Most Overpaid Actor: Eddie Murphy Tops Forbes List

Eddie Murphy is considered to be the most overpaid actor in Hollywood. According to a recent Forbes list, the actor’s box office abilities currently don’t match the size of his paycheck.

In order to figure out who isn’t earning his or her salary, the magazine analyzed data gathered for the publication’s Celebrity 100 list. After gathering figures from Box Office Mojo, researchers figured out the actor’s return on investment.

The large number of flops the comedian has starred in over the past several years helped elevate the Beverly Hills Cop star to the top of this unfortunate list. Imagine That, A Thousand Words, and his failed comeback flick Tower Heist were all box office disappointments. However, that didn’t stop the actor from commanding a large salary.

For every dollar Eddie Murphy was paid for his last three movies, they only returned an average of $2.30. That’s probably not the sort of investment studios will be making for much longer.

A quick look at the numbers posted at Box Office Mojo tells a pretty sad tale of Murphy’s current box office power. Director Brian Robbins’ A Thousand Words only managed to earn $20 million worldwide. Given that the film had a production cost of $40 million, those figures aren’t exactly impressive.

To add insult to injury, A Thousand Words currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 0 percent. Calling it a critical failure would be a serious understatement.

Also joining Eddie Murphy on the most overpaid actor list are Katherine Heigl ($3.40 return), Reese Witherspoon ($3.90 return), Sandra Bullock ($5 return), and Jack Black ($5.20). Black’s comedy The Big Year, a film which co-starred Owen Wilson and Steve Martin, only managed to bring in $7 million at the box office.

Be sure to swing by Forbes website to check out their in-depth analyst of Hollywood’s most overpaid actors. For a look at Eddie Murphy’s box office performance, swing by Box Office Mojo.