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Week Of April 10, 2006 - List Week - Mon / Wed / Frii
April 12, 2006
The Second Annual THB Survey
WHO ARE THE BIGGEST STARS IN THE WORLD?
Fifty-Five Worth Five (Million)
55. Clive Owen - Many love him. He's been in good projects. But heeds a few more Deraileds before it's certain that it's for real.
54. Keira Knightley - Yes, Pride & Prejudice did $118 million worldwide. But Sense & Sensibility made more over a decade ago. Ms. Knightley has a long way to go before she proves she can deliver the big opening. But she is a good hand to have on deck for Pirates II & III.
53. Catherine Zeta-Jones - She's a movie star and an Oscar winner, but so far, she has been a supporting player all through her career.
52. Rob Schneider - He may be irritating, but he has an audience.
51. Charlize Theron - Gorgeous, a terrific actress, and pretty much a $6 million opener.
50. Orlando Bloom - He hasn't stuck his nose out very far. He's definitely a player, but for the moment, he is still Matthew McConaughey circa A Time To Kill.
49. Steve Carrell - One movie. One $100 million movie. The proof is in the next outing.
48. Jessica Alba - She opened Into The Blue to $7 million with her stomach, butt, and mouth. Could be over in a hurry. Or she will evolve up.
47. Sarah Jessica Parker - Her movie career was not hot. But after building her base with Sex & The City, she's come out swinging with two strong romantic comedy showings. Building.
46. Renee Zellweger - Putting aside movies other people lead the way in, Bridget Jones to Bridget Jones 2 was a step backwards. She's still a star. But on the border.
45.Drew Barrymore - Once the undisputable leader among women, she is still money in the right role with the right co-star (see: Adam Sandler). And she carried Jimmy Kimmel, uh, Fallon, to a $12 million start for Fever Pitch. But she is in the age danger zone and she needs to find some firm ground about who she is as a movie star again.
44.Vin Diesel - He's opened some bad movies to some good money, but he still feels like a risk. No Hannibal, unless he's playing Lechter's illegitimate son.
42a. Jack Black (Added Late) - It's actually a fairly wide open issue about how much Black really is worth at the box office. Nacho Libre will give us a better idea. But Shallow Hal was big concept and still traded on the Farrelly cache. Envy is unfair to judge him on. And School of Rock was a perfect role in a great concept film. Developing...
43. Jamie Foxx - He got $10 million for Miami Vice, but he costarred in Tom Cruise's lowest grosser this millennium and that's the only $100 million domestic movie on his resume. It's also his only film over $125 million worldwide. He was a great bargain in Booty Call and Breakin' All The Rules, but right now he's a bit overpriced and a bit underproven.
42. Kurt Russell - You opened f-ing Dreamer! Russell once flew, but there is no doubt that he is for real in the heartland. The guy who still lives in sin with his girlfriend is a true face of the regular guy who can deliver under pressure.
41. Amanda Bynes - She opens to $10 million in any turd she floats.
40. Harrison Ford - His movies have had the crap kicked out of them, but he still opens to more than $10 million on a consistent basis. What Lies Beneath seems like a looooong way away, but he has the goods to make a comeback.
39. Hugh Jackman - He's very unproven. This will be his summer to show what he can deliver… not in X3… in The Fountain. And away we go!
38. Sandra Bullock - She still might have the juice to step up, but she's had one $100 million movie domestically in a decade, Miss Congeniality. Maybe she's waiting until she ages into mom rolls to get back to the big show.
37. George Clooney - He's a magazine rack superstar, but his one outing sold on him and him alone couldn't find $7 million on opening weekend. Great guy. But he's a star without clear homerun power.
36. The Rock - The guy opens in the teens every time. I am probably putting him too low on this list.
35. Leonardo DiCaprio - Yeah, he's Leo. But his post-Titanic track record without Scorsese, Spielberg or an Oscar push is $57 million domestic for Man In the Iron Mask and $40 million for The Beach. We all hope The Departed will send a lot of people in that film up the power charts. But given the size of the movies he's making, The Rock is a bigger cash flow provider.
34. Martin Lawrence - One always wants to write him off and Rebound almost did him in. But he has rebounded again and $70 million domestic for Big Momma's House 2 and an improving international profile is a good sign. He needs a good suit role, methinks.
33. Diane Lane - Her career ended at 30 in Judge Dredd, no matter how sexy she looked in that leather jumpsuit. But just a couple of years later, she made a big step, as so many post-20s actresses do, in an art film, A Walk On The Moon. And from Unfaithful to Under The Tuscan Sun to Must Love Dogs, she has become the 40 year old that other 40 year old (and older) women want to be. A solid niche, not unlike Drew Barrymore in the teen girl movies, that still needs one great title to really send Lane higher.
32. Ashton Kutcher - Never has a young star made more of more shitty movies than Kutcher. His audience is waiting for something they can actually be proud to say they paid to see.
31. Angelina Jolie - She's been hit and miss, but she still feels likes she can hit one out of the park if she really is into it, and did last summer with Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But she may be heading into a multi-year absence.
30. Bruce Willis - He was a home run hitter and has been reduced to hitting doubles. He's still an MVP, but he's well off his box office prime.
29. Queen Latifah - $12 million to the third power, as in Taxi, Beauty Shop, and Last Holiday. She opened them all to more than $12 million. Unfortunately, she seems to top out just under $40 million domestic and doesn't have much of an international following. But if you make the movie for a price, you know exactly what you can expect.
28. Lindsay Lohan - She's the teen Latifah, but she has much longer legs. Freaky Friday and Herbie: Fully Loaded both did five times opening.
27. Halle Berry - Gothika and Catwoman both opened over $15 million. Will she sustain? I don't know. But if she can open frickin' Catwoman, she deserves her props until we learn otherwise.
26. Matt Damon - He's been on a good run, even opening the troubled Brothers Grimm to $15 million domestic. He keeps taking supporting roles as though he doesn't really believe he's a star. But he is.
25. Cameron Diaz - She's been coasting since she hit 30. But I would still argue that her exit from Fun With Dick & Jane was a loss that cost the film tens of millions. The Holiday could move her back on top of the charts. Nancy Meyers is a star resurrecting director
24. Jennifer Lopez - She's certainly capable of delivering a $10 million opening. But she still hasn't been able to deliver a $100 million movie domestically. With a wider theatrical window, she might have gotten there twice by now.
23. Ice Cube - I know… you are shocked by this placement. But he is the somewhat more muscular (box office wise) Queen Latifah, with a long run of eight-figure openings and who works with very low budgets. Niche, niche, niche power.
22. Owen Wilson - It's hard to get a good read on Mr. Wilson. His presence has been a good sign for a lot of films. But he seems like a mid-teens opener when he is counted on to carry the load himself. That's not bad, but You, Me & Dupree is the real proving ground.
21. Nic Cage - Every time you think he's done, he pulls out a National Treasure or a Gone in 60 Seconds. He is worth a good payday, but you're best off rolling the dice with him on backend.
The $10 Million Value Line… under this, you're really not worth $10 million this year. Above it, and you are.
It also happens to mark…
