Last month we reported on the annual Forbes “Celebrity Power 100” list, which ranks celebrities by media hits, paychecks, awards, buzz, et cetera. Angelina Jolie topped the list (beating Oprah Winfrey) for the first time, and was crowned the number one Most Powerful Celebrity. Now it seems Forbes is releasing some of the data they used to make the list, and we’re finding out who the top Hollywood earners were amongst actresses. Here are the top five, with their yearly income (I think it goes from June 2008 to June 2009): Angelina Jolie ($27 million), Jennifer Aniston ($25 million), Meryl Streep ($24 million), Sarah Jessica Parker ($23 million), Cameron Diaz ($20 million).
Angelina Jolie is Hollywood’s top earning actress, banking $27 million in the past year to beat out her partner Brad Pitt’s ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, who raked in $25 million, a Forbes.com study showed on Wednesday.
Most of Jolie’s income came from her share of the profits from her action film “Wanted,” but she was also paid a large upfront sum for her role in “Salt,” the study said. Jolie and Pitt have six children.
Aniston, who was married to Pitt before he became involved with Jolie, earned most of her millions from the romantic comedy “Marley and Me” and her upcoming film “The Baster.”
“Aniston also still earns money from (reruns of TV series) Friends and she gets a nice paycheck shilling for Glaceau’s SmartWater,” Forbes.com said.
Meryl Streep came in at No. 3 with $24 million, most of which came from her role in “Mamma Mia,” while Sarah Jessica Parker was ranked fourth with $23 million in earnings following the movie version of TV series “Sex and the City.”
Cameron Diaz rounds out the top five, banking $20 million between June 2008 and June 2009.
Forbes.com said it spoke to agents, managers, producers and lawyers to work out what actresses were paid upfront for movies they are currently shooting and what pay they might have earned after a movie hit the theaters. Money earned from perfume or clothing lines was also taken into account.
“As is still typical for Hollywood, our actresses earned significantly less than their male counterparts,” Forbes.com said, pointing out that the top earning male actor, Harrison Ford, made $65 million.
[From Reuters]
I’m surprised by two things – first, Meryl Streep gets paid so well for being so friggin’ awesome. That alone proves there is some justice in the world. Secondly, I’m surprised that Cameron Diaz only ranks number five on the list. Diaz really is a movie star, and she’s the heir to Julia Roberts (at least in paychecks). Diaz consistently gets eight-figure paychecks, even when she’s just doing voice work for the Shrek films. It’s shocking to me that she wouldn’t be the top earner. Oh, well. Guess we just have to embrace the uncool Bermuda Triangle.
tweo things Reuters.
What does Brad Pitt have to do with it?
What was Cammie un last year?
I love Meryl
I wonder if she sends AJ secret “thank you for my continued relevance” cards? (written in bubble letters, with a winking smiley face at the bottom…)
I love Meryl too. She deserves her place on this list….
Who knew hype could pay such dividends? Says something woeful about the state of the film industry that Jolie and Aniston are the top earners, that’s all I’ve got to say.
Aniston is on that list because of Friends.
I came across some article on IMDB that stated Aniston earned a lot more than Jolie:
“Aniston is said to have earned a staggering $27 million (£18.4 million) on the strength of films such as Marley & Me – while the Tomb Raider star took in $14 million (£9.5 million).”
Aniston earned $8 million for Marley and Me.
Most of her earning are from residuals from Friends and from Smartwater.
Most of these people can’t even act. Especially the first two.
Ah but whats that old saying? “You’ll never go broke appealing to the lowest common denominator”.
Anyone still in doubt that both of these two ladies use the media? That they encourage the triangle stories? It’s clearly working for both of them.
Well Jen made some money from me, I love her movies..and think shes great in romantic comedies..Angie didn’t make a dime from me tho..can’t stand her!
i just said yesterday, that Jen and her pr. is going to milk the association to brad and Angelina forever, she is nothing without them, when they don’t associate her to more talented celebrites or talking about how much money she earns, she’s nobody, the other actors on that list do not need to always request for attention, the Bradley thing failed last week when he denied it, people forget about her, so they have to keep this madness up, check my post yesterday,her last movie without all the stunts and hoopla flopped big time. she is not innocent like her poor fans believes, who else cares or benefit from this? and don’t say Angelina, every one else is busy doing more important things,it doesn’t mean anything but to continue high lighting Jen, Jen is and always will be SHALLOW.
Love Angelina because she’s such a sweetheart helping the less fortunate and adopting three. Even if she wasn’t on the list she’d still be number one to me. Will support her anytime and love her as an actress.
Angelina’s movies makes a lot of money, hate her all you want, but the rest of the movie going public (including me) seems to love her, she is a great, authentic, versatile actress, she has earned that respect, most of the viewing public is not ignorant enough to hold her personal life against her, , who cares? so she’s with brad, she still gets the respect and choice of roles she wants to play, directors love her, producers,love her, and of course, the public, she can carry a movie on her own.
