Will Ferrell tops Hollywood’s most overpaid list

A year is a long time in Hollywood. This time 12 months ago, Will Ferrell was sitting pretty as one of America's most bankable comic actors, renowned for his pitch-perfect impression of George W Bush. Today there is a new man in the White House and Ferrell has just been named as the industry's most overpaid star.

Ferrell, 42, topped the Forbes annual list of overpaid Hollywood actors, shooting up from No 9 in last year's rankings largely on account of his flop film Land of the Lost, which failed to recoup its $100m (£60m) budget.

Britain's Ewan McGregor finished in second place. His latest film, Amelia, has so far earned just $13.3m from a budget of $40m.

Forbes compiled its list by offsetting the financial performance of a film against the salary paid to its featured actor. It is estimated that Ferrell makes up to $20m a picture. However, Forbes claims that his films now earn back only $3.29 for every $1 paid into his bank account. By contrast, the films of Shia LeBeouf – reportedly the world's most bankable star – earn a $160 return on every dollar spent on him.

Other stars who featured in the top 10 include Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy and Leonardo DiCaprio. Drew Barrymore was the only woman on the list, placing at No 7. This suggests that female actors are currently providing better value than their male counterparts. The 2008 hall of shame contained six women in the top 10 and was headed by Nicole Kidman.