MCN Blogs
David Poland

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

Posted Monday, June 23rd, 2008 - 29 Comments »

Hot Button – No, The Stars Are Getting Smaller

I feel a burning urge to respond to Anne Thompson

29 Comments »

29 Responses to “Hot Button – No, The Stars Are Getting Smaller”

  1. mutinyco says:
    June 23, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    Even EWS, which you noted as being a disappointment, still pulled $160M worldwide…

  2. Dr Wally says:
    June 23, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    I lost that article completely when Anne started on Angelina Jolie. I mean seriously, that woman could not open a bottle of Coke. Great riposte from Dave. I often think movie ‘stardom’ in the eyes of the media is less about getting people into theaters, and more about coverage in the glossies. Why is Scarlett Johannsson considered a bigger ‘movie star’ than Rachel Mcadams? Why is Jude Law considered a ‘movie star’ but, say, Jason Statham, is not? It’s not about box-office these days, it’s about column inches.

  3. martin says:
    June 23, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    I think there’s a difference between a celebrity and a movie star. Actors like Jude Law and Angelina Jolie may not get audiences into theaters for their acting/movie-stardom, but they do get a lot of attention in the tabloids for their celebrity. An example is someone like Will Smith or Tom Hanks, who large #’s of moviegoers genuinely want to see act in a movie, whereas you have a Jude Law or an Angelina who people genuinely want to read about in the gossip pages. This is not a matter of talent or lack of talent, but just how they have positioned themselves to the public, and it’s hard to break out of that box once you’ve become successful in it.

  4. martin says:
    June 23, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    Also, it should be mentioned that the tabloid-appeal will cross over to movie box office, when the movie itself plays off of that such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Even something like Wanted seems to play very trashy and will appeal to some extent to that gossip-page audience.

  5. Scott Mendelson says:
    June 23, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Minor ‘correction’…
    Harrison Ford had back to back $100 million hits at least one other time, with The Fugitive ($183 million) in 1993, followed by Clear & Present Danger ($120 million) in 1994.
    The closest he had to a ‘run’ was from 1992-2000. He had Patriot Games ($84 million), The Fugitive ($183 million), Clear & Present Danger ($120 million), Sabrina ($55 million – not the flop it’s considered), The Devil’s Own (yes, an over-budgeted flop at $42 million), Air Force One ($171 million), Six Days Seven Nights ($75 million – again not a flop in the least), Random Hearts (yes, a flop at $31 million, but also not a movie that even Will Smith could turn into a hit, in my opinion), then finishing off with the popular What Lies Beneath ($156 million).
    From there on in, alas, it was $30-50 million grossers until Indy 4. Although I still maintain that Hollywood Homicide is one of the funniest films he’s done and he’s great in it.
    The problem with Harrison Ford is that all of his alleged fans carp that he never tries anything different, yet, they scream in horror when he does (Random Hearts, Devils Own, K19, Hollywood Homicide, etc), thus forcing him to retreat to his safety zone (Firewall, Indy 4).

  6. Hopscotch says:
    June 23, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    Mendelson,
    They scream in horror when Ford does something different because he’s usually god-awful in those films. Devils Own and Random Hearts I couldnt’ finish.
    I have heard he’s quite wonderful in the Mosquito Coast.

  7. repeatfather says:
    June 23, 2008 at 3:43 pm

    The thing about Mosquito Coast is that, yes, Harrison Ford’s performance is brilliant, but the character is absolutely excruciating. I couldn’t stand him or the movie.

  8. Roman says:
    June 23, 2008 at 3:45 pm

    “As for Downey

  9. LexG says:
    June 23, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    Today’s LA Times actually made a point of referring to GET SMART as Anne Hathaway’s “highest weekend opening.”
    Yes, she’s the female lead and a name actress (and awesome of course)… but does anyone really consider GET SMART “an Anne Hathaway movie”?
    It’s such a gray area as to what constitutes a true show of “star power” versus a movie that just incidentally happens to feature a certain actor. Demi Moore used to somehow get “A Few Good Men” included in her laundry list of box-office achievements… and even this otherwise excellent article mentions both “Hook” and “Flatliners” in discussing Julia Roberts.

  10. Scott Mendelson says:
    June 23, 2008 at 5:10 pm

    I appreciated Random Hearts more than I liked or enjoyed it. It’s a dark, difficult, messy movie and I forgive it its flaws because I thought it was an interesting take on the subject matter (I’ll probably never watch it again, but it was worth watching once).
    As for The Devil’s Own, it’s not a masterpiece, but it gets better as it goes along and the last act has some truly meaty material. And, once again, an actor (Brad Pitt) got roasted for doing an actually authentic Irish accent instead of the usual lucky charms bit that most US audiences are used to. The same thing happened to Tom Cruise in Far & Away. Not great movies, but nothing wrong with the accent work.
    K19 and Firewall were lousy, and he was lousy in them. But again, for a different Harrison Ford, try the above mentioned Mosquito Coast or Hollywood Homicide. In a summer of great vehicle chases – Matrix Reloaded, Terminator 3, Bad Boys 2 – the big chase in Hollywood Homicide was my favorite, as it used real stunts and was funny to boot.
    If anyone would have the decency to cast Ford in an out and out comedy, tapping into the weird, self-depreciating humor on display when he guests on Conan O’Brian, they’d have a huge hit on their hands.