According to numbers.com AJ got 15 million for both Salt and Wanted + backend. JA got 8 million for Marley and Me. Most of JA salary comes from Friends deal that ends this year The Hollywood Reporter says AJ is #1 15 million a movie followed By Julia, Reese,Cameron and Katherine.
Did ya see those old pics on Dlisted? Amazing what plastic surgery, age and airbrushing can do.
Y’all talk about residuals like it’s a dirty word. Actors had to fight long and hard to get those from their tv shows and it make sense for residuals to exist.
Anywho, it surprises me that either of them are the top earners for this past year.
Jennifer Aniston is smart for keeping herself aligned with Smart Water. Most celebrities make their big bucks from endorsements, not from movies or television shows.
Angelina would be getting money from St. John if she hadn’t been replaced.
I know the brangeloonies don’t want to accept it, but Angie wouldn’t be nearly as famous if she were dating some famous guy. Her movies were bombing for three straight years after Tomb Raider came out in 2001. Angie needs this triangle as much as Jen does. It revived a career that was starting to fade. In fact, all three of them could have started fading at that point. Notice how all three of them were famous before this triangle happened, and now they are all ten times as famous. Angie wasn’t on any top lists before she met Brad. She wasn’t a top earner and she wasn’t on any power lists. I think all three of them know exactly how profitable this has all been for them and how much they need each other to keep people talking.
Someone, how did you like Management? Kate Winslet needs a new agent Forbes claimes she only made 2 million hell Heidi Montag makes more than that
BS, I hope you were talking about BOTH actresses with your comment.
because it certainly applies to both.
Charity is Chic – well said.
HB, regarding St. John…when I saw what their clothes actually looked like (one day in Bloomies, I think) I was amazed that she’d shill for them. their clothes (at least what I saw in the store) were pretty dowdy and not at all like the clothes that I see her in.
WAIT.. MONTOG MAKES MORE THAN WINSLET???
how in dark horse hell is that??
Charity is Chic – I agree 100%. All 3 of them need and rely on the never ending triangle of their personal lives to keep themselves on the top of the tabloid heap. All 3 of them, I think, are OK actors and have a mix of good and bad films, but all are overrated and get far more attention, fame, and money than they deserve. And I would never factor media presence into the power list – how does the tabloids reporting a million times about Angelina’s possibly breakup make her more powerful in showbiz than Oprah, who has products in every media market and runs her own empire. Puh-lease!
Love that Meryl is on the list, well deserved.
I must agree with your surprise but for different reasons.
Meryl Streep had at least 2 flops and I’m not sure she has an audience that follows her.
She had that tedious Lions for Lambs (I’m prolly one of the only few who actually saw that one).
and Rendition that failed miserably (and rightly so, again).
That should have affected her eraning power and I am surprised it didn’t.
The opposite is true for Cameron diaz.
She is having great years lately, and that should have made her the top earner at least in this group.
I think someone at the studios is not doing their homework right and doesn’t adjust the price they are willing to pay with accordance to actual star power.
I’m sorry but all three actors in the “triangle” are over-exposed, over-rated, pr famehwores and not that talented. They should throw a big party for all the gossip blogs, the crazy fans, and the nutbags who still keep them relevant by writing endlessly about a stupid 5 yr. old divorce.
katherine: Ditto.
Katherine they should thank the people commenting on gossip sites like us resulting in more hits to the site . These are some of the factors that Forbes and Usatoday look at along with celeb magazine covers Btw Angie was paid 10 million+ for Mr and Mrs Smith before she even got with Brad Pitt Ibmd claimes she received 20 million for MMS If you people want these 3 to go away stop commenting on them the more comments the more stories the more hits the more money
Wow. Angelina and Jennifer? That can’t be a coincidence now can it?
Did they include the money she earned for the twins photo op, cause than that would put her way over the top.
I don’t mind them making more money due to comments.
If some producer is stupid enough to pay according to gossip magazines and blogs, than it’s his money and his sheer negligence.
I didn’t see too many people wanting to watch Changeling or A Mighty Heart and Wanted was hurt by Angelina emaciated appearance (and she wasn’t even the lead).
If Angelina manages to make a lot of money doing failed movies, giving the same lousy performances with 2 expressions and having the audience yawn- than more power to her.
If someone wants to pay Brad when he clearly less of a box office draw, then good for him.
If those producers want to spend their money with accordance to that silly criteria, then go and hire Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan with them.
Forbes will not be the one losing money or not getting their money’s worth.
By the way Angelina had some major failed films before M&MS, so if they chose to pay her 10 M or more, then she should find the same idiots and ask to work with them again, since they don’t do their homework.
