Robert Downey Jr. Leads Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid Actors List

The “Iron Man” and “Avengers” star has done it three times in a row.

Bollywood actors featured heavily in the bottom half of the top ten with Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar all taking more than $30m over a year ago. Hollywood’s best effort, 2009’s Avatar, scored a staggering US$2.78 billion.

Spurred by the $US1.3b of “Avengers: Age of Ultron“, Downey Jr. earned an estimated $US80 million from June 2014 to June 2015. It is interesting that the highest-paid actor is not the most popular actor. He made his US$50 million from highly profitable franchises such as the upcoming historical action movie Dragon Blade, as well as merchandise tie-ins and a cinema chain which trades under his name.

Vin Diesel climbs up to third spot with $47 million.

“From Hollywood to Hong Kong and Bollywood, the ranking examines worldwide stars’ earnings for the first truly global dollar tally of film’s flushest stars”, Forbes writer Natalie Robehmed says in the article.

Sixth place, with US$40million, went to Tom Cruise, who remains a high earner thanks to the box office success of the Mission: Impossible films, which he also produces.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage Actor Robert Downey Jr. attends The 41st Annual People’s Choice Awards at Nokia Theatre LA Live on January 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, Calif.

And Jackie Chan of China (US$50 million, NZ$75m) is No. 2.

Bachchan, 72, and Khan, 49, earned $33.5m each.

Other familiar actors who made the Forbes list include Will Smith with $26 million, Chris Pratt with $13 million, Channing Tatum with $29 million, and Leonardo Dicaprio with $29 million.