With the release of Vanity Fair’s annual list of Hollywood’s top earners, we take a look at how the top 20 made so much money in 2009.
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- 20. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard: $25.5 million Together, Brian Glazer and Ron Howard form the two-headed beast that is Imagine Entertainment. The two each earned an estimated $25.5 million in 2009 for producing Angels & Demons and three more upcoming films.
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- 19. Cameron Diaz: $27 million With yet another Shrek sequel on the way and the highly-anticipated Knight and Day, Cameron Diaz earned a nice fat $27 million in 2009.
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- 18. Russell Crowe: $28 million Russell Crowe will probably have an even bigger 2010 with the inevitable hype around Robin Hood, but he got paid for the film in 2009, helping him tally up a $28 million year.
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- 17. Nicolas Cage: $28 million Nicolas Cage’s financial troubles became well-known in 2009, but it’s hard to feel sorry for him when he had a $28 million year.
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- 16. Owen Wilson: $29 million With $24 million coming in on upcoming projects, and $5 million from work he’s already done, Owen Wilson chalked up a $29 million year.
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- 15. Rupert Grint: $30 million It pays to be friends with Harry Potter. Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the teen wizarding adventures, earned an estimated $30 million in 2009 for his work on the franchise.
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- 14. Emma Watson: $31 million The boys aren’t the only ones cashing in on the Harry Potter franchise. Emma Watson has taken her success and doubled down by becoming a beloved teen fashion plate who started classes this year at Brown University. She pulled in $30 million in 2009 just for her work on the Harry Potter movies.
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- 13. Denzel Washington: $31 million Denzel Washington proves it pays to be adventurous with scripts. His turn in the post-apocalyptic Book of Eli got him about halfway to his 2009 estimated earnings of $31 million.
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- 12. Adam Sandler: $31.5 million Adam Sandler’s work on three different upcoming films helped boost him to a $31.5 million year in 2009.
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- 11. Tyler Perry: $32.5 million The writer, actor, director and producer proves an ultra-faithful following can take you places as his $32.5 million year has him considering a new script: “Diary of a Rich Black Man.”
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- 10. Jerry Bruckheimer: $35.5 million Heavy-handed producer Jerry Bruckheimer cracked the top 10 again this year with an estimated $35.5 million. About a third of that comes from his work on the upcoming The Sorcerer’s Apprentice with Nicolas Cage.
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- 9. J.J. Abrams: $36 million The king of Hollywood’s nerd elite, J.J. Abrams brought in $36 million in 2009 mostly on the strength of his new take on Star Trek.
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- 8. Tom Hanks: $36 million Between Angels & Demons and the upcoming Toy Story 3, Tom Hanks had a good 2009, pulling in $36 million.
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- 7. Ben Stiller: $40 million Funnyman Ben Stiller has a diversified portfolio, but about half of his estimated $40 million in 2009 came from the upcoming sequel, “Little Fockers.”
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- 6. Daniel Radcliffe: $41 million The Harry Potter books have officially been turned into a Hollywood money factory. Not only does Daniel Radcliffe come in at sixth place with an estimated $41 million in earnings in 2009, co-star Emma Watson ranks as the highest paid woman in Hollywood in 2009 with an estimated $30 million.
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- 5. Todd Phillips: $44 million There’s money to be had in comedy after all! Todd Phillips banked $44 million this year and most of that comes from directing sleeper hit The Hangover.
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- 4. James Cameron: $50 million James Cameron can thank the massively successful Avatar for a banner year. His reported earnings for 2009 are $50 million.
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- 3. Roland Emmerich: $70 million The director made it to spot numer three based on the earnings of a single film, the apocalyptic 2012 which garnered him a $70 million payday.
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- 2. Steven Spielberg: $85 million This is one director who is set up like no one else. With $50 million coming in every year for his role as a consultant for Universal’s theme parks and $10 million coming in just from his old work, it’s no wonder Steven made an estimated $85 million in 2009.
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- 1. Michael Bay: $125 million Driven by the success of the Transformers movie franchise, director Michael Bay pulled down an estimated $125 million in 2009.
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