As the economy of who matters is upended yet again, THR’s annual poll of agents and execs appraises which actors are making the money, who’s made a misstep and what a star — from 16 to 60 — needs to do just to survive these days.
The casualties this winter were staggering. Will Smith (Focus), Channing Tatum (Jupiter Ascending), Chris Hemsworth (Blackhat) and Sean Penn (The Gunman) crashed and burned in flashy vehicles designed to trade on their star power. Even Liam Neeson, so reliable in the Taken franchise, stumbled with the knockoff Run All Night. At the same time, February’s Fifty Shades of Grey and its $560 million gross minted two new stars in Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. Or did it?
Such is the tricky nature of star power these days: Actors toplining a movie that grosses hundreds of millions aren’t necessarily worth much outside the franchise. Ask Johnny Depp, once a $20 million man for even midbudget dramas, who now finds himself crawling back to Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland sequels after pricey flops Transcendence and Mortdecai. Hovering over the movie business isn’t just the question of who’s the next generation of stars, it’s whether this generation matters at all to audiences, and if so, how studios put a price on that allegiance. Sure, Matt Damon probably is worth the $20 million he’s getting for a new Bourne movie. But how much is Miles Teller worth in Fantastic Four? THR asked experts — studio execs and agents making the deals — to come up with an assessment of the state of the actor economy. Call it the New A-List. — Matthew Belloni
‘Game of Thrones’ Star Emilia Clarke on Playing Sarah Connor, Turning Down ‘Fifty Shades’ and Moving on From Nudity
Power, pay and prestige: Everyone in the town wants some, and Clarke, star of HBO’s massive hit, just happens to have a little more than other actresses right now, as she commands $7 million a season, gets billing above Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator and cuts back on nude scenes: “There are other women who remove items of clothing on our show, so they’ve kind of got my nipple count down now.” Read the story.
