‘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.

Sat, 05 Feb, 2011 - 00:00

Christine Kearney

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.

The Vanity Fair list only included creative professionals — producers, writers, actors, etc — and the money they earn from film.

It did not include earnings from non-movie related projects, such as advertisements or television show earnings.

Steven Spielberg earned $80m for Universal theme-park royalties, as well as consulting fees and for directing and producing the upcoming War Horse, edging out Inception director Christopher Nolan who brought in $71.5m.

Inception star Leonardo DiCaprio earned $62m to take the No 5 spot.

In sixth place was Alice in Wonderland director Tim Burton, who earned $53m, $3m more than actor Adam Sandler, who brought in most of his revenue in the past year for up-front fees for producing and starring in future movies Jack and Jill and Just Go With It.

The Hangover writer and director Todd Phillips landed the No 8 slot.

The rankings revealed that Taylor Lautner, Twilight’s 18-year-old actor, raked in an estimated $33.5m for his various movie appearances throughout 2010, making him the ninth-highest earner in Hollywood.

Iron Man 2 star Robert Downey Jnr, who brought in $31.5m, rounded out the top 10.

And, in an encouraging sign for would-be filmmakers, Paranomal Activity producer Jason Blum and writer and director Oren Peli together came in at No 16, pulling in $26.5m from the horror film’s DVD and pay-TV revenue as well as box office from the 2010 sequel.

Vanity Fair concluded that while nine-figure windfalls such as that of Cameron or Depp are rare, “Hollywood’s post-financial crash aversion to $20m paydays and gross-percentage box office deals seems to be easing.”

As evidence, the article’s author, Peter Newcomb, pointed to mid-range star Vince Vaughn commanding a $17.5m fee for The Dilemma, and to large bonuses handed out for box-office hits.

With his $33.5m fortune, Lautner beat his Twilight co-stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, who received $28.5m and $27.5m for their film roles over the past 12 months.

The Twilight pair hold 13th and 14th places respectively.

Vanity Fair’s contributing editor Peter Newcomb said Lautner can currently do no wrong in Hollywood eyes: “He’s perhaps the highest-paid teenage star right now. When they first negotiated their contracts, they were getting paid a lot less.

“Then, with the immense success of the film, the agents went back and renegotiated the deal — Lautner’s deal in particular was really bumped up.”

Top twenty

Vanity Fair magazine’s Hollywood Top 20 earners in 2010

1. James Cameron — $257 million

2. Johnny Depp — $100m

3. Steven Speilberg — $80m

4. Christopher Nolan — $71.5m

5. Leonardo DiCaprio — $62m

6. Tim Burton — $53m

7. Adam Sandler — $50m

8. Todd Phillips — $34m

9. Taylor Lautner — $33.5m