Robert Downey Jr. isn’t just the Iron Man of the fictional Marvel Universe, but he’s also the Iron Man of Hollywood finances. Since Iron Man 3 was another huge hit for Marvel and Disney last year, the actor has topped Forbes’ list of highest paid actors again.
Although Iron Man 3 was nearing the end of its box office run by the time Forbes’ time frame began in June 2013, Downey still brought in $75 million over the past 12 months. That’s mostly thanks to the huge cut he earns from Iron Man and Avengers home video releases and from merchandise.
Downey Jr. topped the list last year and he was also named the highest grossing actor of 2012. Clearly, there’s no reason for Disney to stop paying him huge amounts of money to put on the Tony Stark persona.
No. 2 on the list should also surprise no one. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson had a stellar year with the G.I. Joe and Fast and Furious sequels, earning $52 million in the past 12 months. He has Hercules, San Andreas and another Fast and Furious movie coming up, so expect him to stay in the Top 10 next year.
American Hustle and Hangover star Bradley Cooper came in third with $46 million, ahead of Leonardo DiCaprio and his $39 million. Thor star Chris Hemsworth made $37 million.
The rest of the Top 10 features Liam Neeson ($36 million); Ben Affleck ($35 million); Christian Bale ($35 million); Will Smith ($32 million); and Mark Wahlberg ($32 million).
image courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com