  11. THX5334 says:
    June 23, 2008 at 7:37 pm

    Poland, why don’t you just come out and say what no one wants to admit:
    The star system has crashed and burned and is even more OVER than the academy awards…

  12. Rothchild says:
    June 23, 2008 at 7:53 pm

    Wait, did you just bring up the Academy Awards?

  13. martin says:
    June 23, 2008 at 8:08 pm

    It’s always Oscar season here at MCN.

  14. IOIOIOI says:
    June 23, 2008 at 8:45 pm

    DAMN IT! IT’S NOT OSCAR SEASON ON THIS PLACE UNTIL TORONTO! No early Oscar talk. All that is holy… give me two more months of solid or week opening discussions, Dark Knight discussion, and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2. Yeah, I go there.
    Nevertheless, it’s too early tos tate what the effect of Iron-Man will have on Downey’s career. If you remember properly Iron Hater (Heat’s new nickname because of his full fled hatred of Iron Man… without hyphen because it makes the SSoS lose it), Tobey was really not much until Spider-Man. Heck… he’s not much now without Spidey, but the guy is starting a family.
    Let us contrast this with Downey. Whose really in the prime of his life. After previously squandering the prime of his life 10 years ago. Women find him hot, men want to be him, and he plays a rather iconic character now.
    Do you really want to bet against TONY STARK from here on out? Really? I think you need to re-evaluate this decision of your’s Iron Hater. It’s not like you have not been WRONG… WRONG… one more for the peeps… WRONG about everything releated to Iron Man. So why stop the losing streak? Does someone need a hump-buster? I think he does.
    Oh yeah… how can you have movie stars in this cultural climate? We build people up and knock them down in the time most of the established stars had build a career. Do you really think Bossom Buddies Hanks’ would have found a career in this day in age?
    It’s just a different world now. It’s more about the movie than the star. The day may come when we have a huge international movie star again, but this may have to do with man or woman then the world around him or her.

  15. IOIOIOI says:
    June 23, 2008 at 8:48 pm

    If you notice with the first paragraph. The mere mention of Oscar season drove me into a tizzy. I apologize for my outrage, and will try to control my anger in the future.

  16. martin says:
    June 23, 2008 at 8:57 pm

    IO, this is a serious question, are you on drugs? Either prescribed or self-prescribed, just curious.

  17. IOIOIOI says:
    June 23, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    Martin, it’s cunt responses such as the one above that makes me want to throttle the lot of you. Seriously… you have to be a cunt to even think something like that (Oh wow… I can be silly like MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET! Good lord. Some of you people act as if you have never once thought of a silly thought in your entire freakin lives. It boggles my mind that you all are so fucking serious, that you have a hard time with someone being silly on a blog ran by DAVID POLAND OF ALL PEOPLE! The guy is sillier than I have ever been), and you are even cuntier if you are trying to be funny. It’s not fun. It’s not funny. It’s ridiculous. Fuck you, sir. Fuck you, very much.

  18. IOIOIOI says:
    June 23, 2008 at 9:26 pm

    I do not suffer foolishness, but this blog is full of fools. FOOLS who somehow get paid to work in the BIZ. I am at a loss as to how some of you get through the day without going on this blog or Wells’ blog, and being assholes to people. It is absolutely astounding to me that grown adults act this way. If you are looking to cast aspersions. You really need to pull a Michael Jackson, look in the mirror, and let’s move the fuck on.
    You people are fucking astouding. The hell with this thread. Bring on something else, IH.

  19. IOIOIOI says:
    June 23, 2008 at 9:29 pm

    Sorry for coming off so Myerish. My bad. Carry on… wayward sons.

  20. martin says:
    June 23, 2008 at 9:39 pm

    There’s nothing wrong with taking drugs, I just think you’re on the wrong ones. Some suggestions: Adderall for your ADD and lithium for your bipolar disorder.

  21. jeffmcm says:
    June 23, 2008 at 10:12 pm

    IOI, I beg of you, stop using the c-word. It makes you look like a terrible person prone to fits of insane rage.

  22. LexG says:
    June 23, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    IO, “Iron Hater” is awesome.
    Even though I’m mildly indifferent to that movie and don’t even believe DP actually “hates” it, there’s something absurdly amusing about that, just like most of IO’s giddy vernacular.

