The Most Overpaid Celebrities
Once you’re in Hollywood’s A-list earnings club, it’s hard to get kicked out, no matter how badly your films perform at the box office.
Case in point: Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. She earned an estimated $15 million for her latest film, “The Golden Compass,” known around the studio lot these days as the biggest turkey of 2007. It grossed a dreary $26 million this weekend, though its reported budget flirted with the $200 million mark. (That’s “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” territory.)
“The Golden Compass” isn’t a one-off for Kidman. In fact, its her fourth big box office dud. For every dollar she was paid for her last three films (excluding “Compass” and “Margot at the Wedding”), her flicks returned a measly $8 on average to the studios. Compare that with less expensive A-listers like Angelina Jolie, whose rate skirts $10 million a picture, and whose last three films grossed $15 on average for every dollar she earned.
In Pictures: The Most Overpaid Celebrities
