We have already seen which of Hollywood's actors have raked in the most cash over the last twelve months - Robert Downey Jr comfortably winning that battle - and now it is the turn of the ladies.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence is well and truly the Hollywood darling right now and she has topped the tree when it comes to earnings in 2005 - see off a tough challenge from the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Melissa McCarthy.

Sandra Bullock topped the Forbes list twelve months ago - a year on and she has dropped out of the top ten completely, ending the year at number thirteen.

- Jennifer Lawrence - $52,000,000

Jennifer Lawrence only made it to number two on the list last year but in 2015 she is top of the pile and comfortably ahead of her nearest rival when it comes to earnings.

Over the last twelve months, Lawrence has raking in an impressive $52 million as The Hunger Games franchise keeps on bringing in the money at the global box office - Mockingjay Part 1 took over $752 million worldwide and was one of the biggest films of last year.

The final instalment could be the biggest and most successful ever when it hits the big screen in November - could it be the first film in the series to gross over $1 billion.

And Lawrence has plenty of movie projects on the horizon as Mockingjay - Part 2, Joy and X-Men: Apocalypse are all due for release over the next year. I think it is pretty safe to assume that she will top this poll again in twelve months' time.

Not only is Lawrence the highest paid actress of 2015, if you but the actor and actress list together, Lawrence outperformed all of the men except Robert Downey Jr.

Jennifer Lawrence

- Scarlett Johansson - $35,500,000

Scarlett Johansson is another actress that moved up the list in 2005 - jumping from number seven last year to number two this year.

In 2015, Johansson has collected a cool $35.5 million, which is largely thanks to the billion dollar success of Avengers: Age of Ultron back in April. And Johansson is going to continue to be a major player in the Marvel franchise as Black Widow with Captain America: Civil War and the two Infinity War Avengers movies on the horizon.

Age of Ultron is the only big screen outing for Johansson so far this year, but she has already completed work on Hail, Caesar, which will see her work with directors Ethan and Joel Coen for the first time.

The actress is also set to lend her voice to Jon Favreau's adaptation of The Jungle Book. She will bring the character of Kaa to life alongside Idris Elba, Bill Murray, and Ben Kingsley.

Captain America: Civil War is already one of the most anticipated films of 2016 and could be the first Captain America movie to break $1 billion. Could Johansson be battling it out with Lawrence for the top spot on this chart twelve months from now? I guess we are going to have to wait and see.

Scarlett Johansson

- Melissa McCarthy - $23,000,000

Melissa McCarthy didn't even make the top ten of the Forbes list last year... twelve months on and she has rocketed up to number three.

Over the last twelve months, the funny woman has brought home $23 million in earning and really has become one of the most in demand stars and best female comedic actors.

As well as continuing with television series Mike & Molly, McCarthy returned to the big screen this summer as she led an all-star cast in action/comedy Spy, a movie that saw her reunite with director Paul Feig.

Spy was the third collaboration between McCarthy and Feig and was a critical hit as well as a success at the box office.

And 2016 is also looking like it is going to be a good year for the actress as she is set to team up with Feig once again for Ghostbusters. McCarthy will star alongside Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth for the brand new film - filming on the movie is already well under way.

Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy

- Bingbing Fan - $21,000,000

This year both Forbes lists took into account non-Hollywood actors for the first time and Bingbing Fan - who is a huge star in China - made it in at number four.

Bingbing Fan is the only non-American star to make it into the top ten this year and she has pocketed a very nice $21 million in the last twelve months.

Over the last couple of years we have seen the actress start to make a name for herself with small roles in the likes of Iron Man 3 and X-Men: Days of Future Past. This year, she has appeared in movies such as Lady of the Dynasty and Wan Wu Sheng Zhang.

The actress will also team up with Jackie Chan later this year for action/comedy Skiptrace, which sees Renny Harlin in the director's chair. She has also completed work on The Moon and the Sun with Pierce Brosnan, William Hurt, Benjamin Walker, and Kaya Scodelario.

Bingbing Fan

- Jennifer Aniston - $16,500,000

Jennifer Aniston is another actress who has moved down the chart this year as she has dropped from the third highest pair actress in 2014 to the fifth in 2015.

2015 has been a great year for Aniston after receiving critical acclaim for her central performance in drama Cake. The actress picked up her first Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actress - sadly, she was overlooked by the Academy Awards.

As well as drama, we have also see her return to comedy with Horrible Bosses 2, which saw her reprise the role of Dr Julia Harris alongside Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx. The movie hit the big screen at the back end of 2014.

It has been a quiet movie year for Aniston with Cake and She's Funny That Way being her only outings. However, she has been linked to roles in both Mother's Day and Mean Moms.

Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston

- Julia Roberts - $16,000,000

Julia Roberts is another actress who wasn't in the Forbes top ten this time last year - twelve months on and she is in at number six with $16 million in her back pocket.

We haven't seen Roberts on the big screen since August: Osage County, but it has been a busy film year for her, completing work on Secret in the Eyes and Money Monster.

Secret In The Eyes is a crime drama based on the novel by Eduardo Sacheri and will see Roberts star alongside Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor, while Billy Ray is in the director's chair. The movie is not set to hit the big screen until March next year.

Money Monster will see her reunite with actor George Clooney for the latest directorial outing from Jodie Foster. Jack O'Connell, Dominic West, and Caitriona Balfe are also on the cast list.

Roberts is also set to reunite with director Garry Marshall for Mother's Day - the pair have already worked together on Valentine's Day and the iconic Pretty Woman.

Julia Roberts

The rest of the top ten is made up of Angelina Jolie ($15,000,000), Reese Witherspoon ($15,000,000), Anne Hathaway ($12,000,000), Kristen Stewart ($12,000,000).


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