I don't know how to put this, but it turns out Will Ferrell isn’t kind of a big deal after all.
According to Forbes, a magazine that loves traffic-baiting lists, the clunker-prone comedian is the most overpaid actor in Hollywood.
The magazine calculated a return-on-investment number for each star “by dividing total operating income on the three films by the star's total compensation, including up-front salaries and earnings from DVD and TV sales.”
Ferrell – whose films earned $3.29 for every dollar he was paid -- beat out Ewan McGregor ($3.75) and Billy Bob Thorton for the dubious distinction. (It didn’t help that Ferrell’s “Land of the Lost” dud cost an estimated $100 million and earned only $65 million at the worldwide box office.)
By contrast, Shia LeBeouf tops Forbes’ “Best Bang for Your Buck” list. The “Transformers” and “Indiana Jones” star’s movies pull in $160 per dollar LeBeouf is paid.
Here are the top ten best and worst values:
Overpaid*
1. Will Ferrell ($3.29)
2. Ewan McGregor ($3.75)
3. Billy Bob Thorton ($4.00)
4. Eddie Murphy ($4.43)
5. Ice Cube ($4.77)
6. Tom Cruise ($7.18)
7. Drew Barrymore ($7.43)
8. Leonardo DiCaprio ($7.52)
9. Samuel L. Jackson ($8.59)
10. Jim Carrey ($8.62)
Underpaid*
1. Shia LeBeouf ($160)
2. James McAvoy ($114)
3. Michael Cera ($102)
4. Daniel Radcliffe ($93)
5. Robert Downey, Jr. ($78)
6. Javier Bardem ($73)
7. Ryan Reynolds ($61)
8. Christian Bale ($55)
9. Aaron Eckhart ($45)
10. Dennis Quaid ($43)
*Revenue per dollar paid
SOURCE: Forbes
