Jennifer Lawrence is the world's highest-paid actress in 2016 for the second year in a row, followed by Melissa McCarthy, who notched a big gain to claim the runner-up spot, Forbes magazine has reported.

Lawrence, the star of the Hunger Games franchise, has earned $46 million before taxes over 12 months in part from a big upfront fee for the forthcoming movie Passengers, Forbes said. The earnings mark an 11.5 per cent drop from her 2015 total.

McCarthy has $33 million in earnings, up $10 million from her estimate for the year before, in part from her payday for the reboot of Ghostbusters.

Scarlett Johansson of Captain America: Civil Wars was third at $25 million, down nearly 30 per cent from 2015.

The rest of the 2016 top 10 are:

4. Jennifer Aniston - $21 million
5. Fan Bingbing - $17 million
6. Charlize Theron - $16.5 million
7. Amy Adams - $13.5 million
8. Julia Roberts - $12 million
9. Mila Kunis - $11 million
10. Deepika Padukone - $10 million

Padukone, an Indian, is the only newcomer on the list. The totals cover from June 1, 2015 to June 1 of this year, before fees and taxes.

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