The Forbes.com poll suggests Barrymore's recent movies have generated a return of just $0.40 (£0.25) for every $1 (£0.63) she is paid by film studio bosses, thanks to box office flops Whip It, Everybody's Fine and last year's (10) Going The Distance, which earned a paltry $17.8 million (£11.13 million) in U.S. ticket sales.

Dreamgirls star Murphy fared considerably better - his films returned $2.70 (£1.69) for every dollar, but it wasn't enough to save him from second place on the list as 2008's Meet Dave and 2009's Imagine That failed to attract fans to open their wallets.

But Barrymore and Murphy aren't the only stars to draw criticism - funnyman Will Ferrell and Oscar winners Reese Witherspoon and Denzel Washington round out the top five.