The real pulling power of Hollywood stars

By Katharine MacColl

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WHO would you rate as the world's leading movie star Just how do you�compare de Niro,�diCaprio and Paltrow

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Bruce Willis: No.1

Well, action man Bruce Willis is top of the pops, closely followed by Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, according to a new index of Hollywood celebrities, based on their box office power.

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The list is based solely on how many tickets are sold for their films. It is expected that Hollywood studios will use the chart, compiled by movie buffs David Alpert and Roy Lee, in negotiations with actors.

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This could be bad news for John Travolta, who commands �13.8 million per picture, or George Clooney, who is currently shooting a multi-million remake of the cult film Planet of the Apes. Travolta's not even in the top 20, thanks to his last failure, Battlefield Earth, which is based on a Scientology text .

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Bodyguard heartthrob Kevin Costner is left out, and Samuel L Jackson, not normally considered a superstar, is, at number 13, ahead of Harrison Ford and Robert de Niro.

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But what about the girls Apart from Julia Roberts, who is tipped for an Oscar for Erin Brochovich and who commands $15 million per picture, Cameron Diaz�is the only other actress in the top 20. What happened to leading favourites like Catherine Zeta Jones, Meg Ryan and Jennifer Lopez

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Two of the UK's most sought-after actors are also outside the top flight. Sir Anthony Hopkins, back on our screens soon in a follow-up to Silence of the Lambs, makes it in at 22, and Scotland's Ewan MacGregor enters at 30.

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The top 20

1. Bruce Willis
2. Tom Hanks
3. Julia Roberts
4. Mel Gibson
5. Jim Carrey
6. Tom Cruise
7. Nicholas Cage
8. George Clooney
9. Eddie Murphy
10. Cameron Diaz
11. Russel Crowe
12. Leornardo DiCaprio
13. Samual L Jackson
14. Robert De Niro
15. Harrison Ford
16. Pierce Brosnan
17. Tommy Lee Jones
18. Will Smith
19. Keanu Reeves
20. Ben Stiller