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  3. 40 Highest Grossing Stars Under Age 40 (Part 2): The Top 20!

40 Highest Grossing Stars Under Age 40 (Part 2): The Top 20!

We looked at the films in which young actors held starring roles over the course of their careers (animation excluded), then ranked them by box office average. You'll be surprised to see who did -- and didn't -- make the cut; see who's at No. 1!
By EW Staff Updated October 12, 2010 at 02:00 PM EDT
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20. Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus
Credit: Amy Graves/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $69.3 million
Age 17
Lead roles 3
B.O. cume $207.9 million

We all knew Hannah Montana attracted legions of tweens, but when Cyrus dropped the blond wig and dance numbers for The Last Song ($63 million), she proved true box office viability.

* Figures as of Sept. 23, 2010 from films released before Sept. 1

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19. Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart | B.O. avg $83.2 million Age 20 Lead roles 12 B.O. cume $998.4 million She's the actress every tween girl wants to be. But outside of…
Credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

B.O. avg $83.2 million
Age 20
Lead roles 12
B.O. cume $998.4 million

She's the actress every tween girl wants to be. But outside of the Twilight franchise, she has yet to assert herself as a box office draw. (The Runaways earned $3.6 million.)

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18. Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway | B.O. avg $85.1 million Age 27 Lead roles 12 B.O. cume $1 billion Hathaway's performances run the gamut in style and genre, but she's a…
Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

B.O. avg $85.1 million
Age 27
Lead roles 12
B.O. cume $1 billion

Hathaway's performances run the gamut in style and genre, but she's a consistent box office draw in movies such as The Princess Diaries ($108.2 million), The Devil Wears Prada ($124.7 million), and this year's Alice in Wonderland ($334.2 million).

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17. Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman | B.O. avg $88.7 million Age 29 Lead roles 16 B.O. cume $1.4 billion In addition to toplining the Star Wars prequels, Portman scored as a…
Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

B.O. avg $88.7 million
Age 29
Lead roles 16
B.O. cume $1.4 billion

In addition to toplining the Star Wars prequels, Portman scored as a cue-ball-headed action heroine in V for Vendetta ($70.5 million).

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16. Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl | B.O. avg $90.4 million Age 31 Lead roles 4 B.O. cume $361.6 million The former Grey's Anatomy star has emerged as a reliable comedic lead…
Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $90.4 million
Age 31
Lead roles 4
B.O. cume $361.6 million

The former Grey's Anatomy star has emerged as a reliable comedic lead (Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth). Though last June's Killers underperformed, it still earned $47.1 million.

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15. James Marsden

James Marsden | B.O. avg $90.6 million Age 37 Lead roles 11 B.O. cume $996.4 million Marsden rarely opens a movie by himself. But he has played his…
Credit: Mathew Imaging/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $90.6 million
Age 37
Lead roles 11
B.O. cume $996.4 million

Marsden rarely opens a movie by himself. But he has played his share of third-wheel roles in big hits (X-Men, Enchanted).

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14. Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst | B.O. avg $91.4 million Age 28 Lead roles 16 B.O. cume $1.5 billion She played consummate girl next door Mary Jane in the first three…
Credit: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

B.O. avg $91.4 million
Age 28
Lead roles 16
B.O. cume $1.5 billion

She played consummate girl next door Mary Jane in the first three Spider-Man films. Dunst's other biggest hits came from portraying schoolgirls in Bring It On ($68.4 million) and Mona Lisa Smile ($63.9 million).

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13. Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper | B.O. avg $98.8 million Age 35 Lead roles 6 B.O. cume $593 million Switching between guy-oriented flicks ( The Hangover ) and female-skewing comedies (…
Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

B.O. avg $98.8 million
Age 35
Lead roles 6
B.O. cume $593 million

Switching between guy-oriented flicks (The Hangover) and female-skewing comedies (He's Just Not That Into You) has paid off for Cooper. So has that devious smile.

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12. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio | B.O. avg $98.8 million Age 35 Lead roles 18 B.O. cume $1.8 billion Much of DiCaprio's haul comes from that superliner of a film, Titanic…
Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $98.8 million
Age 35
Lead roles 18
B.O. cume $1.8 billion

Much of DiCaprio's haul comes from that superliner of a film, Titanic, but he followed the megahit with well-chosen, high-grossing collaborations with an impressive roster of directors.

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11. Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley | B.O. avg $100.2 million Age 25 Lead roles 13 B.O. cume $1.3 billion As Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Knightley swashbuckled…
Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

B.O. avg $100.2 million
Age 25
Lead roles 13
B.O. cume $1.3 billion

As Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Knightley swashbuckled her way to commercial success, but it was her take on another Elizabeth — Bennet, in 2005's Pride and Prejudice — that earned her an Oscar nom.

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10. Hayden Christensen

Hayden Christensen | B.O. avg $107.3 million Age 29 Lead roles 8 B.O. cume $858.2 million He made his name as Darth Vader in the final two Star…
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

B.O. avg $107.3 million
Age 29
Lead roles 8
B.O. cume $858.2 million

He made his name as Darth Vader in the final two Star Wars prequels, but that's a tough act to follow. Grosses for films like Awake, Jumper, and Takers have been strong, but more earthbound.

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9. ZOE SALDANA

Zoe Saldana | B.O. avg $132.3 million Age 32 Lead roles 9 B.O. cume $1.2 billion She has sizable parts in two of the biggest sci-fi franchises in…
Credit: Florian Seefried/Getty Images

B.O. avg $132.3 million
Age 32
Lead roles 9
B.O. cume $1.2 billion

She has sizable parts in two of the biggest sci-fi franchises in the universe right now — playing a Na'vi in Avatar and Uhura in Star Trek. All she needs to do next is connect with audiences beyond her Comic-Con base.

