Hollywood Most Overpaid Actors

When it comes to movies, Hollywood actors are always in front of those making the big bucks and huge earnings. At one point, producers only need to show a fat check to a certain actor or actress and they will be guaranteed to get a fatter paycheck in return. Well, it’s not always the case it seems.

Forbes recently ran a study to find the most overpaid actors (and actresses) in Hollywood by looking at 100 biggest stars who had lead performances in at least three widely distributed movies and films in within the past 5 years.

Comedian Will Ferrell leads the top ten list, followed by Ewan McGregor, Billy Bob Thornton, Eddie Murphy, Ice Cube, Tom Cruise, Drew Barrymore, Leonardo diCaprio, Samuel Jackson and Jim Carrey. Barrymore is the only actress in the top ten.

Will Ferrell’s last three films, Land of the Lost, Semi-Pro and Step Brothers were considered major flops and while the three did break the box office marks, they failed to generate too much revenues compared to his pay. Land of the Lost cost more than $100 million to produce, yet it only generated a poor US$65 million.

On average, for every dollar Ferrell was paid, his films generated about US$3.29. Considering his talents and his achievements in the past, the US$3.29 figure is utterly disappointing.

10 Most Overpaid Hollywood Stars:

1. Will Ferrell
2. Ewan McGregor
3. Billy Bob Thornton
4. Eddie Murphy
5. Ice Cube
6. Tom Cruise
7. Drew Barrymore
8. Leonardo diCaprio
9. Samuel Jackson
10. Jim Carrey

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Author's bio: Zul is the founder and principal contributor for the SKOR Career blog. He is the author of two books, The Malaysian Job Seeker's Dilemma and Buat Duit Tanpa Kerja Makan Gaji (How to Make Money Without a Job), available in major book stores nationwide. You can reach him at zulkiflimusa[at]gmail.com.