Jennifer Lawrence made headlines again - but not for making yet another quotable quote. This time, it's for being the hardworking, bankable star that she is.
"The 25-year-old banked $52 million pre-tax over 12 months to be the best paid actress-$16.5 million more than second-ranked Scarlett Johansson, who earned $35.5 million," Forbes reported recently.
The business and finance news source had examined the takings of the world's leading ladies on a global scale, which is a first for the publication.
"Despite the broader valuations, only one non-American made the list: Chinese actress Bingbing Fan, who ranked No. 4 with a $21 million haul," Forbes relayed.
"J-Law's rise seemed inevitable," Mashable affirmed. "Not only is she leading the 'Hunger Games' series - which wraps up in November - but she's also got a stake in another little blockbuster franchise: 'X-Men'."
"Add a gig as the face of Dior, three Oscar nominations and one Oscar win, and you've got a powerhouse," the site added.
Lawrence's achievement is impressive considering she has only started grabbing the Hollywood spotlight five years ago with her Oscar nomination for "Winter's Bone."
"Jennifer Lawrence has been able to negotiate very favorable deals on the back end of the Hunger Games films," explained Forbes' Natalie Robehmed, as noted by The Guardian. "No other actress could play Katniss Everdeen, and for that reason, she can command a substantial cut of profits."
Despite this, the Hollywood pay gap remains a reality, with female actors still paid less than their male counterparts. In fact, this year's highest-paid actor, Robert Downey Jr., took in $80 million within the same period as Lawrence. This was not lost on the "Hunger Games" star.
"Lawrence herself made headlines last year when the Sony hack revealed that she and Amy Adams were paid less than their male counterparts on American Hustle," Mashable recalled. "Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner had received a 9% cut of the profits, while Lawrence and Adams were given a 7% cut."
"A male-oriented culture has existed for such a long time that it will take a long time to change, and that's not only in the film business, of course," Andreas Wisemann, chief reporter for Screen International, told The Guardian. "Progress is being made, but it is slow. The success of stars such as Lawrence and Johansson prove that audiences want to see great actresses in all sorts of roles every bit as much as men."
Forbes said that, in creating the list, it had measured "earnings before subtracting management fees and taxes." It had also based its estimations on data acquired from IMDB, Nielsen, and Box Office Mojo, "as well as interviews with agents, managers, lawyers-and stars themselves."
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