The 20 actors who are the highest-paid worldwide earned $720 million combined from June 1, 2016, to June 1, 2017. That total is before taxes and fees. Those earnings estimates are derived from IMDB, Nielsen, Box Office Mojo, and ComScore, as well as interviews that were conducted involving industry insiders. And, Mark Wahlberg is officially the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.
Mark Wahlberg vs. The Rock
Mark Wahlberg climbed right over The Rock (financially that is) to become the official highest-paid actor in the Hollywood entertainment biz. He actually earned a whopping $68 million over the past year, according to the annual list from Forbes magazine. Sure, some of it probably came from those highly entertaining DIRECTV commercials but most of it can be attributed to his starring roles in the soon-to-be-released comedy “Daddy’s Home 2” and “Transformers: The Last Knight”. The Rock, on the other hand, earned a mere $3 million less than Wahlberg by actually raking in $50 million more than he did in 2016. That’s quite a raise in pay, right? And, he owes it mainly to his roles in “Baywatch” and the “Jumanji” reboot, as well as to his starring role in his HBO show entitled “Ballers.”
Other Top Earning Actors
And, who else made the list? Well, it includes Vin Diesel, who co-starred with The Rock in the blockbuster “Fate of the Furious” at $54.5 million, followed by funnyman Adam Sandler at $50.5 million, and then by Jackie Chan at $49 million. There were also a few newcomers to the list and they include Chris Hemsworth, and the infamous Ryans, Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds, as well as Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner. Veteran actors who are again on the list include such greats as Tom Hanks and Samuel L. Jackson at $31 million and $30.5 million respectively.
You Gotta Start Somewhere
OK, so now that Mark Wahlberg is officially the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, let’s examine the differences between his career and that of The Rock. Wahlberg got his start in a boy band as Markie-Mark, much like his “Blue Bloods” TV star brother, Donnie Wahlberg. Other actors who started in boy bands include the great Justin Timberlake, Nick Carter, Harry Styles, Nick Jonas, Joey Fatone, Joey McIntyre, and Nick Lachey. The Rock got his start in professional wrestling, much like Jesse Ventura, John Cena, Rowdy Roddy Piper, André the Giant, Randy Couture, Hulk Hogan, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Randy Savage, and more. It’s a sure bet, however, that none of them are making quite what Wahlberg and Johnson are making this year.
POTUS Rock?
Interestingly enough is the fact that only one of these high-earning actors is rumored to be considered for running against Donald Trump in the next presidential election and it’s not the guy with the higher earning power. Yep, it’s Dwayne Johnson. Wrestler turned actor turned POTUS? Hey, why not? Jesse Venture became the governor of Minnesota. And, who could possibly forget that famous weightlifter turned actor who became the governor of the great state of California and was also rumored to have been some people’s choice for a presidential candidate except for the fact that he wasn’t born in the U.S.? Not to mention, that incredible actor turned president, the late great Ronald Reagan, whom we’ll never forget. Last but not least, if a real estate mogul turned TV reality show host who fired people for fun and profit can become the most powerful man in the world, then why not The Rock? Sorry, Mark. Guess you’ll just have to stick to acting. But hey, it’s a lot less stress and a lot more money!
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