Nov 19 2009Don't Pay Will Ferrell Too Much To Act
By looking at the last three mainstream films big Hollywood actors starred in within the last five years, subtracting the voice-acting parts and applying maths, Forbes has compiled a shaming list of the ten most overpaid stars, and has found that Will Ferrell earns the least back in box office for every dollar he's paid.
Would you like to see the full list, and see where Eddie Murphy places since you know he's got to be on there? Oh, good, here it is:
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 L. Jackson
10. Jim Carrey
You may now refer to the IMDb to see what major release films Billy Bob Thornton and Ice Cube have even been in in recent years. (Hint: think Mr. Woodcock and Are We There Yet? sequels.)
Reader Comments
1. JotD - November 19, 2009 5:01 PM
Everyone knows Will Ferrell movies earn way more on DVD than in theaters.
2. TetraShiva - November 19, 2009 6:13 PM
I'm surprised Ewan McGregor is that high up on the list, but I can't really remember any movie he's done in the last 5 years except Star Wars 3. Oh, wait. The Island, right?
I am glad to see Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey on that list, though. What happened, Jim? You used to be so good on In Living Color.
3. J. Williams - November 19, 2009 7:55 PM
Big news, guys.
Actors don't make the movie. Writers do.
If anything, the list is a reflection of actors willing to participate in bad films/productions. Yes, *some* of those actors are bad and/or over the hill. But these days, its far more likely that they knew how bad the film was and did it anyway, for the money they were *offered.*
4. edie - November 19, 2009 8:52 PM
I wonder if Ewan gets damaged for the full-body nude scene in Velvet Goldmine. I bet he got rewarded nicely for that.
I hope he got rewarded nicely for that.
5. Rich Waffle-U - November 20, 2009 7:39 AM
This is largely ballclackers though. Just cos they make the least per dollar paid, doesn't mean they are a bad draw. For example, take a relative newcomer who gets paid $100k to star in a film, and that film then makes $1 million at the box office, then whoopdedoo! They have made ten times what they were paid, and the financial backers get £900k (minus all the other expenses, obviously)
Now take one of the Hollywoodians from the list above and pay them $5 million for a movie. The movie makes $10 million at the box office. Oh no! They only drew twice what they were paid. The backer still gets $5 million though (minus all the other bits).
6. mike kennedy - November 20, 2009 5:25 PM
Rich,
Not that I don't sort of a agree but all those other "bits"
add up way higher than the leads salary. Marketing mainly, so if the actor is making 5mil and the movie made 10mil, there is a huge loss for sure on that movie and they would have been better off with the 100K actor......
7. Vitero - November 21, 2009 10:05 PM
Seems like a dumb list. Big name actors star in dumb movies because the studio pays them a fortune, knowing they'll make the movie a 'hit' despite having no substance. So even though the profits are bad, they're several time higher than it would have been without the actor.
8. frank - November 23, 2009 9:10 PM
My problem with the article is that it says Shia Labeauf is not overpaid, but Leonardo Dicaprio and Ewan McGregor are. Huh? They could act circles around that no-no-no-ing twat. When your only basis for quality is revenue, you end up praising some weak-ass actors who happen to be in the kind of big dumb shit that makes lotsa dough.