Monday, September 1, 2014

 Vulture's "100" most valuable stars list came out in October of last year, so in another month or so, they'll possibly revive it. Who's careers benefitted from 2014 so far? This isn't super comprehensive, by the way. A lot of these guys have fall hits they're banking on.

Robert Downey Jr:
(Stable, possibly slight down) Obviously, can’t go up. No major box office fluctutations, but first Iron Man’s critical reception phasing out. The Judge will decide will decide whether he has it all, or is in franchise lock mode.

Leondardo Dicaprio: (Stable, possibly up?) Wolf on Wall Street, was another Oscar-nominated blockbuster. DiCaprio is the preeminent name for non-franchise films.

Jennifer Lawrence: Stable, possibly up. More Oscar recognition, and the X-Men and Hunger Games follow-ups improved on their predecessors. Only thing is, no movie has been her, and only her.

Sandra Bullock: Stable. Gravity's box-office was already counted for last year, so it won't have a huge effect on her points system. But another Oscar nomination keeps anyone from bumping her.

Brad Pitt: Stable. While he won an Oscar, it was for producing the movie, not starring.

Will Smith: Down, Hancock is now out of Vulture's five year-span, leaving the flop After Earth and the successful but diminishing Men in Black series.

Christian Bale: Possibly up? Dark Knight has slipped out out the range, but Rises wasn’t a huge step down, and American Hustle showed he has life outside Batman

Denzel Washington: Stable. No major career movements since the summer, but he does have a fall movie coming up.

Tom Hanks: Stable. His Oscar-baits were successful, but he was noteably snubbed for acting nominations.

Johnny Depp: Down. Transcendence was a flop, and a flop that prompted people to write another article about the death of the movie star. Not even shown in Into the Woods trailers.

Hugh Jackman: Stable, might be slightly up with the X-Men franchise returning to form.

Angelina Jolie: Up, Maleficent took on the boys of summer and conquered. Press for her directorial effort. Famous wedding.

Meryl Streep: Stable, possibly slightly down with “Mama Mia!” falling out of range, although another nom for Ausage County shows she is still Oscar’s queen.

Tom Cruise: Stable, maybe slightly up with Edge of Tomorrow not doing huge business, but still passing 100 million, and critics lamenting its underfperomance, as opposed to the knives-coming-out for Transendence.

Daniel Radcliffe: Down. What If seems to indicate Radcliffe has trouble establishing himself as a romantic lead.

Daniel Craig: Stable, no big career moves this year

Jennifer Aniston: Stable, with the sequel to Horrible Bosses coming out later in the year.

George Clooney: Slightly up? Gravity huge success, Monuments Men bit of a Hail Mary, doing decent in the spring.

Matt Damon: Stable, with only the moderately successful Monuments Men.

Mila Kunis: Stable, no major projects this year, as Jupiter's Ascending moved to next year, bearing nothing on her either way.

Daniel Day Lewis:
Stable, maybe slightly down with his famous sabbaticals back in effect.

Ryan Gosling: Possibly down, with people not sold on his directorial skills.

Bradley Cooper: Up. He played support in American Hustle and Guardians of the Galaxy, but they both paid off.

Anne Hathaway: Stable, maybe slightly down with Get Smart out of her box-office window.

Vin Diesel: Maybe stable, maybe slightly down with Riddick’s indifferent reception. Was just a voice in Guardians, but Groot was an iconic, breakout character.

Mark Wahlberg: Up. Lone Survivor, was a runaway hit, Transformers was the lowest grossing of the series, but still big world wide, and big for a Wahlberg movie

Melissa McCarthy: Maybe stable, maybe sligtly down. Tammy was a critical poke in the eye but was profitable and a testament to McCarthy's draw with nothing else going for it.

Ben Affleck: Stable, with Gone Girl Around the corner

Liam Neeson: Stable, Million Ways to Die in the West fizzled, but Non-Stop provided more lucre in the Liam Neeson b-movie action hero industry.

Cate Blanchett: Stable, maybe up. Received another Oscar win, but it's unknown in the Hobbit movies "count" as much as the now-ineligible Indiana Jones movie she was in.

Channing Tatum: Up, thanks to 22 Jump Street, and the "he can really act!" talk of Foxcatcher.

Emma Stone: Down, neither Woody or Spidey did much to propel her foward, although the upcoming Birdman could get her an Oscar nomination.

Dwayne Johnson: Possibly down, though Hercules was not as big a misfire as it could have been

Clint Eastwood: Down, if Gran Turino now falls out of the five year box office grace period. Plus, he seems to not want to act anyways.

Natalie Portman: Slightly up, thanks to Thor’s increase, though studio execs might find her exhausting

Kristen Stewart: Possibly stable--the first Twilight film was the lowest grossing, and it's passing out of the field, but not only is there Jennifer Lawrence, not only is there Shailene Woodley, there's Chloe Moretz!