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8. Tobey Maguire

Tobey Maguire | B.O. avg $138.2 million Age 35 Lead roles 10 B.O. cume $1.4 billion Maguire already had a pretty decent résume — Pleasantville , The Cider…
Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $138.2 million
Age 35
Lead roles 10
B.O. cume $1.4 billion

Maguire already had a pretty decent résume — Pleasantville, The Cider House Rules, Wonder Boys — before he started squirting webs out of his wrists. Post-Spidey, his clout has been less super: 2009's Brothers grossed $28.5 million.

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7. Shia LaBeouf

B.O. avg $144.8 million Age 24 Lead roles 9 B.O. cume $1.3 billion Sure, the Transformers films make up half of his grosses, and Indiana…
Credit: John Shearer/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $144.8 million
Age 24
Lead roles 9
B.O. cume $1.3 billion

Sure, the Transformers films make up half of his grosses, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull accounts for another big chunk ($317.1 million). But LaBeouf has also shown his appeal in thrillers like Disturbia ($80.2 million) and Eagle Eye ($101.4 million).

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6. Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom | B.O. avg $155.8 million Age 33 Lead roles 8 B.O. cume $1.2 billion He burst onto the scene as an elf in the Lord of…
Credit: Matt Carr/Getty Images

B.O. avg $155.8 million
Age 33
Lead roles 8
B.O. cume $1.2 billion

He burst onto the scene as an elf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (not counted here, since he was a supporting player), then sailed into box office glory with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. But outside of F/X-driven tentpoles, he's had some trouble. (Kingdom of Heaven and Elizabethtown were both duds.)

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5. Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson | B.O. avg $161.8 million Age 24 Lead roles 5 B.O. cume $809.2 million Pattinson has shown his box office chops (and choppers) in the Twilight…
Credit: Jordan Strauss/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $161.8 million
Age 24
Lead roles 5
B.O. cume $809.2 million

Pattinson has shown his box office chops (and choppers) in the Twilight saga. In last spring's Remember Me ($19.1 million), though, he had considerably less bite.

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4. Jaden Smith

Jaden Smith | B.O. avg $170.1 million Age 12 Lead roles 2 B.O. cume $340.2 million How will kids learn the value of a dollar unless they get…
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

B.O. avg $170.1 million
Age 12
Lead roles 2
B.O. cume $340.2 million

How will kids learn the value of a dollar unless they get a part-time job? For Will Smith's son, who starred with Dad in The Pursuit of Happyness, acting made more sense than mowing lawns. The Karate Kid earned $176.6 million, and a sequel is already in the works.

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3. Taylor Lautner

Taylor Lautner | B.O. avg $186.6 million Age 18 Lead roles 4 B.O. cume $746.5 million Remember when he almost got replaced after the first Twilight movie? Then…
Credit: Soul Brother/FilmMagic.com

B.O. avg $186.6 million
Age 18
Lead roles 4
B.O. cume $746.5 million

Remember when he almost got replaced after the first Twilight movie? Then Lautner packed on 30 pounds and — voilà! — a career. His first post-Twilight film, the ensemble love story Valentine's Day, made $110.5 million.

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2. Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe | B.O. avg $244.7 million Age 21 Lead roles 7 B.O. cume $1.7 billion Paint a lightning bolt on his forehead and he's unbeatable. The question…
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

B.O. avg $244.7 million
Age 21
Lead roles 7
B.O. cume $1.7 billion

Paint a lightning bolt on his forehead and he's unbeatable. The question will be whether Radcliffe can draw an audience once he graduates from Harry Potter. (The 2007 indie December Boys, his first starring role outside Hogwarts, was released on only 13 screens and grossed $51,000.)

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1. SAM WORTHINGTON

Sam Worthington | B.O. avg $349.6 million Age 34 Lead roles 3 B.O. cume $1 billion Headlining the biggest hit in history is one reason he tops this…
Credit: Munawar Hosain/Fotos International/Getty Images

B.O. avg $349.6 million
Age 34
Lead roles 3
B.O. cume $1 billion

Headlining the biggest hit in history is one reason he tops this list — Avatar accounts for two-thirds of his grosses. But Worthington also helped carry Clash of the Titans ($163.2 million) and Terminator Salvation ($125.3 million), making him a bankable choice for filmmakers seeking a thirtysomething leading man who knows his way around a greenscreen.

Check out numbers 40-21 in Part 1.

More from EW:
TV Recaps: Glee, Dancing With the Stars, more hot shows
Dancing With the Stars: Hidden gems of the week!
Psycho Killers: Vote in EW's Halloween Bracket Game!

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    1 of 20 20. Miley Cyrus
    2 of 20 19. Kristen Stewart
    3 of 20 18. Anne Hathaway
    4 of 20 17. Natalie Portman
    5 of 20 16. Katherine Heigl
    6 of 20 15. James Marsden
    7 of 20 14. Kirsten Dunst
    8 of 20 13. Bradley Cooper
    9 of 20 12. Leonardo DiCaprio
    10 of 20 11. Keira Knightley
    11 of 20 10. Hayden Christensen
    12 of 20 9. ZOE SALDANA
    13 of 20 8. Tobey Maguire
    14 of 20 7. Shia LaBeouf
    15 of 20 6. Orlando Bloom
    16 of 20 5. Robert Pattinson
    17 of 20 4. Jaden Smith
    18 of 20 3. Taylor Lautner
    19 of 20 2. Daniel Radcliffe
    20 of 20 1. SAM WORTHINGTON

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    40 Highest Grossing Stars Under Age 40 (Part 2): The Top 20!
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