Depp, DiCaprio, Clooney Top List of Most Overpaid Actors in Hollywood

Some of the biggest actors in Hollywood also happen to be the film industry’s most overpaid stars.

Among the names on Forbes’ annual list of the most overpaid movie stars are Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, George Clooney and Johnny Depp, who tops the list for the second year in a row. The actors’ placement on the list is determined by taking the box office gross for each of their last three films and weighing it against what they were paid for their roles.

Depp’s last three films — which included a leading role in this summer’s box office bomb Alice Through the Looking Glass — reportedly grossed just $2.80 at the box office for every $1 the actor was paid for the role. Forbes concludes that while accusations of physical abuse from Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard “did not impact his earnings during our scoring period, they look set to damage his box office prospects for months to come.”

Taking the number 2 spot on the list is Will Smith, not long ago considered one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. Like Depp, has had a staggeringly bad box office run in recent years. Smith’s films, Forbes concludes, collected a dreadful $5 for every $1 he earned. His turn in last year’s politically-charged NFL biopic Concussion failed to earn an Oscar nomination, and grossed a tepid $34 million on a $35 million production budget.

A-list actors Channing Tatum, Will Ferrell and George Clooney round out the top five spots.

Mark Wahlberg takes the number 7 spot, his films grossing $9.20 for every $1 he earned. DiCaprio is 8th, with his recent roles hauling in $9.90 for every $1 he was paid.

The only female star on the list is actress Julia Roberts, whose recent roles took in $10.80 for every $1 she was paid.

 

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson