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Jackie Chan is the fifth highest paid actor on the planet. This year, the 64-year-old Hong Kong-born global superstar made it to Forbes' annual list of the highest paid actors. Over the period of June 2017 to June 2018, Chan reportedly gained an estimated $45.5 million from on-screen performances as well as extracurricular earnings. Apart from being the top five earner as an international actor, this also makes him China’s top movie star.

Despite being well into his 60s, Jackie Chan continues to work at a superhuman pace. In fact, he starred in a total of seven movies last year – no small feat for any senior citizen, even one as physically fit as Chan. His most recent movies include The Lego Ninjago Movie, which earned a total of $123 million globally. He also starred in The Foreigner under STX Entertainment, which raked in $34.4 million domestic and an impressive $145.3 million worldwide, as specified by Box Office Mojo.

This was in spite of the fact that in China, The Foreigner was outsold by local comedy movie Never Say Die over the weekend of their release. In a rare semi-slump, the Jackie Chan-starred flick made $21.9 million while the local comedy raked in around $46.2 million. For those who haven’t heard of Never Say Die, it’s the third feature comedy by Mahua Fun Age, Beijing’s premiere comedy theater troupe. The movie plays out as a Freaky Friday-like scenario in which a journalist and a boxer swap bodies via a zap of electricity, resulting in a hilarious mess of slapstick comedy. In other words, Jackie Chan was beat at his own game by a new generation of Chinese comedians who were likely influenced by his body of work in the physical comedy genre.

The Forbes top-paid actors list also doubles as a list of some of the most influential actors of all time. Aside from Chan, the rest of the top five include the likes of Dwayne Johnson and Robert Downey, Jr., with George Clooney at the top spot. As the highest paid actor, Clooney raked in a total of $239 million. This time, most of his earnings didn’t come from movies, but smart business decisions. The biggest portion came from the $700 million sale of Casamigos Tequila, a company that Clooney co-owns. Now you have an idea of what he does with his earnings from blockbuster films such as Ocean’s 11, 12, and 13. Not only is Ocean’s 11 considered one of the greatest gambling films of all time, it also confirmed Clooney’s status as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Best of all, it gave him a better means to invest. He’s on this year's list for the same reasons as Jackie Chan – massive influence, wise investments, and good old hard work.

This is great news for the two great actors. Both Clooney and Chan came from working class beginnings, and they haven’t been always this good with their personal finances. Chan himself has admitted to throwing money around in the past back when he first made millions from his newfound fame. But he has since learned his lesson. Today, he's part-owner of Yaolai International Cinema in Beijing, a theater complex with 17 cinemas.