The Film Industry Thread

[twodollars]

plush said:

An interesting article about the movers and shakers in Hollywood today. Not surprisngly the top 10 is rounded up by men, while the first woman on the list is somewhere at number 14-15 and it's Jodie Foster.

Wow, that list seems like it is 4 years out of date. How is Jim Carrey on that list? He hasn't had a hit since "Bruce Almighty", has he? And there is no way he should be above Johnny Depp. Johnny has had hits with "Charlie & The Choc. Factory", "Pirates", and "Finding Neverland" in the past few years. He should be higher on the list.

I'd rank the top 10 like this:
1. Will Smith
2. Johnny Depp
3. Will Ferrell
4. Adam Sandler
5. Ben Stiller
6. Brad Pitt
7. Tom Hanks
8. Tom Cruise
9. Jodie Foster
10. Reese Witherspoon

And that list sums up the reason the movie industry is in so much trouble IMO.

[Deleted]

twodollars said:

And that list sums up the reason the movie industry is in so much trouble IMO.

They are all actors.

It's like saying what makes a writer good is just the alphabet.

I read Easy Rider, Raging Bull. Thanks for the recommendation.

Wow, cocaine is a pretty good creative drug for a couple of years and then nothing. It's amazing that Mr. Scorsese still has a brain and creative spark and can make a good movie. No wonder Mr. Coppola and Mr. Lucas got him that Oscar last month.

And how can you have that much sex and have it even be interesting after a while?---oh yeah, drugs. No wonder so many hookers do drugs.

[Yossarian]

This is interesting - Forbes survey on the best box office returns from movie stars:

Hollywood actors regularly earn millions of dollars per movie, but are they worth it?

Apparently some are.

A Forbes magazine survey published on Monday shows Matt Damon offers the best box-office return on his salary, more than twice that of Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise, but Australian Russell Crowe rates at the bottom of the list.

For every dollar The Bourne Ultimatum star was paid for his last three roles, the films returned $US29 in gross income.

Jennifer Aniston was the top-ranked actress, making No.5 on the list with a gross income return of $US17.

Damon's first two outings in the Bourne trilogy have so far grossed about $US850 million ($A1 billion) worldwide at the box office and in DVD sales, Forbes said. The latest instalment opened last weekend, taking $US70.2 million at the US box office.

Aniston's rank was mainly the result of her role in The Break Up, which grossed about $US288 million worldwide.

Aniston's ex-husband, Brad Pitt, came in at No.2, earning $US24 for every dollar of his salary, while Aniston's former boyfriend, Vince Vaughn, grabbed third spot with $US21, tying with Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp.

"The biggest stars in Hollywood are not the actors that deliver the biggest returns," Michael Ozanian, Forbes senior editor, said in a statement.

The survey found movies starring Hollywood heavyweights Hanks, Cruise and Will Smith averaged $US12, $US11 and $US10 in gross income respectively for every salary dollar.

Funnymen Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and Jim Carrey ranked near the bottom,

with Sandler bringing in $US9 in gross income, and Ferrell and Carrey $US8.

"American comedies don't translate as well as action flicks to foreign audiences," Forbes said.

Coming in at the bottom of the list was Oscar-winner Russell Crowe, whose past three movies - A Good Year, Cinderella Man and Master and Commander - all disappointed at the box office and earned an average gross income of only $US5 for each $US1 of the Australian's salary.

Forbes.com calculated the net revenue for a film by adding the worldwide box office and US DVD revenues and then taking away the budget. The net revenue was divided by an actor's total compensation to produce gross income. The average gross income of an actor's past three movies produced their return.

[Deleted]

I wonder if Hollywood movers and shakers will read the Forbes article and decide that maybe we've had enough surly-loner-who-finds-redemption movies for awhile.

[wilbert]

bstewart said:

I wonder if Hollywood movers and shakers will read the Forbes article and decide that maybe we've had enough surly-loner-who-finds-redemption movies for awhile.

In season 3 of the Wire, Herc explained "Shaft" to his buddy, Carv: He's a complicated man that only his woman understands."

"Seek Therapy" was Carv's reply. No wonder no emmy nons for this show.

[twodollars]

That Forbes list is really interesting. Considering how much shit Aniston gets for her movie career, her ranking is surprising. And that list provides yet another reason to dump difficult, over-priced stars like Russell Crowe and CTC.

[Yossarian]

Yeah, the Aniston thing really surprised me too! Although, honestly, I don't think that it says anything good or bad about JA herself but speaks more for how decent films with women starring in them a) don't get made, or b) don't make any money.

[canuckcutie]

twodollars said:

That Forbes list is really interesting. Considering how much shit Aniston gets for her movie career, her ranking is surprising..

But her inclusion is mainly due to movies in which she has co-starred such as The Break-Up and Bruce Almighty. I wouldn't say she was expected to open either movie - Vince and Jim were. I think if they only included movies in which she was marketed as the lead ie Derailment then she'd be at the bottom of the list.

Nice to see Matty D coming tops though.

[lazerusgerbil]

But keep in Matt Damon and Brad Pitt were relying on ensembles to bolster them. And also, like Johnny Depp, helped out immensely by franchises they were involved in. Matt Damon withot Jason Bourne and Johnny Depp without Jack Sparrow are at a bit of a handicap.

[strawberrylover]

yossarian said:

Coming in at the bottom of the list was Oscar-winner Russell Crowe, whose past three movies - A Good Year, Cinderella Man and Master and Commander - all disappointed at the box office and earned an average gross income of only $US5 for each $US1 of the Australian's salary.

Maybe this finding will teach Hollywood to ditch Russell Crowe for Gerard Butler. IMHO, Gerard has a wider range anyway. When he's not all buffed up, he could play sensitive very well. Russell can't do that because he's already known IRL as a total ass.

And ITA with whoever said actresses don't get good movies in Hollywood. There was that movie with the all-star cast, with Meryl Streep, Claire Danes and Glenn Close earlier this summer. I can't even remember the name right now, but I recall thinking at the time: Man, this is the kind of chick flick that even chicks don't rush to theaters to see.

I think that's why Angelina Jolie is so bankable, even though she's made some interesting career choices. She could essentially take on both the male and female roles in a film. Like Pauline Kael said about her, she could play both the Vivian Leigh and the Marlon Brando roles in Streetcar Named Desire.

As for Jennifer Aniston, I think her ranking is a testament to how affordable she is compared to other big actresses and how many big projects she's been tied to. Derailed was her chance to prove that she could open a movie, and she failed miserably.

And IMO, Matt Damon is not bankable because he is Matt Damon. His celebrity is eclipsed by many other stars. But he's made good choices in roles and slowly grown his career. (Where is buddy Ben Affleck on this list?) And Matt has teamed up with directors who deliver. I guess even in Hollywood, slow and steady beats out fast and flashy.