Hollywood's Top-Earning Couples
What happens when you marry an $82 million hip-hop brand and an $80 million R&B empire? You get Hollywood's best-paid power couple.
Thanks to a monster year filled with music, movies, fashion and endorsement deals, Jay-Z and his new bride, Beyoncé Knowles, collectively raked in $162 million between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008. The jaw-dropping sum garners them bragging rights atop our first annual ranking of Hollywood's Top-Earning Couples, a list that also includes A-list pairings Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, David and Victoria Beckham, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, among others.In Pictures: Hollywood's 20 Top-Earning Couples
"Naturally, powerful people tend to gravitate toward other powerful people," explains clinical psychologist and celebrity researcher Jim Houran, for reasons that range from proximity (stars hang around other stars) to familiarity (people are attracted, at least initially, to others like them) to clearer expectations (shared priorities make it easier for celebrities to relate). No matter how they get together, the results are good for the bottom line.
Take Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. They hauled in some $85 million over the past year, making them No. 2 on our list. Though Jada's resume continues to grow, Will's the family breadwinner. He raked in $80 million in the year ending June 2008, thanks to another set of top-performing blockbusters: I Am Legend, The Pursuit of Happyness and this past summer's Hancock. Together the flicks banked $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office, making him Hollywood's most bankable star.
Jada pulled in $5 million during the same 12-month period, thanks to roles as an actress (The Women), producer (The Human Contract) and businesswoman (a stake in beauty line Carol's Daughter).
Third: David and Victoria Beckham. Conquering fans on both sides of the Atlantic, the power couple brought in $58 million over the year-long period.
Becks' share was $50 million, proving the much-covered move to America has paid off for the British soccer star. Though his Los Angeles Galaxy salary was $5.5 million, the sum more than doubled when his cut of the team's ticket, merchandise and sponsorship revenues were factored in. He also pulled down a cool $35 million from lucrative endorsement deals with Motorola
Below is Forbes’ list of Hollywood’s 20 Top-Earning Couples between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008. Guess which couple made the most money?
Number 20
Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson $9.5 million
Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Image
Number 19
Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez $11 million
Number 18
Josh Duhamel and Fergie $13 million
Josh Duhamel and Fergie (©Getty Images)
Number 17
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes $13.25 million
Number 16
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner $14.5 million
Number 15
Seal and Heidi Klum $15.5 million
Number 14
Deryck Whibley and Avril Lavigne $18 million
Number 13
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow $19 million
Number 12
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher $20 million
Number 11
Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker $21 million
Number 10
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart $22 million
Number 9
Tony Parker and Eva Longoria $22.5 million
Number 8
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman $25 million
Number 7
Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani $28 million
Number 6
Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann $30 million
Number 5
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie $34 million
Number 4
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill $35 million
Number 3
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham $58 million
Number 2
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith $85 million
Number 1
Shawn (Jay-Z) Carter and Beyoncé Knowles $162 million
Source : Forbes.com
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