Sandra Bullock Named Hollywood’s Highest-Earning Actress By ‘Forbes’
Sandra Bullock is Hollywood’s highest-earning actress, according to an analysis published by Forbes Tuesday. The site explained that, while the Gravity star didn’t win for Best Actress this year, she did walk away with millions.
Despite Bullock’s payday of $51 million, women still earn less than men in Hollywood. The site notes that the ten top earning actors brought in a combined $419 million during the time frame, while the top ten actresses brought in a little more than half that — $226 million.
To come up with earnings estimates, Forbes spoke with agents, producers, lawyers and other “in-the-know folks” to find out how much each celebrity earned from entertainment-related work during a 12-month period. The site didn’t deduct any money for taxes, agent fees, or any other costs of being a celebrity.
Sandra Bullock earned the top spot on the list, while Jennifer Lawrence came in a comfortable second with a payday of $34 million between June 2013 and June 2014. The Hunger Games actress earned less than $1 million upfront for the first movie in the series, but she’s now in a position to earn much more for future movies in the franchise as well as a share of the backend.
Third place on the list went to Jennifer Aniston, who earned an estimated $31 million, thanks to Friends and her endorsement work for products like Aveeno. Forbes notes that Aniston has focused on smaller-budgeted comedies like Horrible Bosses and has been willing to cut her upfront pay in return for a portion of the profits. The New York Daily News notes that the strategy has paid off and Aniston should continue her earnings streak with Horrible Bosses 2 in November.
Sandra Bullock’s main earnings came from Gravity, though her other film, The Heat, with Melissa McCarthy, also earned a decent income. Gravity cost $100 million to produce, but drew $716 million at the box office. The film also earned 10 Oscar nods, though none for Bullock. She was nominated for Best Actress, but lost to Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.
Forbes notes that Bullock’s success was excellent for ambitious filmmaking based on original stories, rather than comic books or novels. While Gravity earned an impressive $716 million, The Heat came in with a respectable $230 million worldwide.
After Bullock, Lawrence, and Aniston were Gwenyth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Natalie Portman, and Kristin Stewart. Hollywood’s highest-earning actor is Robert Downey Jr., who earned $75 million between June 2013 and June 2014.
Are you surprised to see Sandra Bullock was Hollywood’s highest-earning actress for June 2013 to June 2014?
[Image: Pop Sugar]
