Mark Wahlberg tops Forbes’ list of highest-paid actors
“Daddy’s Home” — and he’s bringing home some serious bacon.
Mark Wahlberg topped Forbes’ annual list of highest-paid actors for 2017, collecting his highest-ever yearly earnings with $68 million, and dethroning last year’s biggest earner, Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson.
Wahlberg, 46, has come a long way since his rapping days as Marky Mark — this year, he scored massive checks thanks to films like “Transformers: The Last Knight” and the upcoming comedy “Daddy’s Home 2.”
Despite the fact that “Transformers” was the lowest-grossing film in the franchise to date — and that it scored a measly 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — Wahlberg earns a fixed compensation, so he was set to earn big no matter what happened at the box office. The “Ted” actor, who also has an endorsement deal with AT&T, was No. 12 last year, with $30 million.
Slipping to No. 2 is Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, 45, who earned a whopping $65 million over Forbes’ 12-month scoring period.
Johnson starred in several blockbuster flicks this year, including “Baywatch” and “Jumanji,” and has a steady gig on the HBO dramedy “Ballers” as an NFL player-turned-financial manager.
He also edged out his “Fate of the Furious” co-star — and one-time rival — Vin Diesel, who sits at No. 3 with $54.5 million.
Diesel, 50, had roles in multiple franchise blockbusters this year, including “Fate of the Furious,” “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”
The success of “Fate” at the box office was no joke — it topped $1.2 billion globally, which likely helped bump Diesel up from last year, when he came in at No. 7 with $35 million.
Meanwhile, Adam Sandler and Jackie Chan rounded out the top 5, with $50.5 million and $49 million, respectively.
Sandler is currently in the middle of a $250 million, four-movie deal with Netflix. So far, he’s released “The Ridiculous 6,” “The Do-Over” and “Sandy Wexler,” which, despite dismal reviews from critics, earned Sandler a second deal with the streaming site for four additional movies, which he signed in March.
Chan, meanwhile, remains as hot a commodity as ever in China, where he continues to churn out flicks like “Railroad Tigers” and “Kung Fu Yoga.”
Robert Downey Jr. came in at No. 6 with $48 million thanks to his enduring role as Marvel superhero Tony Stark/Iron Man, and Tom Cruise followed at No. 7 with $43 million.
Cruise may be 53, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down — he earned an estimated eight figures for this summer’s “The Mummy” and is currently filming the next installment of his action franchise “Mission: Impossible” (even though he is currently sidelined with an ankle injury).
Three Bollywood actors finish out the top 10 in a notable difference from Forbes’ highest-paid actresses list, which didn’t feature a single woman of color.
Shah Rukh Khan earned $38 million thanks to upfront fees for films like “Raees,” Salman Khan raked in $37 million thanks to high-grossing flicks like “Sultan” and Askhay Kumar scored $35.5 million after churning out four movies this year.
Overall, the top 10 actors earned $488.5 million cumulatively, a total that is nearly three times more than the collective earnings of the top 10 actresses, who pulled in a combined $172.5 million.
Source: Nydailynews