Together, the world's 10 highest-paid actresses tallied a combined $172.5 million between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017. Earnings estimates are based on data from Nielsen, ComScore, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with industry insiders. All figures are pretax; fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted. The list examined actresses the world over, but no stars from Asia made the cut, as Fan Bingbing and Deepika Padukone dropped off due to quieter years.

This year, three women breached the $20 million mark, compared to four women in 2016. Notably absent this year: Scarlett Johansson, who failed to earn above the $11.5 million cut off for this year's list. Overall, the cumulative total is down 16 per cent from $205 million in 2016.

Their success remains remarkable considering that female characters fill only 28.7% of all speaking roles in film according to a 2016 study. Roles for women above 40 are even fewer and farther between, which makes it all the more notable that 60 per cent of this year's list members are over the age of 40. These women have forged their own roles, such as Atomic Blonde producer and star Charlize Theron, 42, (No. 6; $14 million) who spent five years developing the spy project.

As the ticketing receipts of Wonder Woman and Girls Trip show, strong female characters have never been more bountiful at the box office. Here's hoping their success engenders more roles for a wider range of actresses in years to come.

1. Emma Stone

$26 million

The Oscar winner’s earnings from movie-musical La La Land comprise the bulk of her payday. She portrayed aspiring actress and barista Mia in the movie, which went on to gross $445.3 million worldwide on a $30 million production budget. She banked her largest ever take-home and is the biggest dollar and percent gainer, year over year, of anyone on the list.

2. Jennifer Aniston

$25.5 million

Former Friends star continues to bank millions more than a decade after Friends' conclusion, thanks to regular roles in movies such as The Yellow Birds. But Aniston, 48, makes most of her money by endorsing the likes of Emirates airlines, Smartwater and Aveeno. Hair-care line Living Proof, which she owned a stake in, was sold to Unilever for an undisclosed amount in December 2016, adding to Aniston's bottom line.

3. Jennifer Lawrence

$24 million

Former top-ranked Lawrence comes in at No. 3, notching just over half her 2016 total. But don’t worry – she still made $24 million. Without a Hunger Games movie, most of Lawrence's paychecks came from forthcoming Darren Aronofsky thriller Mother!, Red Sparrow and a longstanding Dior endorsement.

4. Melissa McCarthy

Mike and Molly may be off air, but the Ghostbusters star is still pocketing paychecks for movies including forthcoming, Life of the Party.

5. Mila Kunis

Following the success of Bad Moms – and with a sequel in the works – Mila Kunis is hot property in Hollywood. She retains a long-standing gig as the voice of Meg on Family Guy.

6. Emma Watson

She is this year's sole newcomer after depositing her paycheck for Beauty and the Beast, which grossed $1.26 billion to become the top-grossing movie of the year so far. Though tech drama The Circle flopped, she managed to make $14 million in the time frame.

7. Charlize Theron

Atomic Blonde producer and star Charlize Theron developed the spy action movie for five years before it came to fruition. Despite positive reviews, it has under-performed at the box office, limiting her compensation, but Theron still deposits paychecks from a Dior contract and upfront fees.

8. Cate Blanchett

Australian actress returns to the ranking thanks to a “one for me, one for them,” approach, countering Oscar fodder Carol with the forthcoming Marvel flick, Thor: Ragnarok. She last made the highest-paid actresses list in 2009.

9. Julia Roberts

Money Monster may not have fared well, but the forthcoming Wonder plus earnings from older movies and a Lancôme endorsement comprise much of Roberts’ payday.

10. Amy Adams

The five-time Oscar nominee earns both kudos and cash by balancing awards show and box office hits such as Arrival with more commercial offerings, like the forthcoming Justice League.