Eddie Murphy tops the Forbes Most Overpaid Star list for 2012. Compiled each year, the Most Overpaid Actor list ranks the salaries of actors against the amount of revenue their talent generates at the box office. But, how bad could it be for the legendary comedian? For every dollar that Murphy was paid for his last three films; Imagine That, Meet Dave and A Thousand Words; he only managed to bring in an average $2.30 return.
While most people would be happy to take in about one and a half times their investment; the big Hollywood studios have higher expectations. For a film to be considered successful, the revenue has to cover twice the production budget as well as the millions in marketing. With just $2.30 on every dollar paid to Murphy, studios are not recouping their initial investment in the film production alone with him as the lead actor.
The comedian hasn’t always fared badly at the box office. Hits like Shrek, The Nutty Professor and his classic Coming to America have always provided box office gold for studios. But, it has been a while since Murphy provided that old magic at the movies. Hardly alone on the Most Overpaid Star list for the year, Katherine Heigl follows behind Eddie; bringing in an average of just $3.40 per dollar spent on her salary for the last three movies. Other actors including Reese Witherspoon, Jack Black and Sandra Bullock made their way to the Forbes list as well.
The comedian hasn’t always fared badly at the box office. Hits like Shrek, The Nutty Professor and his classic Coming to America have always provided box office gold for studios. But, it has been a while since Murphy provided that old magic at the movies. Hardly alone on the Most Overpaid Star list for the year, Katherine Heigl follows behind Eddie; bringing in an average of just $3.40 per dollar spent on her salary for the last three movies. Other actors including Reese Witherspoon, Jack Black and Sandra Bullock made their way to the Forbes list as well.
Eddie Murphy was slated to host the 84th Academy Awards (Oscars) in February of this year, but backed out of the deal once producer Brett Ratner stepped down. As last as November of this year, Murphy was honored in the Eddie Murphy: One Night Only roast on Spike TV. Stars like Jamie Foxx, Arsenio Hall, Martin Lawrence and Tracey Morgan were on hand to show their support…and lend some comic relief as well. Murphy made headlines for more than being the guest of honor, however, as the mere presence of his date for the evening Paige Butcher had everyone talking.
Hopefully, 2013 will be a comeback year for the comedy giant. There’s no word on what Murphy’s next project will be.
