‘Iron Man’ actor reels in the big bucks

With estimated earnings of $75m (€57m), ‘Iron Man’ Robert Downey Jr is Hollywood’s highest paid actor, ahead of Channing Tatum and Hugh Jackman, according to Forbes.com.

Downey, 48, starred in Disney’s Marvel superhero films The Avengers in 2012 and Iron Man 3 in 2013, each of which earned more than $1bn at the box office, assuring him the top spot in the annual ranking of Hollywood’s top acting earners.

New father Tatum, 33, who self-financed the male-stripper movie Magic Mike that made $167m with director Steven Soderbergh, captured the No 2 spot with estimated earnings of $60m.

Australian actor Jackman, 44, whose new movie The Wolverine opens in US theatres next week, was not far behind with $55m.

Mark Wahlberg, 42, had a comedy hit with Ted, a film that earned $550m and pumped up his earnings to $52m to secure fourth place, and wrestler-turned actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, 41, rounded out the top five with $46m.

Adam Sandler, 46, at No 7, was the only comedian to make the top 10. Denzel Washington, 58, took a cut in pay in exchange for a share of the profits for Flight, which turned out to be a shrewd deal. The film made $162m putting the Oscar winner in eighth place with $33m.

Last year, Tom Cruise, 51, topped the list with earnings of $75m. This year, he dropped to eighth place with $35m, gained largely from his international audience, Forbes said.

www.forbes.com