Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has become the best-paid female actor in the world, according to Forbes magazine. Johansson, 33, made USD 40.5 million in pre-tax earnings from June 1, 2017, to June 1, 2018, quadrupling her income from the previous year.
She played Black Widow in this year's hit Marvel movie Avengers: Infinity War and will return to the role in the 2019 instalment from Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios.
Johansson beat Angelina Jolie, who ranked second with USD 28 million thanks mainly to her upfront pay for Maleficent 2.
Jennifer Aniston came in third with USD 19.5 million, making the bulk of her profits from Emirates Airlines, Smartwater, and Aveeno promotions, Forbes reports.
Jennifer Lawrence, 28, was fourth on the list with continued earnings from her role in the X-Men series and an endorsement contract with fashion brand Christian Dior. Her USD 18 million income was USD 6 million less than the prior year.
Reese Witherspoon, 42, is at number five with USD 16.5 million. The rest of the top 10 were Mila Kunis, Cate Blanchett, Melissa McCarthy and Gal Gadot. The combined earnings of the top 10 women this year is USD 186 million.
Last year's highest-paid female actor, Emma Stone, was not part of the top 10.
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