The staggering amount Friends stars earn from Netflix re-runs

The stars of Friends are still making mega bucks 15 years after the show ended.

Netflix re-runs of the 90s sitcom ensure the cast continues to reap the financial rewards with the show remaining just as popular now than it was during its 10-year run.

According to The Sun, the cast of Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani) and David Schwimmer (Ross Geller) rake in an eye-watering NZ$31 million a year through re-runs alone.

Friends enjoyed a hugely successful run from 1994 to 2004. Photo / Supplied.

UCLA lecturer Tom Nunan, who served as Fox TV's former head of comedy back when the show was first being pitched, explained in an interview with The Scotsman that the chemistry between the show's characters could not be foreseen.

"You just don't know how is it when a group of people come together and, if you forgive the expression, make beautiful music together, is that going to be for a generation or is it going to be for the ages?," he said.

Nunan added that there were similarities between the group and the Beatles, saying: "I think with The Beatles we can safely say it's for the ages. It's possible with Friends it's the same thing."

Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani) and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay). Photo / Supplied.

The show revolved around a group of 20-somethings living in a New York apartment building, with a romance blossoming between Ross and Rachel.

But fans hoping for a reunion might be disappointed after Kudrow described the idea as "sad".

"They're rebooting everything," she said. "I don't know how that works with Friends, though. That was about people in their 20s. The show isn't about people in their 40s, 50s. And if we have the same problems, that's just sad."

Schwimmer echoed her concerns, saying: "Look, the thing is, I just don't know if I want to see all of us with crutches (and) walkers.

"I doubt it — I really doubt it. But thank you for asking, and moving on!"