George Clooney knocks Dwayne Johnson from atop Forbes' highest-paid actors list
Casamigos Tequila sale helps vault Clooney to top spot
George Clooney can raise a glass, even if he's not starring in any hit movies.
The 57-year-old tops the 2018 Forbes' list of highest-paid actors with $239 million (all figures U.S.) in pretax earnings.
Forbes credits up to $1 billion that a British conglomerate said it would pay for Casamigos Tequila, which Clooney co-founded in 2013 with two entrepreneurs. The actor's wealth also includes additional earnings from endorsements and older movies.
The rankings include onscreen and outside earnings.
Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson ranked second with $124 million pretax.
Forbes says a huge social media following helped Johnson nearly double his 2017 earnings because he's able to negotiate an extra seven figures over his standard contract for promotion.
"Social media has become the most critical element of marketing a movie for me," Johnson told Forbes in July.
"I have established a social media equity with an audience around the world that there's a value in what I'm delivering to them."
Robert Downey Jr. was third with $81 million, followed by Chris Hemsworth with $64.5 million.
Rounding out the top five is Jackie Chan, China's top movie star, with $45.5 million.
