Johnny Depp is Still Our Most Overpaid Actor

Share:

Once again, crazy accent enthusiast, scarf coatrack, and accused domestic abuser Johnny Depp is Hollywood’s most overpaid actor, according to an annual study by the folks over at Forbes. And their sharpshooting of Mr. Depp isn’t just the knee-jerk wincing that most of us engage in; they did real Movie Math. Forbes starts with the earnings reported on their Celebrity 100 list. They then figure up the profit of the actor’s last three major, starring releases, add together that “operating income” and the star’s estimated earnings, and determine the “return on investment.” It’s super scientific!

Depp heads up the list (and it’s not even close), yielding a meager $1.20 return for every $1 paid– and the period they’re working with here ends in June 2015, which means his figures doesn’t include the megaflop Alice Through the Looking Glass . On the other hand, he’s got another Pirates of the Caribbean movie coming up, and people somehow aren’t tired of that schtick yet, for whatever reason.

Here’s the rest of the list:

  1. Denzel Washington ($6.50 for every $1 paid)
  2. Will Ferrell ($6.80 for every $1 paid)
  3. Liam Neeson ($7.20 for every $1 paid)
  4. Will Smith ($8.60 for every $1 paid)
  5. Christian Bale ($9.20 for every $1 paid)
  6. Channing Tatum ($10.80 for every $1 paid)
  7. Brad Pitt ($12 for every $1 paid)
  8. Ben Affleck ($12.30 for every $1 paid)
  9. Tom Cruise ($13.60 for every $1 paid)

Head over to Forbes for the full numbers and explanations.