commands the big bucks. Although Berry reportedly is not making the $14 million salary of her Catwoman days, she still receives about $10 million per flick, making her one of the industry’s top-earning actresses. And Perfect Stranger was a sleeper hit that generated about $63 million worldwide. Berry, who is expecting her first child, has pressed the pause button on filmmaking, but she’s still in demand as an actor and producer. For her next project, the Oscar winner is teaming up with Billy Bob Thor
nton again in the Lionsgate crime drama Tulia. The film will be directed by John Singleton and produced by Berry.
The Wayans Family: The Wayans’ dynasty has been going strong for more than a decade with no signs of slowing down. Their films have brought in combined ticket sales of close to $2 billion. Eldest brother Keenan blazed the trail with the 1988 film I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and in 1990 when he created the Emmy Award-winning comedy series In Living Color. Younger brothers Marlon and Shawn have followed closely behind with their movies Little Man and White Chicks, which grossed a combined total of more than $213 million. The clan also ventured into children’s programming with the release of the Nickelodeon series Thugaboo in 2006. The brothers are currently working on a comedy series, The Life and Times of Marcus Felony Brown, which will air on VH1.
Dana “Queen Latifah” Owens: Queen Latifah is one of Hollywood’s supernovas-a bright star as a rapper-singer, television and film actress and producer, and author. She is also one of the industry’s most enduring brands. Bringing Down the House, a film she executive produced and starred in, earned $164.7 million worldwide in box office receipts. She earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the film adaptation of the Broadway play Chicago. Her recent motion pictures, Last Holiday in 2006 and Hairspray in 2007, collectively grossed $244 million worldwide._Mad Money, a comedy in which she stars that opened in January, grossed $9.1 million its first four days in theaters.
Will Smith: Will Smith’s 2007 blockbuster I Am Legend proves yet again that he is the king of the box office. Still in theaters at press time, the sci-fi remake has generated more than $230 million to date domestically and should finish with more than $300 million in box office sales internationally. Earning a reported $20 million, plus a percentage of the box office gross for each big-budget film, Smith’s paydays are justified by his megahits. To date, his films have generated a staggering $4.9 billion worldwide, placing him at the top of Hollywood’s elite. His role as a homeless single father in The Pursuit of Happyness also earned Smith his second Academy Award nomination for best actor. The first came in 2001 for his role in Ali.
Eddie Murphy: Eddie Murphy’s portrayal of James “Thunder” Early in DreamWorks’ musical Dreamgirls gained him an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win for best supporting actor in 2006. The star-studded Dreamgirls grossed