Los Angeles -Rapper-turned-actor Mark Wahlberg was named the world's highest paid actor on Tuesday, earning an estimated $68m before taxes over the past 12 months.
The 46-year-old star won his place at the top of the list compiled by Forbes magazine, thanks to earnings from Transformers: The Last Knight and comedy sequel Daddy's Home 2, due out in November.
"The former may have scored a miserable 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the lowest gross of the franchise to date, but Wahlberg need not worry - fixed compensation means he benefits even when movies don't do well," said Forbes.
How Mark Wahlberg became Hollywood's highest-paid actor (even though his movies tanked in the box office) https://t.co/z831HaR4JL pic.twitter.com/K4LifUDran
— Forbes (@Forbes) August 22, 2017
Dwayne Johnson, who placed first in 2016, is in second place with $65m, after starring in the big screen reboot of lifeguard action-comedy Baywatch and starring in HBO comedy Ballers.
The former wrestler appears in fantasy adventure remake Jumanji in December and Rampage, a monster movie based on the 1980s arcade game, in April next year.
The top ten men continue to out-earn their female counterparts by a huge margin - $488.5m compared with just $172.5m - a disparity Forbes attributed in part to the preponderance of superhero movies and action blockbusters that offer few starring roles for women.
Oscar-winning Emma Stone, 28, topped the list of actresses published last week with a relatively modest $26m. (Read more here)
Research by the University of Southern California's journalism school found last year that women comprise just 28.7% of all speaking roles in Hollywood.
Vin Diesel, who co-stars with Johnson in the Fast and Furious franchise, came in third on men's list with $54.5m, just ahead of comedy actor Adam Sandler, who made $50.5m, largely because of a deal with Netflix that allows him to produce his own movies.
Rounding out the top five is Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, still hugely popular in China, who made $49.5m over the last 12 months.
See the top 10 list here:
2. Dwayne Johnson, $65m.
3. Vin Diesel, $54.5m.
4. Adam Sandler, $50.5m.
5. Jackie Chan, $49m.
6. Robert Downey Jr., $48m.
7. Tom Cruise, $43m.
8. Shah Rukh Khan, $38m.
9. Salman Khan, $37m.
10. Akshay Kumar, $35.5m.