‘Avatar’ director tops Hollywood rich list

FILM director James Cameron cashed in on the worldwide box office success of Avatar to become the top Hollywood movie earner of 2010, easily outdistancing actor Johnny Depp in second place.

Cameron earned an estimated $257 million last year for writing, producing and directing his 3D hit Avatar, based on its worldwide 2010 box-office gross of $1.95 billion, as well as his share of DVD and pay-television sales, according to a Vanity Fair survey of the top 40 Hollywood earners in 2010.

The 56-year-old director easily beat actor Johnny Depp, who scored the No 2 spot, earning $100m after collecting pay checks from several 2010 films, including Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist, as well as up-front payments for the next Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is due for release in May.