Depp holds the ignominious title for the second consecutive year after the 2016 list was published by Forbes.
Capping off a rather horrid 2016 for Johnny Depp is the news that he’s been judged by Forbes to be Hollywood’s most overpaid actor for the second year in a row, following a handful of big-budget disappointments at the box office this year.
The 53 year old megastar topped Forbes’ annual list of actors whose movies have underperformed at cinemas compared to their budgets, after his much vaunted sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass flopped at the box office in comparison to its predecessor.
Johnny Depp is the 'most overpaid' actor in Hollywood for the second year in a row
The critically panned Disney title, directed by James Bobin, made just $77 million in the U.S. when it was released in May this year, which was about the same time as Depp was undergoing an acrimonious divorce from his ex-wife Amber Heard. Its predecessor had made $334 million back in 2010.
The Forbes list looks at an actor’s last three non-animated films before June 2016, and works out the money made from the film compared to the salary the actor earned. It determined that Depp’s movies, even if one includes 2015’s well-received Black Mass, brought in just $2.80 for every $1 he was paid.
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Depp has suffered a number of high-profile box office flops in the recent past, with 2013’s The Lone Ranger, 2014’s Transcendence and 2015’s Mortdecai all seriously underperforming. For his critics, the latest news will provide them with more evidence that Depp’s box office appeal is in decline.
Will Smith was not very far behind in second place on Forbes’ list, his movies having generated just $5 for every dollar he earned. His NFL drama Concussion, tipped for the Oscars before it was released last year, failed to find its audience, with other recent failures including After Earth and Focus. His role in Suicide Squad arrived just after the cut-off point for the survey, so next year will almost certainly see him fare better.
The list is dominated by male leads whose historical earning power has allowed them to command large salaries, the dynamic suggests. Channing Tatum ($6 for every dollar), Will Ferrell ($6.50) and George Clooney ($6.70) round out the top five, with Julia Roberts the only female actor in the top ten, in ninth place ($10.80).
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