Sandra Bullock, with $51 million, is highest-paid actress on Forbes list

Sandra Bullock’s stratospheric paycheck for the Oscar-winning sci-fi thriller “Gravity” has launched her to the top of Forbes’ list of top-earning actresses.

The 50-year-old actress made an estimated $51 million between June 2013 and June 2014, mostly from the Alfonso Cuaron-directed film, Forbes said. Bullock claimed the No. 7 spot last year.

“Gravity,” of course, was one of the biggest movies of 2013, grossing more than $716 million at the global box office and winning seven Oscars (on 10 nominations). Bullock, who was nominated for best actress but lost to Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”), had a lucrative profit-participation deal on the blockbuster hit.

Bullock’s impressive payday notwithstanding, she and her fellow actresses still trail Hollywood’s top-paid male actors: Robert Downey Jr. raked in $75 million in the same period, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson earned $52 million.

Bullock is followed on the Forbes actress list by “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence ($34 million), “We’re the Millers” star Jennifer Aniston ($31 million), “Iron Man 3” star Gwyneth Paltrow ($19 million), “Maleficent” star Angelina Jolie ($18 million) and “The Other Woman” star Cameron Diaz ($18 million).

Jolie topped last year’s list with an estimated $33 million, part of which was credited from her large upfront payment for “Maleficent.” She’s expected to earn more next year through a back-end deal on the Disney movie, which has grossed more than $700 million worldwide.

The clout associated with topping the list often leads to actors seeking out new pastures in Hollywood.

Though “Maleficent” has proved that Jolie can still be a box-office powerhouse, she is also branching out into directing, with “Unbroken” set to arrive Christmas Day and “By the Sea” in the works.

Kristen Stewart was No. 1 on Forbes’ 2012 list, with $34.5 million after starring in “Twilight: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1” and “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Since the “Twilight” finale, Stewart has focused on small-scale dramas such as “Camp X-Ray” and “Clouds of Sils Maria.”

Bullock’s upcoming projects include “The Heat 2” and a movie about Tupperware marketing guru Brownie Wise.

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