Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Tops Forbes List Of Highest-Paid Actors

Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, has been named as the highest-earning actor of 2016. The 44-year-old WWE wrestler turned global superstar topped the annual Forbes list of the world’s best-paid actors, earning a cool $64.5 million between June 2015 and June 2016.

The sum will include Johnson’s share of any box office revenue from earthquake-themed disaster movie San Andreas, which was released in May 2015, as well as the actor’s fee for recent action comedy Central Intelligence.

Want to say two things about this.

I started w/ $7 bucks. If I can overcome, so can you.

Waffle House on me!!😂🙌🏾 https://t.co/r3UeQYaLmT

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 25, 2016

Johnson is also the actor who made the biggest gain in income this year after more than doubling his 2015 paycheck. Meanwhile, previous big-hitters Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman and Channing Tatum were not listed after having quieter years. 

The list in full: 

1. Dwayne Johnson = $64,500,00
2. Jackie Chan = $61,000,000
3. Matt Damon = $55,000,000
4. Tom Cruise = $53,000,000
5. Johnny Depp = $48,000,000
6. Ben Affleck = $43,000,000
7. Vin Diesel = $35,000,000
8. Shah Rukh Khan = $33,000,000
9. Robert Downey Jr = $33,000,000
10. Akshay Kumar = $31,500,000
11. Brad Pitt = $31,500,000
12. Adam Sandler = $30,000,000
13. Mark Wahlberg = $30,000,000
14. Salman Kahn = $28,500,000
15. Leonardo Dicaprio = $27,000,000
16. Chris Pratt = $26,000,000
17. Will Smith = $20,500,000
18. Amitabh Bachchan = $20,000,000
19. Matthew McConaughey = $18,000,000
20. Harrison Ford = $15,000,000

But the list also raises some obvious questions: 

How did The Rock double his money in a year?

Regardless of where we're at.. when #2 happens with my baby girl.. I'm the #1 man for the job. #TheWorkinMan #DaddysGotU #JustKeepPlayinWithYourToysMama #IWillDealWithMyBackSpasmsLater 😂💪🏾💯

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Jul 28, 2016 at 6:08am PDT 

Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? We reckon we can catch a whiff of lobsters and caviar. The former wrestler has had a spectacular year thanks to upfront fees for the aforementioned Central Intelligence (which clocked $208 million at the box office) and Baywatch, in which he'll play Mitch Buchanan.

He'll also have received a paycheck after signing up for the eighth film in the Fast and Furious franchise, which has made him seriously bankable, along with the $473 million box-office triumph of San Andreas – it's pleasing to know that expertly commanding a helicopter, truck, aeroplane and speedboat in just one film can pay so handsomely. 

The internet, replete with gifs of Johnson from his more streamlined WWF days, has also boosted his appeal. Johnson's used his Instagram, full of videos of his toddler, puppies and occasional outbursts at Vin Diesel, has brought him a new adoring fanbase and kept him consistently in the entertainment press.