The salaries of Hollywood’s highest paid movie stars have been revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, and fortunately the picture being painted is not entirely one of a boys’ club.
After surveying producers, agents, and execs, the trade publication revealed that six actors belong to the sought-after $20 million club: Robert Downey Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio, Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington, and Matt Damon. That means, of course, that two out of six, or 33%, of that list is comprised by women.
The Hollywood Reporter writes, “Bullock remains the highest-earning actress after a spectacular deal for ‘Gravity’ saw her make more than $70 million, once profits were factored into her pact, with $20 million up front against 20 percent of first-dollar gross. But that deal was signed before the current belt-tightening era. (She got about half as much, $10 million, for ‘The Heat’).” The second-highest paid actress, Angelina Jolie, “earned more than $15 million for Disney’s ‘Maleficent,’ and sources say they expect her to be paid $20 million (her fee for ‘Salt’) in the event of a sequel.”
You may be surprised by the absence of one particular name in the top-tier list: Jennifer Lawrence. At only 24 years old, the actress has already earned three Oscar noms, won one of the coveted statuettes, and stars in two huge franchises, “The Hunger Games” and “X-Men.” As you may recall from the Sony hacks, Lawrence was paid less than her male-costars in “American Hustle.” The Hollywood Reporter notes, “Lawrence earned $10 million for ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,’ and insiders believe she could easily get $15 million or more for another franchise film, though not for her current David O. Russell picture ‘Joy.’”
“Catching Fire,” which earned over $860 million worldwide, was 2013’s highest-grossing movie. While a $10 million dollar paycheck may seem like a lot of money — and of course, it is a lot of money — it represents only 1.7% of what the movie made at the box office. We also would have assumed that Lawrence could demand more than $15 million or more for another franchise film at this point in her career.
Joining Lawrence in the $15 million bracket is Melissa McCarthy, whose next starring role in theatres will be “Spy,” one of our most anticipated films of the year.We’re expecting McCarthy and Feig to make box-office magic yet again (the two previously partnered up for “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat,” both of which took in well over $150 million domestically). Male actors in this range include Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Channing Tatum, and Dwayne Johnson.
Forbes previously reported on 2014’s highest grossing stars, with Bullock claiming the title of the highest earning actress with $51 million between June 2013 and July 2014. Lawrence came in at number two with $34 million. Jennifer Aniston — who is not mentioned in the Hollywood Reporter’s piece — ranked third on the list with $31 million. It’s worth noting that Forbes included “entertainment-related work” when compiling their list — so, for example, Aniston’s advertising deal with Aveeno was included. The Hollywood Reporter’s list is based strictly on what stars can earn per feature. According to Forbes, the top ten earning actors brought in $419 million overall, while the top ten actresses brought in only about half of what their male counterparts did — $226 million.
[via The Hollywood Reporter and Forbes]
