Jennifer Lawrence tops list of best paid actresses
LOS ANGELES — Oscar-winning Jennifer Lawrence was named the world’s highest-paid actress for the second year running on Tuesday, with estimated pre-tax earnings of $46 million.
The 26-year-old American raked in the lion’s share from a profit share in the final Hunger Games movie, which grossed $650 million, Forbes magazine said.
An upfront fee for the forthcoming space thriller Passengers also helped the actress push her payday above second- ranked Melissa McCarthy, who pocketed $33 million.
The world’s 10 highest- paid actresses made a combined $205 million in the 12 months from June 1, 2015 before fees and taxes, said Forbes.
But the actors’ list due to be published on Thursday ( Friday in the Philippines) is expected to show once again men banking far more than their female counterparts.
The issue of pay disparity grabbed headlines in 2014 after a leak of stolen e-mails from Sony Pictures Entertainment showed that Lawrence was paid less than her male co-stars in the hit movie American Hustle.
Patricia Arquette also railed against the industry’s gender-based wage gap during her acceptance speech after winning a statuette at last year’s Academy Awards.
Lawrence, who took the best actress Oscar for 2012 comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook, is down from $52 million in last year’s list, although she is still considered Hollywood’s hottest property by some distance.
McCarthy, 45, earned $10 million more than the 2015 estimate thanks to a reported eight-figure payday for Ghostbusters.
Perennial A- list darling Scarlett Johansson came in third with $ 25 million, while Jennifer Aniston, who makes most of her cash through endorsements, bagged $21 million.
Fan Bingbing of China, a relative unknown in Hollywood, rounded out the top five, making the list for the second consecutive year with $17 million.
India’s Deepika Padukone — who made $10 million — was the only other actress from outside Hollywood to feature in the rankings.
The 30-year- old, who came 10th, earns far less than her Tinseltown counterparts for her Bollywood roles, but compensates with more than a dozen lucrative endorsements, Forbes said.
Four women, up from three in 2015, banked more than $20 million compared with 18 of the world’s leading men, Forbes said. —