Pacman ‘biggest loser,’ world’s 2nd highest-paid celebrity
HE IS not only the world’s second highest-paid athlete. After Floyd Mayweather Jr., he is also the world’s second highest-paid celebrity, outshining artists and musicians in Hollywood and beyond.
Based on Forbes Magazine’s 16th annual “Celebrity 100” ranking of the world’s topearning celebrities, the Philippines’ most famous athlete, world-class boxer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao—with estimated
earnings of $160 million—ranked second only to his American rival Floyd Mayweather Jr., who topped the list with $300 million in earnings.
Mayweather and Pacquiao also topped the list of highest-paid athletes of 2015 int he Forbes list released last month.
Forbes has released its “Celebrity 100” list every year since 1999 as a tally of the “most powerful” celebrities from the worlds of movies, television, music, sports and books, based on their earnings and overall media footprint.
Business of fame
The list ranks the earnings of the highest-paid entertainers on the planet over the past 12 months. The earnings consisted of pretax income between June 1, 2014, and June 1, 2015. Management, agent and attorney fees were not deducted.
“The result is the definitive index of who’s making what in the global business of fame,” the magazine said.
For the first time, Forbes said, the “Celebrity 100” list is “truly international as it had included talent from across the entire entertainment world—from Hollywood to Bollywood—in its ranking.
‘Least surprising’ payday
Mayweather might have just had the “least surprising” payday of all time, the magazine said, noting that the undefeated boxer’s $300 million earnings marked the highest annual sum ever for an athlete—mostly from his controversial May 2 victory over Pacquiao.
The fight in Las Vegas turned out to be heartbreaking for the Filipino nation as Mayweather was declared the winner by a unanimous decision. Pacquiao, on the other hand, fought with a shoulder injury.
Forbes noted that the fight spawned a record 4.4 million payper-view transactions and exhaustive global media coverage.
Musicians and athletes
In the magazine’s July 20, 2015, issue, the two athletes were higher than American pop singer Katy Perry, who ranked third place with estimated earnings of $135 million.
Boy band One Direction ranked No. 4 on the list with $130 million in earnings, while American radio star Howard Stern ranked fifth with $95 million in estimated earnings.
Musicians and athletes dominated the top 10 spots, which included only two women.
Also on top 10
Completing the top 10 on the list were:
American singer-songwriter Garth Brooks was the sixth placer with $90 million.
American author James Patterson, best known for novels about fictional psychologist Alex Cross, was seventh placer with $89 million.
American actor Robert Downey Jr., who made a big comeback as the “Iron Man” in the Avengers series, ranked eighth with estimated earnings of $80 million, along with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift who earned an equal sum.
Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo of Spanish club Real Madrid ranked 10th with estimated estimated earnings of $79.5 million.
Jackie Chan, too
This year, Forbes said musicians ranked high on the list. Ten of the top 25 on the list were musicians.
Outside of the top 10 list were the following: The Eagles (No. 14), Calvin Harris (No. 17), Justin Timberlake (No. 19), Diddy (No. 21), Fleetwood Mac (No. 24) and Lady Gaga (No. 25).
Overall, the latest “Celebrity 100” list included 38 musicians, 29 athletes, 19 actors, six personalities, three radio stars, two comedians, one chef, one model and one author.
Biggest reality star
The list included martial arts legend Jackie Chan (No. 38), described as having “combined a government perch with a capitalist’s attitude to make himself extremely rich and the most powerful person in the Chinese film industry.”
Likewise cited was Gordon Ramsay (No. 21), the highestearning celebrity chef ever and Fox’s biggest reality star.
“Ramsay demands more money per episode than any other chef, earning at least five times what a Food Network star earns,” the magazine said.
The year was described as actor Vin Diesel’s (No. 43) breakout year. He was estimated to have earned $47 million in the last 12 months, most of it from “Furious 7.”
“The Fast and the Furious,” which Diesel stars in and produces, is now Universal’s highest-grossing franchise (ahead of the “Jurassic” and “Bourne” series), the magazine noted.
iPhone game
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who earned $28 million in the previous list, nearly doubled her earnings to an estimated $52.5 million, according to Forbes.
“I personally think she has been able to monetize fame better than anybody else,” Natalie Robehmed of Forbes said in an interview. “A large percentage of her earnings come from her iPhone game.”
(The full list can be found at www.forbes.com/celebrities.)