Most bankable star in Hollywood?
06-13-23, 04:40 AM
#26
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
This has always been my opinion on the subject. When people use the star's name instead of the film's title.
"Let's go see the new Clint Eastwood movie" not "Let's go see Pale Rider"
The franchise has replaced that. People don't say, "Let's go see the new Keanu Reeves movie" they say "Let's go see the new John Wick movie"
A bankable star is one who's name has the same box office appeal as the title of a franchise. The star is a franchise unto them self.
Another way to look at it. Physical media has franchise collections (Terminator, Alien, Bond, etc.). A bankable star would have their own box sets. "The Clint Eastwood Collection", etc. Or the title of the disc, in the biggest letters on cover, is CHARLES BRONSON DOUBLE FEATURE. Movie titles are smaller print.
"Let's go see the new Clint Eastwood movie" not "Let's go see Pale Rider"
The franchise has replaced that. People don't say, "Let's go see the new Keanu Reeves movie" they say "Let's go see the new John Wick movie"
A bankable star is one who's name has the same box office appeal as the title of a franchise. The star is a franchise unto them self.
Another way to look at it. Physical media has franchise collections (Terminator, Alien, Bond, etc.). A bankable star would have their own box sets. "The Clint Eastwood Collection", etc. Or the title of the disc, in the biggest letters on cover, is CHARLES BRONSON DOUBLE FEATURE. Movie titles are smaller print.
Last edited by rw2516; 06-13-23 at 05:41 AM.
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story (06-13-23)
06-13-23, 06:44 AM
#27
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
06-13-23, 07:12 AM
#28
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Outside of franchises... nope... not really...
06-13-23, 10:47 AM
#29
DVD Talk Hero
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Kurt D (06-13-23)
06-13-23, 10:49 AM
#30
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
BANK-able does not mean you are a star that draws audiences to your movies, it means the movies you star in make money because you are the star.
I'm certain there are many people who will see a movie just because Florence Pugh is its star, but she is not BANK-able until just her face on the poster guarantees big box office returns and profits.
If your movies don't make money, then you are not "money in the bank."
I'm certain there are many people who will see a movie just because Florence Pugh is its star, but she is not BANK-able until just her face on the poster guarantees big box office returns and profits.
If your movies don't make money, then you are not "money in the bank."
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story (06-13-23)
06-13-23, 10:59 AM
#31
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Yeah I would've said Cruise too but then I remembered he made a Mummy film that I completely forgot about. But he's still a draw.
I can't think of any young actor that is a big draw though on name alone. Pratt is in a bunch of huge franchises but I don't think he's the draw.
I can't think of any young actor that is a big draw though on name alone. Pratt is in a bunch of huge franchises but I don't think he's the draw.
06-13-23, 11:36 AM
#32
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
The only real bomb I can think of that Cruise was in was Rock of Love.
Outside of that one, you really have to go back to his pre-superstar days to find films that lost money. Knight and Day might have broken even. And movies like Jack Reacher and Edge of Tomorrow probably wouldn't have performed as well as they did without him attached to them.
Even The Mummy, which killed the nascent Monsterverse franchise, did over $400M on a budget of under $200M.
Outside of that one, you really have to go back to his pre-superstar days to find films that lost money. Knight and Day might have broken even. And movies like Jack Reacher and Edge of Tomorrow probably wouldn't have performed as well as they did without him attached to them.
Even The Mummy, which killed the nascent Monsterverse franchise, did over $400M on a budget of under $200M.
06-13-23, 11:46 AM
#33
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
The only real bomb I can think of that Cruise was in was Rock of Love.
Outside of that one, you really have to go back to his pre-superstar days to find films that lost money. Knight and Day might have broken even. And movies like Jack Reacher and Edge of Tomorrow probably wouldn't have performed as well as they did without him attached to them.
Even The Mummy, which killed the nascent Monsterverse franchise, did over $400M on a budget of under $200M.
Outside of that one, you really have to go back to his pre-superstar days to find films that lost money. Knight and Day might have broken even. And movies like Jack Reacher and Edge of Tomorrow probably wouldn't have performed as well as they did without him attached to them.
Even The Mummy, which killed the nascent Monsterverse franchise, did over $400M on a budget of under $200M.
06-13-23, 12:46 PM
#34
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
On a note related to the topic, I think that Universal scuttled their Dark Universe franchise because they were building it around star power and realized it would not be workable to pay out big bucks to A-list names like Cruise and Depp for modest returns.
06-13-23, 02:31 PM
#35
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Tom Cruise has been the most consistent bankable star for the longest period of time at 40 years now since Risky Business. He's had a knack with re-working similar successful formulas and making them seem fresh and yet took some real chances with projects like Interview With the Vampire, Magnolia etc.
He's never had a major box office flop. Even something like Cocktail still made the top ten of that year.
Other than decimating Oprah's couch and a few Scientology rants in the mid-2000s, he's had a pretty clean PR record too.
He's never had a major box office flop. Even something like Cocktail still made the top ten of that year.
Other than decimating Oprah's couch and a few Scientology rants in the mid-2000s, he's had a pretty clean PR record too.
06-13-23, 02:53 PM
#36
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Tom Cruise has been the most consistent bankable star for the longest period of time at 40 years now since Risky Business. He's had a knack with re-working similar successful formulas and making them seem fresh and yet took some real chances with projects like Interview With the Vampire, Magnolia etc.
He's never had a major box office flop. Even something like Cocktail still made the top ten of that year.
