The 15 Highest Paid Actors In The World Right Now

By on August 10, 2015 in ArticlesHow Much Does

The annual list of the world's highest paid actors is out and one thing is for sure: It is Iron Man's world, the rest of us just live in it. Robert Downey Jr. tops the list of the actors banking the most bucks for the third consecutive year.

Downey Jr.'s staggering 2015 income is derived, of course, from his position as the head of the Marvel Studios universe. This year, he reprised his Iron Man role in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." The superhero flick has grossed $1.4 billion worldwide since it hit cineplexes in May. It is 2015's third highest grossing movie.

International superstars made a strong showing on this year's list, including Jackie Chan and a number of Bollywood stars.

Getty Images

Getty Images

The list was compiled using earnings from June 1, 2014 through June 1, 2015 before deducting fees for agents, business managers, and taxes.

A list of the highest paid actresses in the world will be out later this year.

15. Chris Hemsworth

$27 million

Chris Hemsworth cracked the top 15 due to his participation in a number of Marvel movies, including "Avengers: Age of Ultron." He will soon reprise his role as Eric Huntsman in the Snow White spinoff "The Huntsman."

13. Channing Tatum

$29 million

Channing Tatum can do no wrong. He danced his way into our hearts in a number of teen flicks, "21 Jump Street," and "Magic Mike." The latter, based on his experiences as a dancer in Florida strip clubs, cost $7 million to make and grossed $167 million. He produced and started in the sequel, "Magic Mike XXL." He can soon be seen in Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" and the Coen brothers' "Hail, Caesar!"

13. Leonardo DiCaprio

$29 million

DiCaprio will soon be back in theatres in 2015's much anticipated "The Revenant," a dark western from "Birdman" director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The vehicle could be another Oscar contender for Leo.

12. Johnny Depp

$30 million

Depp sets sail on the high seas of the Caribbean for his fifth go around as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales." Depp also starts in "Black Mass," the story of criminal on the lam Whitey Bulger.

11. Dwayne Johnson

$31.5 million

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is the go to guy for action movies. Johnson literally carried the 2015 film "San Andreas," which grossed $385 million worldwide. He also executive produces and stars in the HBO comedy series "Ballers."

10. Mark Wahlberg

$32 million

Mark Wahlberg's 2015 effort, "Ted 2" has grossed $168 million. His earnings are also bolstered by 2014's "The Gambler" and "Transformers: Age of Extinction." He also produced the "Entourage" movie and his production company is behind The Rock's HBO series "Ballers."

9. Akshay Kumar

$32.5 million

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar had his breakout role in 1992's "Khiladi" and since then has appeared in 150 films. Kumar also hosts the Indian reality TV show "Dare 2 Dance," and has lucrative endorsement contracts.

8. Salman Kahn

$33.5 million

Salman Kahn is one of Bollywood's biggest stars. He has appeared in 80 movies since his breakout role in 1989's "Maine Pyar Kiya." He produces as well as acts. Khan also hosts the Indian reality TV show "Bigg Boss," India's version of "Big Brothers." He has a clothing line called Being Human that had $30 million in revenue on 2014. He has endorsement deals with companies like Suzuki and India's Coca-Cola brand Thums Up.

7. Amitabh Bachchan

$33.5 million

Bachchan's Bollywood career has spanned 50 years and 150 films. In India, stars of films get first dollar gross – meaning they get a direct cut of the movie's revenue without the crazy accounting Hollywood studios do. He is also the host of India's version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

6. Tom Cruise

$40 million

Tom Cruise has made a career out of playing Ethan Hunt in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise and owes the bulk of his income this year to the upfront fees he received for this summer's "Mission: Impossible Rouge Nation" as well as last year's "Edge of Tomorrow."

5. Adam Sandler

$41 million

Does anyone even remember the last big hit former funnyman Adam Sandler had? Despite a string of flops, he continues to make big bucks. He recently signed a deal to do four movies for Netflix, which will deliver his antics directly to those who are interested in seeing them.

4. Bradley Cooper

$41.5 million

Bradley Cooper has struck the perfect balance in his career. He alternates between commercial fare like "Aloha" and "The Hangover" trilogy with Oscar-contenders like "American Sniper." He is currently appearing in the hit series "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day At Band Camp."

3. Vin Diesel

$47 million

Vin Diesel ranks high on this year's list thanks to his latest paycheck from the newest installment in the "Fast and Furious" franchise. "Furious 7" grossed $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office.

2. Jackie Chan

$50 million

Jackie Chan is China's biggest movie star and for this year's calculations got a big boost from his back-end deal on "Dragon Blade." Chan starred in the film alongside Adrien Brody and John Cusack. The film grossed $120 million. Chan is also a master at the endorsement game and includes a Segway dealership and movie theater chain that bears his name in his money making portfolio of businesses.

1. Robert Downey, Jr.

$80 million

Iron Man continues to rule the world. Downey Jr.'s earnings are through the roof due to his roles in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and the upcoming "Captain America: Civil War." In fact, for the latter film, Downey made a reported $40 million. A large part of his $80 million comes from his lucrative backend deal on "Age of Ultron." Downey made a financially savvy deal in which he must get a chunk of money from any movie the Iron Man character appears in.

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