Bollywood superstars Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar are among the world’s highest-paid celebrities of 2016, according to an annual list by Forbes. The list has been topped by American singer Taylor Swift with an earning of USD 170 million. The list also includes author James Patterson on the 3rd spot followed by Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (4), basketball player LeBron James (11) and musician Madonna (12). Forbes said the world’s 100 highest-paid celebrities pulled in USD 5.1 billion pretax during the June 2015-2016 scoring period.
With the earnings of USD 33 million, King Khan ranks 86th on the list, while Akshay Kumar holds the 94th spot with USD 31.5 million earnings. Forbes says the “Fan” star “continues to rule Bollywood’s box office” with lead roles in hit films. The actor also earns multimillion dollars upfront fees and a cut of the backend for his efforts.
48-year-old Akshay Kumar, slipped in Forbes ranks this year from 76th in 2015 to 94th, said Forbes. It said he is one of Bollywood’s busiest leading men and banked top rupee for three hit films.
Kim Kardashian West, who is No. 42 on this year’s global Celeb 100 list, features on the cover of the July 26, 2016 issue of Forbes. She has earnings of $51 million this year. Kardashian has capitalised on mobile gaming, with 40% of her yearly paycheck coming from the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game that has been downloaded 45 million times and generated $160 million in revenue since its June 2014 launch.
Taylor Swift has seized the top spot on Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the world’s highest-paid celebrities (Celebrity 100 p. 70 in Forbes’ July 26, 2016 magazine issue). She has earned $170 million. Grossing $200 million on the continent en route to a quarter-billion dollars in total for her 1989 World Tour, the pop superstar smashed the Rolling Stones’ North American touring record.
Soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo has become the world’s highest-paid athlete, with earnings of $88 million over the past 12 months from salary, bonuses and endorsements. Ronaldo is only the second team athlete after Michael Jordan to rank as the top-paid since Forbes began tracking athlete earnings in 1990.
