THE A-LIST: The 20 most powerful stars in Hollywood right now

The entertainment industry relies on an "it" factor for the stars who sell its product that is stubbornly hard to quantify. You can have it overnight, and lose it just as easily.

Movie stars' realiability at the box office has faded in recent years, and the traditional label system is no longer the only path to superstardom for a musician.

In Business Insider's second annual list of the most powerful entertainment stars right now, we look at who has best proven their might in the past year. They're not just the highest-earning, but the most visible, the most talked-about, the most respected, the most valued, and the most in-demand at our current moment.

Our No. 1, Beyoncé, proved once again that the old rules don't apply, and she's more than able to keep the masses interested in her every move, whether that's a politically charged "visual album" or the carefully curated way she presents herself online. No celebrity is more in touch with how to engage their audience in 2016. (Though our No. 2 is certainly hustling just as hard.)

Here are the 20 most powerful stars in Hollywood in 2016, ranked: