The lack of gender equality in the film industry was again apparent in Forbes' 2013 Best Actors for the Buck list, with women making up the top 40 per cent of the list.
Emma Stone, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence and Natalie Portman were found to give the best return to studios on account of what they were paid to star in blockbuster films. Forbes calculated the average amount earned by each star's last three films based on box office data and DVD sales. They then set this aside the research for their Celebrity 100 list, which calculates the salaries of the rich and famous.
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Young women top the list because they don't command the seven-figure salaries awarded to their male counterparts and older female stars, despite the fact that some of these actresses have become some of the most reputable in the industry.
Stone, 25, was found to be the best value for money, earning the film studios which hired her $80.70 (£49.17) for every dollar she was paid. Stone appeared as Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, which earned $752 million (£458 million) at the box office. Her co-star, Andrew Garfield, who played her love-interest superhero, didn't make the list, despite being paid a relatively slim $500,000 for the film. Forbes speculates that Sony will be paying Stone more for the forthcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
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Oscar-winning Lawrence was ranked third best value with a return of $68.60 (£41.79) for her performances in blockbuster The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook, which won her the Best Actress Academy Award in 2012. Lawrence was paid $500,000 plus bonuses for The Hunger Games, which took $691 million (£419 million) at the global box office. Like Stone, Lawrence's stock increased considerably - to a reported $10 million - for the Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, but was not counted by Forbes for this list.
Bond actor Daniel Craig was in sixth place, returning $25.60 (£15.23) for every dollar paid for his appearances in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2011 and 2012's Skyfall, whose £3.45 billion global box-office takings made it the highest- grossing film of all time in the UK.
Hollywood's Best Actors For The Buck
1. Emma Stone $80.70
2. Mila Kunis $68.70
3. Jennifer Lawrence $68.60
4. Natalie Portman $31.30
5. Dwayne Johnson $31.10
6. Daniel Craig $25.60
7. Russell Crowe $25.60
8. Kristen Stewart $25
9. Robert Pattinson $23.50
10. Taylor Lautner $21.40
IN PICTURES: JENNIFER LAWRENCE
