Robert Downey Jr. leads world's highest-paid actors 2015: Forbes

YEREVAN, AUGUST 5, ARMENPRESS. For the third year in a row, Robert Downey Jr.’sstratospheric$80 million payday is more than any other leading man on the planet, helping Iron Man punch $30 million aboveHong Kong heroJackie Chan’ssecond place haul. Armenpress reports, citing the Forbes that though China may be Chan’s cinematic stomping ground, the nation’s movie appetite propelledDowney’sAvengers: Age of Ultronto a$240 million gross in the People’s Republic alone, ensuring Downey toppedthe World’s Highest Paid Actors list.From Hollywood to Hong Kong and Bollywood, the ranking examines international stars’ earnings for the first truly global dollar tally of film’s flushest stars. “I always look at the map… I think the world belongs to us. America belongs to me. China belongs to you,”said Chan, who makes a mint starring in East-West coproductions such asDragon Bladeand through Chan-brand extensions including merchandise andan eponymous cinema chain.

Though we have longlooked at foreign actors starring in the U.S. films — Irishman Liam Neeson, Brit Daniel Craig and Australian Hugh Jackman have all made the Highest-Paid Actors list previously– we have never examined those working solely in international movie industries.

As a result,12 newcomers jointhe ranking, five of whom collect their paychecks fromBollywood. Three of them are in the top 10:Amitabh BachchanandSalman Khanrank at No. 7 with $33.5 million, just ahead of Akshay Kumar’s$32.5 million haul.

Six of the top 10 hail from the U.S., includingVin Diesel, ranked at No. 3, who earned a hefty $47 million thanks in part tothe success ofFurious 7. The most recent Diesel-fueled installment of theFast and the Furiouscar franchise grossed $1.5 billion worldwide, 77% of that from beyond the borders of the United States and $400 million in China alone. “The whole point [ofThe Fast and the Furious] was to diversify Hollywood and in some ways change the face of Hollywood,” Dieseltold FORBES. As U.S. and Canadian box office declines–down 5% to $10.4 billion between 2013 and 2014–the global film market continues to grow, notably in China, which jumped 34% to $4.8 billion. An increasingly international ticket booth needs stars like Diesel that can cross borders.

Or stars who can entertain couch potatoes. That’s the strategy for Adam Sandler,whose films have traditionally been popular with home audiences. Sandler this year signed on to make four films exclusively for Netflix, helping him pocket $41 million despite a dry recent box office run. That’s $9 million more than fellow funnyman Mark Wahlberg, who rounds out the top 10 with $32 million in earnings.

It also helps to havea good producer’s eye. Bradley Cooper, ranked at No. 4 with $41.5 million,produced and starred inAmerican Sniper, which was directed by Clint Eastwood after Steven Spielberg passed on the military epic.Tom Cruise (No. 6; $40 million) is also a producer on the Mission: Impossible moviesand is able toearn a ton based on how the blockbusters perform at the box office.

The 34 highest-paid actors, who hail from seven countries, earned a combined$941 million before taxes and fees between June 1, 2014 and June 1, 2015. Our list measures earningsbefore subtracting management fees and taxes; figures are based on data from Nielsen,BoxOffice Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with agents, managers, lawyers—and stars themselves. It only examines men–a separate list of highest-paid actresses will be published later.