Tom Cruise's popularity has officially fallen by 40 per cent in the last 18 months.

The 'Top Gun' star was dropped by Paramount last week, and now official figures, known in the marketing industry as Q scores have emerged, have given an indication as to why.

A Q score measure the popularity of celebrities, TV shows and products to give advertisers and marketing companies and idea of their value.

Marketing Evaluations Incorporated, the company that calculates Q scores, have that Tom's Q score has fallen by 40 per cent and the negative perception of the actor, who is a devout follower of Scientology, has increased by a massive 100 per cent.

This week it was also revealed that the 'Mission Impossible' star is the celebrity people would least like as their best friend.

2,373 people in the UK were asked to choose who, out of 11 actors they would have as their best pal.

Tom Cruise came bottom with just 3 per cent, while the winner was 'School of Rock' star Jack Black.

Among the strange things Tom has done in the last 18 months include the now infamous couch-jumping incident on Oprah Winfrey's chat show, publicly proposing to fiancйe Katie Holmes at the top of the Eiffel Tower and speaking out against the use of anti-depressants to treat post-partum depression in accordance with his Scientology beliefs. (source:Bang Media)