Forbes’ highest paid actors 2018: Akshay and Salman in top ten

The Forbes’ list of world’s highest paid actors 2018 is out and Bollywood superstars Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan have secured the seventh and ninth spot respectively. The list is topped by George Clooney. Together, the world’s ten highest paid actors tallied $748.5 million, before fees and taxes.

The list tallies both onscreen and extracurricular earnings in the 12-month scoring frame. Earning estimates are based on data from Nielsen, ComScore, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with industry insiders. All figures are pretax; fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted.

The list mentioned Akshay as “one of Bollywood’s leading men” with earnings of $40.5 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018. An actor who has “transitioned to socially-conscious roles, such as ‘Toilet’, a comedy supporting government campaigns to improve sanitation, and ‘PadMan’, about a guy hoping to provide inexpensive sanitary pads to rural communities. He still mints millions from backend profits and endorsing some 20 brands, including Tata and Eveready.”

For Salman, Forbes mentioned, “This Bollywood mainstay remains one of India’s top earners with $38.5 million and continues to produce and star in hits such as ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, cashing in on backend profits. Coupled with a slew of endorsements from Suzuki motorcycles to Chlormint gum, he remains one of India’s top earners.”

Clooney, 57, is at the top of the list with $239 million despite not having helmed a hit in years. His earnings are thanks to the $1 billion purchase of his Casamigos Tequila. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson banked $124 million pretax to rank number 2 in the highest paid actors list.

Rounding out the top three is Robert Downey Jr, who pocketed $81 million. His ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ co-star Chris Hemsworth, with $64.5 million, scored a career-best thanks to his cut from Marvel movies such as ‘Thor: Ragnarok’. China’s top movie star Jackie Chan scored the fifth spot with $45.5 million, followed by Will Smith on number 6 with $42 million. In the eighth position is Adam Sandler with $39.5 million, while Chris Evans completes the top 10 list with $34 million.

The salaries of top-earning male leads dwarf those of the world’s highest paid actresses, who earned a cumulative $186 million in the same scoring period, or just one-quarter of the men’s earnings — highlighting the gender pay gap issue that persists.

Forbes’ list of the world’s best-paid male actors 2018:

George Clooney: $239m

Dwayne Johnson: $124m

Robert Downey Jr: $81m

Chris Hemsworth: $64.5m

Jackie Chan: $45.5m

Will Smith: $42m

Akshay Kumar: $40.5m

Adam Sandler: $39.5m

Salman Khan: $38.5m

Chris Evans: $34m

(Inputs by IANS)

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