reynolds bought a quarter share of just three years ago.
He is going to remain in a creative role following the takeover, which is said to have earned him $450 million.
The film star has done much to promote Aviation gin, which he’s believed to have between a 20 and 25 per cent share in.
The company was sold back in 2020 for $845 million to British drinks firm Diageo.
Comic actor Reynolds co-founded Maximum Effort Productions and Maximum Effort Marketing, which was responsible for a jokey viral post about character Big’s Peloton heart attack in Sex and the City.
The actor has proven to be adept at using social media to promote his products.
His biggest gamble to date has been buying fifth division team Wrexham.
Actor Rob McElhenney convinced Reynolds to buy the non-league side for $3.7 million even though the pair had never met and neither knew that much about football.
But the duo are now addicted to the beautiful game and made good their promise to invest in the team.
Reynolds has invested in the sports streaming platform Fubo and helped with its marketing campaign.
The actor is on board of Match Group Inc which owns dating sites Tinder, OkCupid, Hinge and PlentyOfFish.
Over the years, Reynolds has worked with Armani, Hugo Boss, Nissan and Hyundai. His car collection, though, includes a $560,000 Lamborghini Aventador and $280,000 Audi R8.
Blake Lively – net worth $44 million
Blake was paid $93,000 for every episode of the teen drama Gossip Girl, which meant she made over $11 million for the 121 she was in.
Last week Lively posted an image of herself in a bikini top showing off her toned midriff just months after giving birth to her fourth child.
It’s no wonder that so many brands have paid to be associated with the 35-year-old actress over the years, including a “multimillion” deal to be the face of the cosmetics giant L’Oreal in 2014.
The stylish star is rumoured to have earned over $5.6 million for a deal with high end fashion firm Gucci in 2012.
In 2011 she was chosen to be the face of Chanel’s Mademoiselle handbag line, which is sure to have attracted a seven-figure fee.
Recently, she’s tried her hand at starting her own side hustle from acting.
Her latest venture is a line of non-alcoholic mixer drinks called Betty Buzz which makes sense for the teetotaller.
Blake, who has 39 million followers on Instagram, has been posting images of herself with the drink, named after her grandmother Betty, which she launched in 2021.
Blake and Ryan’s growing brood share a seven bedroom $7.5 million mansion in Bedford, which is about one hour’s drive from New York. Their neighbours include Matt Damon, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
They are both believed to have invested in plenty of real estate.
But not everything Blake touched turned to gold, with the actress ditching a digital magazine and hand-made items sales site called Preserve a year after its 2014 launch.
This story appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission
