What once seemed like a zealous bit of risky business (Gibson even said God was directing the movie through him) has proved to be one of the most successful power plays in Hollywood history, the magazine says, with $610 million in global sales.

Though featured prominently, Gibson doesn’t top Entertainment Weekly’s 15th annual power rankings because the magazine replaced its traditional numerical list with a rundown on the movers and shakers whose careers and lives changed dramatically in the last 12 months.

Now on newsstands, the issue offers a rundown of those who gained and lost power in films, music and television in the past year, with separate lists for creative figures and suits - "We were interested in the people who had the most interesting power stories to tell," Los Angeles bureau chief Ben Svetkey commented. Gibson is featured on the cover, and the magazine proclaims his next project as a "must-have".

"When you consider that he spent $25 million of his own money on a film in ancient Aramaic, it’s incredible what he’s done," Svetkey continued.

Besides Gibson, those who have the power, according to the magazine, include Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Michael Moore and Lindsay Lohan, with Harvey Weinstein, Janet Jackson, Larry and Andy Wachowski, Vin Diesel and the Olsen twins among those on the slide.