The World's Highest-Paid Actresses 2016: Jennifer Lawrence Tops List Ahead Of Melissa McCarthy

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence, 26, is once again the world’s highest-paid actress for the second year in a row, hitting $46 million pretax over 12 months–$13 million more than second-ranked Melissa McCarthy, who pocketed $33 million.

Melissa McCarthy

Lawrence’s impressive earnings consist largely of a profit slice from the big box office gross ($653.4 million) of her final Hunger Games installment and a mammoth upfront fee for the forthcoming Passengers. Her total is down 11.5% from $52 million in 2015, but she remains the girl on fire, financially speaking.

McCarthy, 45, is this year’s biggest dollar gainer year over year; her earnings are up $10 million on 2015′s estimate thanks in part to a reported eight-figure payday for Ghostbusters. This year, the Mike & Molly star recorded her biggest annual paycheck to date, out-earning Scarlett Johansson (No. 3, $25 million).

 

Scarlett Johansson

“I started to think if I could do anything to build women up rather than the constant tear down I’m going to do it,” McCarthy, who started her own all-sizes clothing line, told FORBES.

Stars from around the world are also examined, scouring Bollywood and the burgeoning Chinese cinema industry. To wit, 30% of the list hail from outside the U.S.; Chinese actress Fan Bingbing makes the cut for the second consecutive year, while Charlize Theron, a dual citizen of South African and the U.S., returns to the list for the first time since 2013.

India’s Deepika Padukone is the only newcomer to the ranking. The 30-year-old joins the list with Bollywood hits such as Bajirao Mastani, though she earns far less than her Hollywood counterparts for roles. Instead, she compensates with over a dozen lucrative endorsements–a hedging tactic employed by many of her Hollywood peers.

In an industry where a pay gap with male actors still exists, 90% of the world’s highest-paid actresses supplement their on-screen earnings with endorsements. A particular standout: Jennifer Aniston (No. 4), 47, whose advertisements for Emirates airlines, Smartwater, Aveeno and Living Proof comprise a chunk of her $21 million earnings.

Together, the world’s 10 highest-paid actresses tallied a combined $205 million between June 1, 2015, and June 1, 2016, before fees and taxes. Four women, up from three in 2015, banked more than $20 million compared with 18 of the world’s leading men (a separate list of highest-paid actors will be published Thursday).

Though these select actresses earn more than most could dream of, their movie money is but a fraction of what many of their male counterparts pocket. While top actresses can negotiate eight figure upfront fees plus a cut of profits for leading parts in big budget movies, there are simply fewer of those roles available for women. In fact, a recent study found that female characters fill only 28.7% of all speaking roles in film. When women are on screen, they are likely to be eye candy for a male gaze: Women appeared in sexy attire more than a third of the time and were shown partially or fully nude 27.5% of the time, three times as much as men.

It’s a phenomenon up-and-comer Brie Larson experienced firsthand. “There were many times that I would go into auditions and the casting directors would say, ‘It’s really great, we love what you’re doing but we’d really love for you to come back in a jean miniskirt and high heels,’ ” said 30 Under 30 honoree Larson after winning the Best Actress Oscar for Room.

For women, the movie business is notoriously ageist. But with box office clout and undeniable chops, some of the highest-paid actresses have maneuvered themselves into positions of economic power. Half of the list are over 40; at 26, Lawrence is the youngest listmember and the only one under 30. The older members of the list have succeeded in spite of a lack of roles: just 35% of characters onscreen are over 40 and women fill just 21.4% of those roles.

Well-known names including Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz were among the drop-offs on this year’s ranking. There were also some noteworthy near misses: Kristen Wiig, Renée Zellweger and Cate Blanchett all narrowly missed the $10 million cut off for this year’s ranking.

Where last year’s ranking evaluated 18 women, this year’s list has returned to the top 10 to give a more accurate portrait of acting’s earning elite. Earnings estimates are based on data from Nielsen, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with agents, managers and lawyers.

Top Ten List:

1. Jennifer Lawrence

2. Melissa McCarthy

3. Scarlett Johansson

4. Jennifer Aniston = $21m

5. Fan Bingbing = $17m - the only Chinese actress on the ranking

6. Charlize Theron = $16.5m

7. Amy Adams =$13.5m

8. Julia Roberts =$12m

9. Mila Kunis =$11m

10. Deepika Padukone = $10m

Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz were among the drop-offs from 2015's ranking.