Depp tops moneymakers at the box office in 2010

(AFP PHOTO / Max NASH)

Despite the fact that The Tourist stars two of Hollywood's top actors, the thriller has underperformed at the box office. But that did not stop Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie from topping the annual poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors.

Depp was voted the top money-making star of 2010 for the third time and Jolie is second in the 79th survey conducted by Quigley Publishing Company.

Theater owners and film buyers considered Depp responsible for more traffic to theaters than any other actor this year, especially with his performance in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the second biggest blockbuster of 2010.

The ten stars with the most power to generate box office revenue at cinemas in 2010 are published in the International Motion Picture Almanac. They follow in ranking:

1. Johnny Depp ( Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist)
2. Angelina Jolie ( Salt, The Tourist)
3. Robert Downey, Jr. ( Iron Man 2, Due Date)
4. Matt Damon ( Green Zone, Hereafter, True Grit)
5. Steve Carell ( Date Night, Dinner for Schmucks, Despicable Me)
6. Tom Hanks ( Toy Story 3)
7. Denzel Washington ( The Book of Eli, Unstoppable)
8. Leonardo DiCaprio ( Inception, Shutter Island)
9. George Clooney ( The American)
10. Anne Hathaway ( Valentine's Day, Alice in Wonderland, Love and Other Drugs)

Exhibitors also named the year's breakthrough actors as "Stars of Tomorrow" - those most likely to become "Top Money-Makers" in the future. The winners are Zach Galifianakis ( The Hangover), who starred in Dinner for Schmucks with Steve Carell and Due Date with Robert Downey Jr, and Michelle Williams ( Brokeback Mountain, Shutter Island), a Golden Globe nominee for her performance in Blue Valentine.

RC