Which Actors Earn The Studios The Most For Their Money?

By Peter Sciretta/Aug. 31, 2010 9:00 am EST

Which actors in Hollywood are the best investment for the movie studios greenlighting new projects? Forbes has published their annual list, and for the second year in a row, Shia LaBeouf ends up at #1. The star has is earning not-so-high paychecks for big budget films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Transformers films, each of which have made a fortune at the box office. According to Forbes, each $1 studios spend Shia for one of their films, returns an average $81 of profit. I wonder if he will retain his title after the release of Wall Street 2 and Transformers 3. Sequels are almost always a good bet. Check out the full list of the top 10 wisest investments in Hollywood, after the jump.

  1. Shia LaBeouf (Transformers films, Indiana Jones 4) – $81
  2. Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland, Bride Wars) – $64
  3. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films) – $61
  4. Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man)  – $33
  5. Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Robin Hood) – $27
  6. Jennifer Aniston (The Bounty Hunter, He’s Not That Into You) – $21
  7. Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia, It’s Complicated) – $21
  8. Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland, Public Enemies) – $18
  9. Nicolas Cage (Knowing) – $17
  10. Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) – $17 Click over to Forbes.com to read the full story.

Which Actors Earn The Studios The Most For Their Money?

By Peter Sciretta/Aug. 31, 2010 9:00 am EST

Which actors in Hollywood are the best investment for the movie studios greenlighting new projects? Forbes has published their annual list, and for the second year in a row, Shia LaBeouf ends up at #1. The star has is earning not-so-high paychecks for big budget films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Transformers films, each of which have made a fortune at the box office. According to Forbes, each $1 studios spend Shia for one of their films, returns an average $81 of profit. I wonder if he will retain his title after the release of Wall Street 2 and Transformers 3. Sequels are almost always a good bet. Check out the full list of the top 10 wisest investments in Hollywood, after the jump.

  1. Shia LaBeouf (Transformers films, Indiana Jones 4) – $81

  2. Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland, Bride Wars) – $64

  3. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films) – $61

  4. Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man)  – $33

  5. Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Robin Hood) – $27

  6. Jennifer Aniston (The Bounty Hunter, He’s Not That Into You) – $21

  7. Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia, It’s Complicated) – $21

  8. Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland, Public Enemies) – $18

  9. Nicolas Cage (Knowing) – $17

  10. Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) – $17 Click over to Forbes.com to read the full story.

  11. Shia LaBeouf (Transformers films, Indiana Jones 4) – $81

  12. Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland, Bride Wars) – $64

  13. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films) – $61

  14. Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man)  – $33

  15. Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Robin Hood) – $27

  16. Jennifer Aniston (The Bounty Hunter, He’s Not That Into You) – $21

  17. Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia, It’s Complicated) – $21

  18. Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland, Public Enemies) – $18

  19. Nicolas Cage (Knowing) – $17

  20. Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) – $17

Click over to Forbes.com to read the full story.