Robert Downey Jr has topped Forbes magazine’s annual list of the highest paid actors for the third year in a row. But that is not what we are talking about.
According to the Forbes list, four of the 10 wealthiest male actors are now from outside Hollywood- including three from the Bollywood industry. And that’s not all!
Chinese actor Jackie Chan and Bollywood’s Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have all finished ahead of established American actors such as Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp.
At joint No.7, Bachchan and Salman, both earned 33.5 million dollars over the past 12 months. Kumar, who at 47 is still an expert in martial arts and stunts, made 32.5 million dollars and was placed just ahead of Wahlberg.
The list says Iron Man and Avengers star Downey made 80 million dollars over the past 12 months, beating veterans such as Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper and Tom Cruise.
Interestingly, the financial magazine has included data from outside the Hollywood industry for the first-time ever.
The wealth of Indian and Asian male actors therefore comes as a surprise because films from this region never make it to the highest-grosser list worldwide.
“Bollywood movies gross far less at the box office, with nearly all their money from domestic ticketing. But movies cover costs by selling satellite rights to TV channels. And unlike the US, where first dollar gross deals are a thing of the past, Indian stars continue to earn a cut of each film’s ticketing revenue,” Forbes’ Natalie Robehmed was quoted as saying in the Guardian.
Here’s the full top-ten list (Courtesy the Guardian):
1. Robert Downey Jr: $80m
2. Jackie Chan: $50m
3. Vin Diesel: $47m
4. Bradley Cooper: $41.5m
5. Adam Sandler: $41m
6. Tom Cruise: $40m
7. Amitabh Bachchan: $33.5m
7. Salman Khan: $33.5m
9. Akshay Kumar: $32.5m
10. Mark Wahlberg: $32m