Sandra Bullock tops Forbes rich list thanks to pull of Gravity

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/05/sandra-bullock-forbes-list-gravity-highest-paid-women

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Sandra Bullock has topped the annual Forbes list of the highest paid female actors in the world, thanks largely to the box office success of Oscar-winning space drama Gravity.

Bullock's $51m haul over the past 12 months puts her way ahead of the chasing pack, which is led by Jennifers Lawrence and Aniston. The 50-year-old actor is reported to have had a back end deal for a share of profits from Alfonso Cuarón's film, which took a spectacular $716m at the global box office and won seven Oscars. Bullock last topped the list in 2010, with an estimated $56m, off the back of hit films The Blind Side and The Proposal.

Lawrence, 23, takes second place with $34m this year, thanks to a back end deal for the Hunger Games movies and a high-profile supporting role in superhero sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past. Her three Oscar nominations to date and a win last year for indie romance Silver Linings Playbook have made her one of the most powerful actors in Hollywood at a remarkably young age. Aniston, 45, takes third place with $31m thanks to the success of comedies such as We're the Millers and Horrible Bosses, both of which offered her a share of profits to sign on.

Gwyneth Paltrow lands in fourth place this year with $19m, thanks largely to the $1bn box office success of superhero movie Iron Man 3, in which she played Pepper Potts. Last year's top female actor, Angelina Jolie, is fifth this year with $18m. Forbes included her upfront fee for Disney fantasy Maleficent in their 2013 calculations, pushing her down a few spaces in this year's chart.

The next four places on the list are held by Cameron Diaz ($18m) and a trio of women who have made their earnings playing supporting roles in superhero movies: The Avengers' Scarlett Johansson ($17m), Man of Steel's Amy Adams ($13m) and Thor: The Dark World's Natalie Portman (also $13m). Kristen Stewart, the list's top earner only two years ago thanks to earnings from the Twilight films, slips down to 10th spot this time around with $12m.

Bullock's impressive earnings mean she would have made it to third place, behind only Robert Downey Jr and Dwayne Johnson, on a combined list of male and female actors. However, Forbes estimates that members of its female top 10 earned just $226m, compared to the $419m haul taken by the top 10 men, between June 2013 and June 2014.

Forbes top 10, June 2013 to June 2014

1. Sandra Bullock ($51m)2. Jennifer Lawrence ($34m)3. Jennifer Aniston ($31m)4. Gwyneth Paltrow ($19m)5. Angelina Jolie ($18m)6. Cameron Diaz ($18m)7. Scarlett Johansson ($17m)8. Amy Adams ($13m)9. Natalie Portman ($13m)10. Kristen Stewart ($12m)