Photo: REX USA/Picture Perfect.
It's good to be Robert Downey Jr. After appearing in only one film between June 2013 and June 2014 (a supporting role in Jon Favreau's indie comedy Chef), the Iron Man star once again topped Forbes' list of top-earning actors, having raked in a whopping $75 million during that span.
With Marvel en route to becoming one of Hollywood's most profitable movie houses, RDJ has become its most valuable asset. Last year's Iron Man 3 easily surpassed a billion dollars at the global box office, and with Downey taking a cut of the film's back end, it's easy to see why he topped Forbes' list once again.
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In fact, with The Avengers: Age of Ultron slated for next summer, Downey should get used to life at the top. Other actors joining him on the list include Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who earned $23 million less than Downey, but still managed to finish second. Bradley Cooper followed in third, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Chris Hemsworth rounding out the top five.
Noticeably absent from the list is perennial box-office juggernaut Tom Cruise, who, despite earning some of the best reviews of his career for Edge of Tomorrow, failed to match the success of his heyday. Even Will Smith and Johnny Depp's rankings plummeted as the result of bombs like After Earth and The Lone Ranger respectively.
Some members of Hollywood's new school of movie stars didn't make the cut, including Channing Tatum and Chris Evans, both of whom had big years.
Evans, in particular, is a surprise, after his film Captain America: The Winter Soldier was one of the biggest hits of the year. Lucky for him, whenever there's an Avengers cast dinner, we know who's picking up the tab. (Forbes)