Julia laughs all way to bank
Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks have been named as Hollywood's most bankable stars in a poll by a leading showbiz paper.
The trio, who can command more than $20m a movie, were judged to have the strongest attraction with 100% 'bankability'.
Roberts becomes the first woman to claim the top spot, elevated from No. 8 in 1999, the last time the publication carried out the poll.
She is the only woman among the top 10 stars in what the Hollywood Reporter calls its StarPower 2002 survey. Last year, the actress won an Oscar for her portrayal as Erin Brockovich in the film of the same name.
The survey included 114 executives at major studios, independent companies, as well as financiers and various industry players from around the world.
It measured not only the stars' box office drawing power, but also the ability to get films funded and obtain distribution worldwide based on the strength of their names.
The Oscars, annual movie awards handed out in Hollywood, boost global bankability because the accolades are seen by an estimated 1 billion people worldwide.
Russell Crowe, last year's Oscar winner for Gladiator, saw his starpower rocket this year from a mid-level ranking in 1999 to No. 7 among the 130 celebrities making the list.
The poll scored 1,000 actors on their "bankability" with a top score being 100. Hanks, Cruise and Roberts all secured maximum marks followed by Mel Gibson, Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Crowe, Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt with rankings in their 90s.
After Roberts, the next female was Sandra Bullock with a 87.28 score followed by Cameron Diaz with 84.87 and Nicole Kidman at 84.65.