Michael Fassbender: Up, thanks to 12 Years nom and X-Men increase, although since those were both villains roles, he might start finding himself more a Sean Bean than a Russel Crowe with this trajectory.

Chris Hemsworth: Down, as Thor increased, but not as much, and Rush never quite caught on as an Oscar mover

Chris Pine: Down, nobody paid attention to Jack Ryan reboot

Andrew Garfield: Down. Sony doesn't even have concrete Spider-Man plans, which puts him in an awkward position.

Henry Cavill: Stable, but possibly down, as all the news reports have him being crowded out of his own franchise.

Jeremy Renner: Stable

Adam Sandler: Down, Blended did not stop the Adam Sandler box office hemorrhaging.

Tina Fey: Down, she did not seem to luck out with the Muppets as much as Amy Adams did.

Reese Witherspoon: Stable, although she's hoping for a nomination early next year.

Tom Hardy: Stable, although buzz for Mad Max is good

Steve Carell: Stable, maybe slightly up. Anchorman sequel mitgated Get Smart falling out of the mix. Oscar buzz for Foxcatcher will help establish Carell as more than a funnyman.

Zoe Saldana: Up, with Guardians cementing her as the go-to-girl of Outer Space.

Robert DeNiro: Slightly down, boxing movie did not help

Julia Roberts: Stable, possibly slightly up due to a new Oscar nomination that adds a level of dignity to her quasi-retirement.

Emma Watson: Up, Noah was somewhat polarizing, but it was a worldwide blockbuster, which gives her some outside-Harry Potter vitality.

Robert Pattinson: Down, though he his indie career is stablizing

Cameron Diaz: Stable. Hit, flop, hit, flop. Cameron Diaz is not allowed to go too far on the scale either way, like some human embodiment of taoist balance.

Kate Winslet: Stable. her history as a consummate Oscar darling is fading due to softy received projects. But Divergent gives her box office muscle.

Jake Gylenhaal: Stable, no major projects this year, Nightcrawler on the horizon.

Javier Bardem: Stable, maybe slightly down, due to the Counselor.

Matthew McCounaghey: Big up. Dallas Buyers cemented his creative comeback, was in Wolf of Wall Street, True Detective kept his name in the press, "McCoinassance" became a cultural media term.

Chris Evans: Up. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was well loved and made more than any summer movie except stablemate Guardians of the Galaxy. Snowpiercer also already a cult hit. But how do studios feel about his wanting to bow out of acting?

James Franco: Stable, name in press, probably not for super flattering reasons

Russell Crowe: Slightly up, Noah made bank, though not as much as Crowe’s heyday.

Zach Galifinakis: Stable, no major box office hits, but he's in the probable best picture nominee  Birdman, and got some attention for interviewing the president.

Christoph Waltz: Stable, no movie movement, Big Eyes, not getting much buzz.

Will Ferrell: Stable, Anchorman 2 a hit, though not as much as some were expecting.

Shai LeBeouf: Down, no major films, name starting to become toxic. May disappear from list.

Seth Rogen: Up, Neighbors biggest hit of his.

Joseph Gordon Levitt: Down, maybe. Still probably sought after for his age range, but turning down Guardians of the Galaxy for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For seems like a poor decision in retrospect.

Amy Adams: Up, as beneficiary of the American Hustle tide.

Charlize Theron: Down, Million Ways flop, Hancock was her biggest hit, and is now out of Vulture's range.

Carey Mulligan: Maybe stable, maybe down. It's hard for women to get good roles, and she's rather quiet right now.

Ben Stiller: Down, Tropic Thunder his last big hit, out of window and Walter Mitty was not an adequate replacement.

Ryan Reynolds: Stable, no major career fluctuations, but may go down if studios decide they like him better as Chris Pratt.

Scarlett Johansson: Up. Maybe the biggest up on the list. The last year has been very good for Scarlett. Her and Skin exhibited her range, and Lucy was a runaway, profitable hit. Her name's always in the press due to pregnancy and fans asking if she can get her own Black Widow movie yet.

Jonah Hill: Up. Jump Street franchise still robust,Wolf of Wall Street shows he’s not leaving prestige movies anytime soon.

Bruce Willis: Stable? No major career happenings. Maybe down if they hold Sin City 2 against him.

Jessica Chastain: Stable, nothing major in the last year, though set to have a big fall (As in the season) Getting attention as every actress's biggest fan.

Jamie Foxx: Stable, Amazing Spider-Man 2 not well received, but bigger than movies Foxx is usually in

Kevin James: Down. Dissapearing from the scene

Paul Rudd: Slightly up. Anchorman 2 pads his box office, Ant-Man keeping his name in the news. (And with the Marvel brand stronger than ever)

Michelle Williams: Stable, no career movements, with another possible Oscar nomination on the way.

