... None other than
Matt Damon.
Fresh off the heels of this weekend's record-breaking opening for "The Bourne Ultimatum,"
Damon is officially entertainment's best investment, reports
Forbes.com.
In his past three roles, for every dollar he was paid, the actor brought in $29 of gross income. That catapults the 36-year-old thesp over 22 other film heavyweights, ranked with the same financial formula.
In Damon's spy franchise, the first two "Bourne" movies grossed an estimated $850 million at the box office and in DVD sales. The third installment released on Friday -- "The Bourne Ultimatum" -- snagged $70.2 million at the box office and is officially the biggest August film opening ever.
Brad Pitt took second place on the list, with a gross income return of $24 for each dollar of his pay and
Vince Vaughn tied with
Johnny Depp for third with $21.
As for the chicks, Pitt's ex-wife,
Jennifer Aniston, is officially the most profitable actress with a gross income return of $17. Pitt's current squeeze
Angelina Jolie, ranked sixth with $15.
Oscar-winner
Russell Crowe is smack dab at the bottom of the list. His last three films _ "A Good Year," "Cinderella Man" and "Master and Commander" _ averaged just $5 in gross income for every dollar spent on his pay.
Movies starring the two Hollywood Toms -
Hanks and
Cruise - averaged $12 and $11 of gross income, respectively. Will Smith and Denzel Washington each brought in $10.
In terms of comedy,
Adam Sandler brought in $9 per dollar earned,
Will Ferrell and
Jim Carrey $8 each.
Forbes.com calculated the net revenue for a film by adding the worldwide box office and revenues from U.S. DVD and video rentals and then subtracting its budget. The net revenue was divided by the actor's total compensation to derive gross income. The average gross income of an actor's last three films produced their box-office return.
