Movie News: HOLLYWOOD'S TOP EARNERS OF 2010

1) JAMES CAMERON - $257 MILLION

No surprise to see Cameron at the top of the list, as Avatar made almost $2bn last year.  I'm guessing the other $1.75bn was spent on advertising and plastic 3D glasses?

2) JOHNNY DEPP - $100 MILLION

So Johnny Depp takes second place with an impressive $100m.  Here are the main chunks of cash - $40m for Alice in Wonderland, $35m for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and $20m for The Tourist. I know what you're thinking...he got paid $20m to be in The Tourist? He should have got double to be in that crap!

3) STEVEN SPIELBERG - $80 MILLION

As far as I remember Steven Spielberg didn't make many films last year, so how has he managed to land the number three position?  The strange but totally true answer is, that he earned $50m alone, from his 'Universal Theme Park royalties and consulting fees'! Are you kidding me?! $50m? Wow, that Jurassic Park ride is seriously popular! The rest of his money was from directing and producing The War Horse and from older film revenue.

4) CHRISTOPHER NOLAN - $71.5 MILLION

He may have missed out on an Oscar nomination for Best Director (he was robbed), but I doubt Christopher Nolan cares when he walks up to a cash machine and checks his balance.  He earned a staggering $69m from writing, directing and producing the incredible Inception. The rest of his money was from older film revenue.

5) LEONARDO DICAPRIO - $62 MILLION

He didn't write it, direct it or produce it, so how did Leonardo DiCaprio manages to make $59m from Inception alone?  The answer is a 'back end' deal.  Instead of being paid before starting a job, the actor signs a deal to receive a percentage of box office receipts. Not so good if the film flops, but brilliant if it doesn't! Inception made well over $800m, meaning DiCaprio received that huge pay cheque. The rest of the money was for Shutter Island. 

6) TIM BURTON - $53 MILLION

The majority of this money came from his 'back end' share directing Alice In Wonderland.  This film was a huge hit and by far Burton's highest grossing film, taking over $1bn worldwide.

7) ADAM SANDLER - $50 MILLION

I have absolutely no idea how Adam Sandler managed to earn so much money last year, especially as he hasn't been in a decent film for ages.  Somehow though, he still gets the big pay cheques, collecting $25m for Just Go With It, $20m for Jack and Jill, $3m for Grown Ups and $2m for his older film revenue.

8) TODD PHILLIPS - $34 MILLION

Let's face it The Hangover was a huge movie and it's director Phillips $39m in 2009.  He then went on to earn a further $13m for the same film in 2010 plus $15m for the sequel, which has just finished filming in Bangkok. He also picked $3m for directing Due Date last year and the rest is from his older film revenue.

9) TAYLOR LAUTNER - $33.5 MILLION

Wow! This guy has got a great agent. How the hell has he managed to make more money from the upcoming Twilight movies than Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart? It seems as though ten hours in the gym everyday for three years really has paid off for Lautner. He's been paid $25m to star in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and Part 2.  He also received £7.5m to star in Abduction. The rest is revenue from the other Twilight films.

10) ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. - $31.5 MILLION

I thought he might be higher up the chart, but it doesn't really matter, as RDJ made a big sum of money last year. $15 million for Sherlock Holmes 2, $12m for Iron Man 2 and another $4.5m from other film projects.