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Bankable star

A bankable star in the entertainment industry is an actor, director, or other talent whose high popularity and proven marketability guarantee audience draw, revenue generation, and project viability, often securing financing and distribution deals.^[1] This concept gained prominence during the Golden Age of Hollywood from the late 1920s to the early 1960s, when major studios like MGM, Warner Bros., and Paramount relied on exclusive contracts with such stars to produce films rapidly and ensure box office success amid intense competition.^[2]^[3] Bankable stars were central to the studio system, often typecast in roles that leveraged their charisma, looks, or versatility to attract theatergoers based on name recognition rather than plot alone.^[2] Iconic examples from this era include male performers like Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Clark Gable, and female stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor, whose involvement could elevate even routine productions to profitability.^[2]^[3] In contemporary cinema, bankable status continues to be defined by a combination of exceptional acting talent, consistent commercial performance, strong personal branding, and broad audience appeal across genres and platforms.^[4] Modern stars like Dwayne Johnson, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Cruise maintain this designation through blockbuster hits and savvy use of social media to build global fanbases, adapting to an industry where streaming and international markets amplify their economic influence.^[1]^[4] Their presence not only boosts ticket sales but also mitigates financial risks for studios in a landscape dominated by high-budget franchises.^[4]

Concept and Definition

Definition and Core Attributes

A bankable star in the film industry refers to an actor, director, or producer whose attachment to a project substantially enhances its commercial prospects, particularly by drawing audiences and boosting box office revenue.^[5] This designation underscores the individual's role as a reliable financial asset, capable of mitigating the inherent risks of film production through guaranteed market appeal.^[6] Unlike mere popularity, bankability implies a quantifiable draw that influences studio decisions on greenlighting, budgeting, and distribution. Core attributes of a bankable star include a demonstrated history of starring in high-grossing films, which establishes their star power and reliability.^[7] They typically exhibit broad demographic appeal, attracting diverse viewers across age, gender, and cultural lines to maximize theatrical earnings. Additionally, this status provides significant negotiation leverage, enabling demands for elevated upfront salaries or backend profit shares that reflect their contribution to the film's success.^[8] The term "bankable star" emerged in the Hollywood studio system of the 1940s and 1950s, during the Golden Age when major studios like MGM and Warner Bros. treated top talent as collateral for securing loans from banks, predicated on the stars' anticipated revenue generation.^[9] This financial connotation highlighted how such figures functioned as predictable assets in an otherwise speculative industry, allowing studios to finance productions by leveraging their proven earning potential against future box office returns.^[10] Illustrative examples from this era include John Wayne, whose commanding presence in Westerns solidified his bankability; films like The Longest Day (1962) and How the West Was Won (1962) each grossed over $100 million in inflation-adjusted domestic box office terms, underscoring his draw for epic-scale productions.^[11] Similarly, Marilyn Monroe exemplified female bankability through her roles in comedies and dramas, with Some Like It Hot (1959) achieving approximately $200 million adjusted domestic gross, driven by her iconic allure that ensured widespread attendance.^[12]

Role in the Film Industry

Bankable stars play a pivotal role in the film industry's financing landscape by mitigating financial risks for studios and investors, thereby facilitating the approval of ambitious projects. Their proven ability to draw audiences allows producers to secure funding more readily, as the presence of a high-profile actor signals lower uncertainty in potential returns. For instance, a well-known actor is often essential for successful studio-financed deals, enabling greenlights for films with budgets exceeding $200 million, such as those in the Mission: Impossible series anchored by Tom Cruise. This star-driven approach reduces perceived risk, attracting private equity and debt financing that might otherwise be unavailable for high-stakes productions.^[13]^[14] In production dynamics, bankable stars exert considerable influence over key creative and logistical decisions, often leveraging their status to shape the final product. They can advocate for specific casting choices to complement their role, push for script revisions to better suit their vision, or even select preferred directors to ensure alignment with their artistic goals. A common practice involves stars negotiating co-producer or executive producer credits, granting them input on budgeting, scheduling, and overall oversight; notable examples include Leonardo DiCaprio on films like Inception and Margot Robbie on Barbie, where their involvement extended beyond acting to production elements. This leverage stems from their marketability, which casting directors and studios prioritize to enhance a project's viability.^[15]^[16]^[17] Marketing strategies heavily revolve around bankable stars, positioning them as the central draw to maximize initial buzz and attendance. Campaigns frequently feature the star prominently on posters, trailers, and promotional materials, capitalizing on their fanbase to generate hype and drive ticket sales. Research indicates that star participation can significantly elevate a film's revenues, with studies estimating their "worth" in the millions through enhanced opening weekend performance—often boosting earnings by substantial margins due to increased visibility and audience pull. For example, films like The Dark Knight centered marketing on stars such as Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, contributing to explosive debuts.^[18]^[19] However, the industry's over-reliance on bankable stars carries inherent risks, particularly when an actor's drawing power diminishes, leading to costly underperformers. Mid-2000s examples illustrate this vulnerability: Jim Carrey, once a box-office juggernaut, saw films like The Number 23 (2007) flop, grossing just $35 million domestically against a $30 million budget despite his star billing, signaling a fade in his comedic appeal and prompting studios to reassess commitments.^[20] Such failures highlight how tying a project's success to a single star can amplify losses if market tastes shift or personal factors intervene. The rise of franchises has transformed traditional notions of bankability, with stars increasingly attaching to established intellectual properties like Marvel's superhero universe rather than standalone vehicles. This shift prioritizes IP-driven appeal over individual star power, as seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where actors like Robert Downey Jr. gained prominence through ensemble roles in pre-sold brands, reducing the need for a single bankable name to guarantee financing or attendance. Consequently, studios now view stars as enhancers to franchise momentum rather than primary risk mitigators, altering the leverage dynamics that once defined Hollywood's star system.^[21]^[22]