Other than decimating Oprah's couch and a few Scientology rants in the mid-2000s, he's had a pretty clean PR record too.
He's never had a major box office flop. Even something like Cocktail still made the top ten of that year.
Other than decimating Oprah's couch and a few Scientology rants in the mid-2000s, he's had a pretty clean PR record too.
06-13-23, 03:38 PM
#37
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Tom Cruise has been the most consistent bankable star for the longest period of time at 40 years now since Risky Business. He's had a knack with re-working similar successful formulas and making them seem fresh and yet took some real chances with projects like Interview With the Vampire, Magnolia etc.
He's never had a major box office flop. Even something like Cocktail still made the top ten of that year.
Other than decimating Oprah's couch and a few Scientology rants in the mid-2000s, he's had a pretty clean PR record too.
He's never had a major box office flop. Even something like Cocktail still made the top ten of that year.
Other than decimating Oprah's couch and a few Scientology rants in the mid-2000s, he's had a pretty clean PR record too.
06-13-23, 03:43 PM
#38
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Even at his height of popularity there would be wide discrepancies in box office of Eastwood films. Magnum Force $30M, High Plains Drifter $15M, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot $25M. Then Every Which Way But Loose rakes in $104M. Outlaw Josey Wales also brought in $15M. All are considered successful. Just because a Dirt Harry movie grosses twice as much as an Eastwood western does not diminish the westerns. Just because Every Which Way made several times what his other movies made does not make him a one hit wonder.
06-13-23, 05:34 PM
#39
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
As for the original post of Keanu Reeves, people seem to always forget about his 2003 - 2013 time frame. John Wick brought him back. He directorial/starring effort of Man of Tai Chi completely bombed right before that. In the years prior, comic nerds were upset that he was cast in Constantine. People were laughing at the trailer for The Day the Earth Stood Still. The mention of his name on certain forums during the early 2000s would lead people to mockingly comment "Whoah" or say he has no range.
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IBJoel (06-14-23)
06-13-23, 09:41 PM
#40
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Yeah, perception of Keanu has made a 180 since the the third Matrix flick. He kinda disappeared for a bit and like you said was the butt of jokes. Wick righted his ship and swayed the public back in his corner.
06-14-23, 12:20 AM
#41
DVD Talk Limited Edition
06-14-23, 12:24 PM
#42
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Eyes Wide Shut was a small-scale (although big budget) personal film by serious film-maker and not meant to be a popcorn tent-pole summer extravaganza. It's still considered a well-respected quality film regardless of the box office.
Rock of Ages didn't do very well but Tom Cruise had more of a supporting role but still got points for taking on a risky choice and pulling-off the role. The failure didn't set him back and I don't think he was considered the reason for its under-performance.
I think Legend was more of a set-back for Ridley Scott than Tom Cruise who was overshadowed by the production values.
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IBJoel (06-14-23)
06-14-23, 12:48 PM
#43
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Legend came out before Tom Cruise was Tom Cruise. At that point, he was more of a teen sensation with Risky Business under his belt.
His next film was Top Gun, and that's the one that really made him into a superstar and showed he could play adult characters in action and drama.
His next film was Top Gun, and that's the one that really made him into a superstar and showed he could play adult characters in action and drama.
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IBJoel (06-14-23)
06-14-23, 04:13 PM
#44
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Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
I think people go see Brad Pitt when he’s in a movie. Not a lot of consistency, but I would think his name alone is theater worthy
06-14-23, 04:19 PM
#45
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Legend came out before Tom Cruise was Tom Cruise. At that point, he was more of a teen sensation with Risky Business under his belt.
His next film was Top Gun, and that's the one that really made him into a superstar and showed he could play adult characters in action and drama.
His next film was Top Gun, and that's the one that really made him into a superstar and showed he could play adult characters in action and drama.
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IBJoel (06-14-23)
06-14-23, 05:09 PM
#46
Administrator
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Chris Pratt has had a solid record since he really broke out. Of course, the rare times he does non-franchise work, it's a mixed bag.
06-14-23, 05:16 PM
#47
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
Is there such a thing as a "Chris Pratt Movie" that has ever made money? Idk. I know there are Marvel movies and Jurassic Park movies, in which he is the lead, that make money, but none of those are "Chris Pratt movies."
06-14-23, 05:33 PM
#48
06-14-23, 05:43 PM
#49
Administrator
Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
I do think he's a major reason why those films work and a smaller reason why they're successful. Passengers at least broke even. I do wonder how successful some stuf would be in different circumstances, replacing Pratt... or Cruise in Mission: Impossible, for example. Or large theatrical releases for stuff like Onward or The Tomorrow War. I do agree that franchises and IPs now just completely dominate what gets made.
I recall when Knight and Day came out and flopped, they were calling it "the death of the movie star".
I recall when Knight and Day came out and flopped, they were calling it "the death of the movie star".
06-14-23, 06:15 PM
#50
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Re: Most bankable star in Hollywood?
I do think he's a major reason why those films work and a smaller reason why they're successful. Passengers at least broke even. I do wonder how successful some stuf would be in different circumstances, replacing Pratt... or Cruise in Mission: Impossible, for example. Or large theatrical releases for stuff like Onward or The Tomorrow War. I do agree that franchises and IPs now just completely dominate what gets made.
I recall when Knight and Day came out and flopped, they were calling it "the death of the movie star".
I recall when Knight and Day came out and flopped, they were calling it "the death of the movie star".