Sylvester Stallone: Down. Pretty much every movie he's done, no matter the co-star, has tanked. He doesn't even have his franchise going for him anymore. May fall off the list.

Penelope Cruz: Stable, maybe slightly down, as part of the Counselor train.

Jeff Bridges: Possibly down, as Iron Man no longer in box office sphere, and The Giver a flop, if not as much as many made it out to be.

Julianne Moore: Stable, though Mockingjay and possibly another Oscar nomination after the article is going to come out.

Jason Segal: Down. Sex Tape not a big hit, and he doesn't have a The Other Woman to balance it out. Also, his TV gig being over means out of sight, out of mind.

Naomi Watts: Stable, (although vulnerable) although she does have Birdman, it's probably not going to be a huge commercial success, and she won't get the heat Keaton and Stone will.

Jennifer Garner: Stable, maybe slightly up thanks to Dallas Buyers Club.

Colin Firth: Stable, no career moves

Rachel McAdams: Stable, maybe sightly up due to  A Most Wanted Man, or maybe down if Sherlock Holmes no longer counts.

Benedict Cumberbatch: Down, none of his starmaking efforts have paid off, though round two is coming up.

Keira Knightly: Stable, her blockbusters are dissipating, but her indie game remains good, and she's even starting to woo over audiences in non-period pieces.

Jason Statham: Stable, no major projects. 2015 will tell the tale.

Justin Timberlake: Stable, no movies

Zach Effron: Up, as Neighbors his biggest hit, and one with his name prominent.

Sean Penn: Stable, no major projects

Kristin Wiig: Possibly up, thanks to her involvement in the Anchorman sequel.

Jesse Eisenberg:  Stable, maybe slightly up thanks to getting cast as Lex Luthor

Owen Wilson: Down, no major movies, and a lot of people knocking on the door.

Jason Bateman: Stable, no major projects yet, although the fall will see him try his more serious side, and a Horrible Bosses sequel.

Tyler Perry: Possibly down, as even Madea isn't working out, but if Gone Girl is huge, he might stay on the list.

Liam Hemsworth: Down, and likely off the list. Too many new stars, and he still hasn't really done anything of note in The Hunger Games yet.

And as for people Vulture thought could be on the list next year?

Anna Kendrick: Maybe. It seems she just missed out, but while she has a promising set of movies, none of them will have come out yet. maybe her SNL appearance (Vulture really seems to respond to those) will help out.

Michael B Jordan: No. Harvey Weinstein and the Academy only had so much time for movies with black people in them, and Fruitville Station was overlooked.

Shailine Woodley: Definite yes.Two back to back blockbusters. She's constantly being compared to Jennifer Lawrence, which rather sexists, but a cheaper, less-locked-down Lawrence isn't a bad place to be.

Chris Pratt: Definite yes. Guardians of the Galaxy was ridiculously successful, and Lego Movie gives him two movies in the top ten. That's some Tom Cruise in his prime stuff right there.

Chiwetal Ejiofor: Maybe not. 12 Years a Slave won the Oscar, but he went home empty-handed. Also no major movies until 2015.

Margot Robbie: No. Still not even close to being well known, and while Scorcese women go on to have solid careers, they rarely become household names.

Kevin Hart: Yes. Ride Along was a big surprise hit, and he injects some new blood amongst the falling comedy stars.

Aaron Taylor Johnson: Maybe. Godzilla was very successful, but people couldn't stop complaining they came from Byan Cranston and got him.

Lupita N'Yongo: Maybe. She actually gets less offers than Margot Robbie. But she did win the Oscar, she's seen as a c-c-c-combo breaking fashion icon, and she has a part in the next Star Wars movie.

Dakota Johnson: No. Fifty Shades of Grade may be a sleeping giant, but it'll be sleeping until next year.

So Chris Pratt, Shailene Woodley, and Kevin Hart are shoe-ins to be on the list. Anna Kendrick, Aaron Taylor Johnson and Lupita N'Yongo are also likely-to-possible. I think if I were to select five (Which would be the number that of "future star" picks that made the cut last year), N'Yongo would be left out, as she's very new and studios are probably unsure of what to do with her If I were to select five new people who weren't predicted for the list, I would choose Emily Blunt, Rose Byrne, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, and (depending on how Gone Girl does, or if the latter signed on for Doctor Strange), Rosamund Pike or Joaquin Phoenix. (Phoenix and Ruffalo were actually pegged to make the 2013 list) If I were to pick ten people to evacuate, it would be Liam Hemsworth, Owen Wilson, Kevin James, Ben Stiller, Shia LeBouf, Sylvester Stallone, and possibly Clint Easwood, Justin Timberlake, Kristen Stewart, Andrew Garfield or Tyler Perry. However, in a year of record-low box-office, and yet few high-profile flops, there hasn't been as much movinng and shaking.

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