The Most Overpaid Celebrities

Once you're in Hollywood's A-list earnings club, it's hard to get kicked out, no matter how badly your films perform at the box office.

Case in point: Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. She earned an estimated $15 million for her latest film, The Golden Compass, known around the studio lot these days as the biggest turkey of 2007. It grossed a dreary $26 million when it debuted stateside last weekend, though its reported budget flirted with $200 million. (That's Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings territory.) The film garnered a respectable $55 million overseas since its release, but it's unlikely the international box office will salvage this expensive pic.

The Golden Compass isn't a one-off for Kidman. In fact, its her fourth big box office dud. For every dollar she was paid for her last three films (excluding Compass and Margot at the Wedding), her flicks returned a measly $8 on average to the studios. Compare that with less expensive A-listers like Angelina Jolie, whose rate skirts $10 million a picture, and whose last 3 films grossed $15 on average for every dollar she earned.

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