  23. Joe Leydon says:
    June 23, 2008 at 10:35 pm

    I just got back from seing “Hancock,” and all I can say is: Don’t read anything else about the movie before you see it. Not even supposedly spoiler-free postings on this blog and others. Don’t read reviews (well, don’t read any except mine, because I can guarantee I won’t spill any beans) and don’t even talk to friends who have seen preview screenings. Seriously. I walked in knowing virtually nothing about the plot — and I am ever so glad I did. There has been some bogus info about the plot posted here and elsewhere already — so be careful where and what you glance at.

  24. David Poland says:
    June 23, 2008 at 11:01 pm

    Agreed, Joe… though I was careful about avoiding any real info in the piece I just wrote and posted.

  25. David Poland says:
    June 23, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    P.S. Much of the “bad information” wasn’t bad. But they changed the film, which is why test screening reviews are bullshit.

  26. Joe Leydon says:
    June 23, 2008 at 11:14 pm

    David: I would say your posting is safe to read. (I know that sounds like the most left-handed of compliments, but I can’t be any more specific without, well, spoiling the very thing you reference.)But I repeat: Folks who haven’t seen the film, and who want to enjoy it to the fullest, should avoid certain postings — and, to be honest, certain other blogs. To be brutally frank, it’s movies like this that make me regret the creation of the blogosphere.

  27. KamikazeCamelV2.0 says:
    June 24, 2008 at 12:33 am

    IO, not sure if you’re bothering with this thread anymore, but…
    “Do you really want to bet against TONY STARK from here on out? Really? I think you need to re-evaluate this decision of your’s Iron Hater. It’s not like you have not been WRONG… WRONG… one more for the peeps… WRONG about everything releated to Iron Man. So why stop the losing streak? Does someone need a hump-buster? I think he does.”
    David says to not bank on “Tony Stark” in movies that aren’t Iron Man, which is a very fair call. Johnny Depp got solid grosses out of Secret Window, Mexico etc post-Pirates, but nothing since has even approaching the grosses of Pirates apart from Chocolate Factory. He’s a big star, sure, and I’m sure Downey Jr will get some decent sized grosses under his belt, but unless he’s cast in another big budget blockbuster (I doubt he’s the kinda guy who will be interested in that, quite frankly) then I think it’s fair to say he’s not going to be getting to $200mil again until 2010 with Iron Man 2.

  28. KamikazeCamelV2.0 says:
    June 24, 2008 at 12:34 am

    “He’s a big star, sure” refers to Depp btw. Bad punctuation there, sorry.

  29. leahnz says:
    June 24, 2008 at 3:26 am

    ‘the mosquito coast’ (a weir clasic, imo, along with ‘witness’, tho far less tidy and conventional) is river’s movie, start to finish

Leave a Reply

The Hot Blog

Comments Most Recent Archives

Quote Unquotesee all »

“I don’t really think, Sean, that you need to know about my various sexual liaisons. Or that anyone else needs to. I did write about them. I filled a hundred pages of Moleskine notebooks with my one-night stands, my affairs. But I decided they didn’t belong in a professional memoir. First of all, these are real people we’re talking about. Many of them were enjoyable. Some were abject failures. My wife said to me when she read the pages, ‘Of what purpose is this in a memoir? Of what purpose is this other than to titillate?’ The point is, I never see them. It’s because I have nothing in common with them, frankly. And probably didn’t at the time. I could not provide a sensible reason why I married these women. The thing is, in the case of my marriages, it takes two people to fuck up a marriage. It wasn’t simply the fault of these women that I lost interest in them and realised they were insignificant relationships. Which is how I look at them right now–as being insignificant. I see them as blips.”
~ William Friedkin On Cutting Interviewers Off At The Sass

“I have to imagine from Mr. Spielberg’s point of view, the paradigm shift in the 1970s was just the new “normal,” a “halcyon era” from which we are straying in the 21st century–because theatrical exhibition is tenuous (as it has been since the 1940s), the home video market has dried up and people are watching pirated movies on their phone. Spielberg’s coming-of-age era was for him the halcyon period that the 21st century “implosion” will cause to go “crashing into the ground.” But he is wrong. The market for movies is actually diverse and highly segmented–although from the top-down movie industry vantage point and media punditry you would not think this to be true.  Would we really mourn for Mr. Spielberg or ourselves if Lincoln would have been made for cable or had played on public television?  Is it bad for humanity that cable television is creating wonderful, resonant stories in long-form series that people want to watch at home on TV (or streamed onto their computer)? I don’t think so, but it is a paradigm shift and it might affect people’s theatrical moviegoing habits. Televisions in people’s homes have had that effect for seven decades–it is not a new phenomenon. As Art House cinema impresarios we need to focus on what WE can do at our theaters and in our communities. It is not productive for us to fret over what pundits say or about what well-meaning filmmakers like the Stevens–Spielberg and Soderbergh–say. We should fret about what we can do in our communities. What we can do to support filmmakers.”
~ From A Response By Russ Collins, CEO, Michigan Theater–Ann Arbor And Director, Art House Convergence, To Mr. Spielberg