With the end of the year now almost upon us the financial site Forbes has calculated the most overpaid actors of 2017 based on their last three films before June 1st 2017 excluding animated films or films shown on less than 2000 screens on release.
The earnings were then worked out by deducting estimated budgets and then dividing that figure by the actors estimated pay to come up with the final figure. All very complicated which is why our Editor left it to the experts.
It turns out that unlike 2015 and 2016 where Johnny Depp took the title of most overpaid star we now have a new winner namely Mr Funky Bunch himself Mark Wahlberg!!!! Having earned a huge $68m from films, TV series and other deals and beating Dwayne Johnson’s earning of $65m it turns out that Wahlberg bought in only $4.40 for every dollar he was paid! Those films included Deepwater Horizon (cost $110m and earned only $121m) & Patriots Day (cost $45m and earned $50.5m). Pretty bad considering that in 2016 he was in seventh place earning $9.20.
It’s likely that he will be a contender to maintain that position in 2018 too having released Transformers : the Last Knight which cost $217m and making $605m (less than half what the fourth film earned) and Daddys Home 2 not performing anywhere near as well as the original film.
Taking second place is Christian Bale with $6.70 per dollar he was paid. Hardly a surprise when ‘The Promise’ which cost a massive $90m earned only $8m and Knight of Cups whose budget was kept a secret but only made $566,006!
Straight in at Number 3, pop pickers, is Channing Tatum earning a measly $7.60 per dollar that he was paid. Logan Lucky cost $29m and earning $47m followed by Hail Caesar costing £22m and earning $63m.
At No 4 is Denzel Washington earning $10.40 per dollar paid. His Oscar nominated Fences cost $24m and earned $64m whereas The Magnificent Seven remake cost $90m but made $162m.
And then in fifth place was Brad Pitt whose personal life has not been great and was matched only by flops films like Allied which cost $85m but made only $119m.
Though studios are keen on stars and agents keen to boost their clients fees these results show that star power has been on the wane for years and all these actors will quickly find themselves out of studio favour if their name billing doesn’t bring in the punters. So the onus is on their next films to be a hit and a big hit at that.
Regrettably it has meant that our Editor has been putting himself round the studios offering to star in these films for half their fee though quite why any studio would want to employ someone with a face like they’ve had wood chopped on it and a body like a dropped lasagne is anyone’s guess (‘You’re fired!’ – Ed)
