With an estimated net worth of $70m, Emma Watson owes much of her fortune to her role in the Harry Potter film series. However, her latest endeavor in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast is projected to substantially increase her earnings, potentially securing her the top spot on Hollywood’s Highest Paid Actresses list. Despite her fee for the movie being a modest $2.5m, compared to Jennifer Lawrence’s $15m for the final Hunger Games film, Watson’s upcoming success is expected to elevate her status in the industry.
Emma Watson is on track to become the highest paid actress in Hollywood, surpassing Jennifer Lawrence. She is expected to earn $15 million solely from her share of the profits from her latest Disney blockbuster.
Surpassing: Emma’s compensation for the movie ($2.5m) may seem modest, especially compared to Jennifer Lawrence, who earned $15m for her role in the final Hunger Games film in both 2015 and 2016.
However, Watson and her team recognized the potential earnings from her participation in Beauty And The Beast, striking a deal with Disney to share in the movie’s global profits.
With an estimated total of $15m from the film’s earnings, when combined with her initial fee, Watson’s earnings for this project alone reach $17.5m.
Beauty And The Beast has raked in approximately $750m worldwide so far, with $350m of that coming in its debut weekend last week.
Financial experts predict that this will place Watson at the top of the 2017 rich list.
While this is not Watson’s first appearance on the highly coveted Highest Paid Hollywood Actress list compiled annually by Forbes and Vanity Fair, which also takes into account endorsements, it is certainly a significant milestone in her career.
Emma Watson’s recent casting in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is expected to substantially increase her income, potentially propelling her to the top of the next list of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses.
Watson and her team saw the potential for big earnings in her role in Beauty And The Beast, striking a lucrative deal with Disney to ensure she received a portion of the film’s profits worldwide. By the age of 20, Watson had already made a significant amount of money, earning between $15m and $20m annually from her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, along with other movie roles she took on. In 2009, she outearned established stars like Cameron Diaz, Sandra Bullock, and Sarah Jessica Parker, placing 14th on the earnings list. At just 14th place on the list, she was also the youngest person to make an appearance, showing her impressive financial success at a young age. Watson’s first major role outside of Harry Potter was in the TV movie Ballet Shows in 2007.
Not a newcomer to the ranking, she secured the 14th spot back in 2010, still in her teens, by raking in $15m to $20m annually for portraying Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, along with other acting gigs she picked up along the way.
Reaching the peak of fame, she cast her final spell as Hermione in the Harry Potter series in 2010 and 2011, earning over $10 million per movie.
Following her role as Princess Pea in The Tale of Despereaux in 2008, Emma Watson made it to sixth place on Forbes’ Most Valuable Young Stars list in March 2009. That same summer, she became the face of Burberry’s Autumn/Winter campaign and reportedly earned a substantial six-figure salary for her work. Watson later starred in Burberry’s 2010 Spring/Summer campaign, appearing alongside her brother, musicians George Craig and Matt Gilmour, and model Max Hurd. She was then chosen as the face of Lancôme in the following year.
On the upswing: Following this success, she has graced the big screen in films like My Week with Marilyn (2011), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and This Is the End (2013).
Making a profit: Emma’s role in The Bling Ring (2013) showed her swiping cash instead of making it through honest means.
Her most recent project, The Circle, is scheduled to hit theaters in April 2017, featuring her alongside renowned actor Tom Hanks. After bidding farewell to her iconic role as Hermione in the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson continued to expand her acting portfolio with films like My Week with Marilyn, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, This Is the End, The Bling Ring, Noah, and Regression.
Famous actress and model: She was featured in Burberry’s Spring/Summer campaign for 2010, sharing the spotlight with her brother Alex, musicians George Craig and Matt Gilmour, and model Max Hurd. A year later, she was chosen as the ambassador for Lancôme.
On last year’s rich list of actresses, Jennifer Aniston maintained her usual high position, boosted by endorsements from Emirates airlines, Smartwater, Aveeno, and Living Proof. Jennifer Lawrence secured the top spot with earnings of $46 million, followed by Melissa McCarthy at $33 million, largely due to her role in Ghostbusters. Scarlett Johansson took third place with $13 million. In total, the top 10 highest-paid actresses raked in a combined $205 million from June 2015 to June 2016, before deductions for fees and taxes, as reported by Forbes.
Third time proved to be lucky for Scarlett Johansson as she secured the third spot by earning a whopping $13 million.
Crushing it: Jennifer Lawrence banked an impressive $46 million in just one year, surpassing Melissa McCarthy who came in second with $33 million. Lawrence’s earnings were boosted significantly by her hefty paycheck for Ghostbusters, as seen in this photo from a recent episode of Saturday Night Live.