Are Hollywood Actors Worth Those Mega-Pay Checks?
The salaries of Hollywood A-listers has long been a source of gossip and debate among film fans. But are they actually worth it? While some say not, the film studios are actually getting a pretty good return for the cash investment.
And now RouletteOnline have produced a useful infographic that puts everything into perspective when it comes to your favourite top earners.
According to Roulette Online, the key is how many dollars a film studio gets back for each one they spend on an actor or actress. While personal net worth can run into the hundreds of millions for some stars, the money many of our top bards earn the studios can be measured in the hundreds of billions.
• Near the foot of the list is Charlize Theron who has a personal net worth of about $130 million. While she’s laughing all the way to the bank, the return for the studios is only $1.19 for every dollar invested. You might think this low, but you have to put it into perspective – there’s still a healthy profit to be made with the actress helping to bring in some $1.5 billion during her career.
• You’d but right in thinking that ageing action king Tom Cruise would fare better but he’s still only bringing in $4.57 per studio dollar. His top grossing film was War of the Worlds and over 38 outings, the actor has managed to bring in well over $3.5 billion for the studios.
• Cruise might be a little miffed that he’s beaten on the list by both Adam Sandler, who earns the studio $7.25 per dollar, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson who comes in at $8.48.
• Perennial everyman, Mark Wahlberg, with 39 films under his belt across various genres including comedy and action, breaks the double figure barrier and comes in at just over $12 per dollar spent. You won’t be surprised to learn that his top grossing film was Transformers: Age of Extinction even if Last Knight was a bit of a setback.
• The girls are quietly accumulating for the film studios with Jennifer Anniston, Melissa McCarthy and Julia Roberts all delivering excellent returns. Top female actor on the list is Cate Blanchett who pulls in a very healthy $66 per dollar spent for the studio and lies in second place.
• There’s something of a battle going on between the superheroes, as you might expect. Chris Hemsworth is the worst performing but still brings in a healthy $32.25, while Robert Downey Jr, who has a net worth of $260 million, mostly from donning the Iron Man suit, delivers a return of $47.10.
• Top of the list, however, is the acting royalty that is Samuel L Jackson. He earns the studios a staggering $83.79 for every dollar invested. The star of Pulp Fiction and the Avengers films has had 73 outings in his career, is worth over $200m, and has earned those film execs a massive $5 billion or more.
Next time you wonder why the studios pay lead actors so much – remember the boost they get in revenue from signing a top star. That can often mean the difference between success and failure for a movie. Check out the full list from RouletteOnline here.
