The World's Highest-Paid Magicians

American magician David Copperfield has attracted headlines this week amid a negligence lawsuit filed by a British tourist injured at one of his shows. Gavin Cox's lawsuit claims he has spent over $400,000 on medical bills after he fell during a magic trick called "Lucky #13". The trick involves Copperfield making 13 randomly chosen audience members disappear before they appear once again at the back of the auditorium. Copperfield was forced to reveal the trick after Cox claimed he fell while being ushered through passageways to pull off the illusion.

Even though Copperfield's lawyers claim that revealing the trick would cause financial harm to their client, he remains the best-paid magician in the world by far. According to Forbes, Copperfield made just over $60 million in 2017, substantially more than second placed act Penn & Teller. Well-known American street magician David Blaine trailed in the earning-stakes but he still raked in a healthy $6 million last year.