Ferrell overpaid (more than most) Forbes says

Forbes magazine has published its annual list of Hollywood’s most overpaid stars. The magazine compares the box office takings of stars’ movies with their paycheques. This year, Will Ferrell has snagged the top spot, largely thanks to the poor performance of his summer film Land of the Lost.

The list is a kind of study of actorly bloat or the sluggish link between valuation and demand. Actors usually make the list when their salaries rise after big box office successes (which may or may not be down to their participation – that’s how the system works), then their following films tank; either because they're not enough of a ‘draw’, or more probably, due to a combination of other circumstances, for instance a poorly thought-out project getting a greenlight thanks to the star name attached.

In Ferrell’s case, Forbes worked out that for every dollar he was paid, his films made $3.29. The magazine contrasted this with Shia LeBoeuf, whose films grossed an average of $160 dollars for each dollar he’s paid. Not to defend a millionaire who does comedy pratfalls for a living, but the comparison is somewhat unfair. Will Ferrell is usually the main attraction in his own movies (which are usually directed by no-one you’ve ever heard of, and have a supporting cast of some amusing wigs) and people go to see them to watch him repeatedly hit himself in the face, not for the mind-boggling special effects or action-packed plotlines. On the other hand, LeBoeuf’s last few films have seen him share the screen with Harrison Ford, Megan Fox and the most popular robot franchise in the world; and the producer he has most often worked with is Steven Spielberg. Had Shia been replaced by a plastic Ken doll in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, 90% of the audience would not have noticed and the rest would have praised his improved performance.

Surprisingly, in second place was Ewan McGregor. Drew Barrymore was the only woman to make the top ten. The rest of the list contains the usual suspects. Here it is in full:

1. Will Ferrell
2. Ewan McGregor
3. Billy Bob Thorton
4. Eddie Murphy
5. Ice Cube
6. Tom Cruise
7. Drew Barrymore
8. Leonardo DiCaprio
9. Samuel L Jackson
10. Jim Carrey