MUMBAI: According to a survey, Drew Barrymore and Eddie Murphy are in a league of their own.

Top stars can make tens of millions of dollars on a single film, and the payout can be justified when a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean brings in several hundred million at box offices. But when their movies bomb, that‘s another story. Barrymore saw her 2010 romantic comedy Going the Distance mop up $17.8 million in ticket sales. Her 2009 films Everybody‘s Fine and Whip It fared worse.

Forbes.com said the actress returns just 40 cents for every dollar movie studios spend for her participation.

In comparison, Murphy‘s films returned $2.70 for each dollar he was paid. Compared to Barrymore, Murphy is a financial superstar, said Forbes.com‘s Dorothy Pomerantz. But off late the star has been seen struggling with flops like Imagine That and Meet Dave.

The magazine compiled the list from Hollywood‘s 40 top-earning actors, and based it on each star‘s compensation on his or her last three films and the operating income on those films. From that, Forbes.com derived a return-on-investment.

Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington and Reese Witherspoon all made the top 10.