Had they not had the affair, that film would have sunk, just like Sky Captain and all the rest of her flops.
totally disagree, why in hell would Angelina want to continue this, people have been calling her home wrecker and all sorts of horrible names since she hooked up with Pitt, who wants that? this is all Jen and her pr. it’s embarrassing to say the least, Angie has been trying to distant herself so she could have respectability and be taken seriously,and for that matter brad too, this type of tabloid nonsense does nothing but mock them, while the news on Jolie/Pitt is always, what charity they donated to,new Orleans housing, Angie humanitarian work,trips to help get focus on foreign countries,some red carpets, adopting and having children, Jen is, what guy she is dating,5 or 6 since brad, Jen is pregnant, Jen strips for magazines,just all kinds of stupid things, she loves all this drama, she has nothing else going on, no family, no nothing. this is her only life.
Ned-
You and your slanderous messages…Angie was nominated on several occasions for several awards for her performance in “A Mighty Heart” and in “The Changeling.” And I trust the industry experts’ artistic opinion over yours. These types of movies were never meant to compete with the likes of Star Wars, Transformers, or Jerry Maguire.
Secondly, drama and non-fiction movies are not made with the purpose of being blockbusters. They are made to send a message or reveal some scale of human tragedy, or suffrage. These types of movies pay homage and give some insight as to how the character(s) grew from the tragic experience or was affected by it. Nearly all of the mega entertainers/singers/artists have a biography movie made about them, as well as any sudden and tragic death of someone who dies abruptly or under extraordinary conditions.
Poor Jann. You clearly don’t understand the nature of modern celebrity. It’s not just the people who love you who fill your pockets with money, it’s the people who hate you as well.
Paris Hilton invented it.
Hilton has raked in $100 million dollars in the last 5 years because the average Paris Hilton fan is someone who can’t stand Paris Hilton. Have you EVER in your life met anyone who actually liked her?
I repeat, $100 million dollars. That’s what Paris has in her bank account, not including the family money.
I know you want to think this is some unbelievably well-coordinated conspiracy secretly carried out by Jen’s PR team and her alone, while Brad and Angie are just quietly living our their lives without any manipulation of any kind but you are an idiot if you believe that.
You fail to understand this is a well-coordinated conspiracy secretly carried out by Brad, Angie and Jen and ALL of their agents, and ALL of their PR teams, and ALL of their managers and the studios and the corporately-owned websites, magazines and entertainment shows that live off these three.
The Bermuda Triangle should have a list all it’s own. I’m guessing we’re somewhere in the ballpark of $1 billion dollars so far.
^^^^@ Charity is Chic: i agree with everything that you just said, anyone that thinks neither of the three benefit in small parts from the triangle bullshit is living in denial.. am sure they all dont enjoy every aspect of the triangle bullshit but i bet they enjoy the parts that raise their profile
And pls can people stop with the bullshit about jen pr people lol, as if brad pitt doesnt have pr people or person as well haha and even if angie doesnt have a offical pr person am sure she has a person advising her on he media activities and keeping her aware of the things being said about in the media and also announcing things in the media she wants to confirm; jus because the person doesnt have the title of publicist dont mean they dont do the work that publicist do
now about the forbe list, the artcile isnt called higest paid on talent lol, it just called higest paid . People should realse by now that a person can have all the talent in the world what the studio would perfers is a person that puts bum on seats
for all anyone can say about angelina, jennifer , cameron diaz and sjp not being as talent as people like cate blanchett or kate winslet yet they have more box office movies than them.
i cant thing of one cate blanchett movie that was a huge box office, her movies her loved by the critic but not generally by the public same for kate winslet(wasnt her last huge box office the titanic?) and dont even get me started on kidman who for all her talent i think her last 6 filsm hasve done badly box office wise.
the studio pays according to what you bring in, that why someone like will smith though not as talented as sean penn whould make loads more than sean because although sean brings the oscars will smith brings the bucks ; and nothing the stuido love more than money
jann, you cannot be serious when you say “Angelina’s movies makes a lot of money.” Many of her movies under-perform and even flop. Her action movies (Tomb Raiders, M&M Smith, and Wanted) and animated films (Shark Tale, Kung Fu Panda) are really the only ones that have brought in a good amount of money. How well did Changeling, A Mighty Heart, The Good Shepherd, Beyond Borders, or Original Sin do? I can tell you: Not well. Due to the publicity and attention she gets, lots of people are under the impression that she is a successful actress or something.
Ned~ Angelina was nowhere near the “star” of Sky Captain & its failure can hardly be blamed on her. Meryl Streep has had WAY more winners than the 2 losers you named. Her earnings reflect a lifetime of phenomenal work; everyone knows that a movie can flop despite the actors.
Seriously, get the hell over yourself