Historical Context

Origins in Hollywood

The concept of the bankable star emerged during Hollywood's studio system in the 1920s and 1940s, when major studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Warner Bros. dominated the industry through vertical integration, controlling production, distribution, and exhibition.^[2] These studios signed actors to long-term exclusive contracts, often lasting seven years, treating them as valuable assets to ensure predictable box-office returns amid economic uncertainties like the Great Depression.^[2] For instance, MGM built Clark Gable into a top male lead through such contracts, leveraging his rugged persona in films like It Happened One Night (1934) to guarantee audience draw and financial stability for the studio.^[2] Warner Bros. similarly groomed stars like Humphrey Bogart, whose versatility across genres helped mitigate risks in an era when studios produced hundreds of films annually to saturate theaters.^[2] A key milestone in the 1930s was the formalized "star system," where actors' salaries and career trajectories were directly tied to their proven ability to generate revenue, solidifying the bankable star as a core economic driver.^[2] Child actress Shirley Temple exemplified this shift; signed by Fox Film Corporation in 1933 amid the studio's near-bankruptcy, she starred in hits like Bright Eyes (1934) and Curly Top (1935), outgrossing established stars like Clark Gable and Bing Crosby while earning the studio millions in box-office receipts and merchandise over her seven-year contract.^[23] Her success not only saved Fox—leading to its 1935 merger with 20th Century Pictures—but also demonstrated how a single performer's draw could yield over $3 million in total value for the studio during the decade, far exceeding her personal salary of up to $50,000 per film by 1936.^[24]^[23] Post-World War II changes marked a transition as the studio system's decline—accelerated by the 1948 Paramount Decree antitrust ruling—paved the way for freelance actors who could independently secure financing for projects.^[25] James Stewart, after ending his MGM contract and returning from wartime service as a bomber pilot, became a prominent freelance talent whose name alone helped bankroll independent ventures like Liberty Films' It's a Wonderful Life (1946), the studio's first postwar production that capitalized on his everyman appeal to attract investors despite initial box-office challenges.^[25] This shift empowered stars to negotiate per-project deals, emphasizing their bankability in a fragmenting industry. Cultural factors amplified the bankable star's value through media promotion that cultivated marketable personas beyond the screen. Fan magazines like Photoplay, dominant from the late 1910s to the 1940s, worked closely with studios to craft aspirational narratives, publishing staged portraits and lifestyle features that linked stars to American ideals of glamour and consumerism, thereby enhancing their commercial draw.^[26] Radio broadcasts, such as the Lux Radio Theatre (1934–1955), further boosted this by adapting popular films with original stars like Stewart and Temple, paying them premium fees to reenact roles and extend their personas into homes nationwide, fostering fan loyalty essential for sustained box-office predictability.^[27] By the 1950s, trade publications like Variety began formally recognizing this drawing power through annual polls and articles on consistent hit-makers, labeling top performers as reliable guarantees for profitability based on their track record of revenue-generating films.^[28]

Evolution Through the 20th Century

The New Hollywood era of the 1960s and 1970s marked a significant shift in the film industry, emphasizing auteur directors and complex anti-heroes over traditional studio stars, as young filmmakers from film schools challenged classical Hollywood norms with countercultural themes and innovative storytelling.^[29]^[30] Despite this transition, which prioritized films like Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Easy Rider (1969) for their gritty realism and ensemble casts, certain actors maintained bankability through character-driven narratives that blended accessibility with depth. Paul Newman exemplified this resilience, starring in hits like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), a buddy Western that grossed $102.3 million worldwide and became the top-grossing film of the year by appealing to audiences seeking charismatic outlaws amid the era's social upheaval.^[31] The 1980s ushered in the blockbuster era, heavily influenced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, whose high-concept films prioritized spectacle, merchandising, and global appeal, elevating action-oriented stars as central to franchise success.^[32]^[33] This model transformed bankable stars from versatile leads into iconic action heroes, with Harrison Ford emerging as a prime example through the Indiana Jones series—Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)—which collectively grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide unadjusted, driving repeat viewings and international licensing deals.^[34] Ford's portrayal of the adventurous archaeologist not only capitalized on the era's appetite for escapist adventures but also solidified his status as a reliable draw for studios seeking tentpole releases.^[35] By the 1990s, globalization reshaped the concept of bankability, as Hollywood increasingly targeted overseas markets, which accounted for a growing share of revenues, prompting studios to favor stars with broad, universal appeal over domestically focused performers.^[36] Tom Hanks epitomized this trend, leveraging his everyman charisma in films like Forrest Gump (1994), which grossed $678.2 million worldwide and succeeded internationally by transcending cultural barriers through themes of American innocence and perseverance.^[37] This era's emphasis on foreign box office, rising from about 40% of total rentals in 1992 to 51% by 1994, underscored how stars' global draw became essential for mitigating risks in an expanding market.^[38] Trade publications began formalizing bankable star assessments in the late 1970s and 1980s through informal rankings based on average grosses and audience polls, evolving into structured metrics by the 1990s to quantify actors' revenue potential amid rising production costs.^[39] Publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter tracked performers' track records, such as average per-film earnings, to guide studio financing, with early examples including Quigley Publishing's annual polls adapted for blockbuster analysis.^[40] The rise of home video rentals and television syndication in the 1980s and 1990s eroded the exclusivity of theatrical releases, as consumers increasingly opted for convenient viewing at home, reducing the urgency of star-driven cinema attendance and pressuring actors to diversify beyond acting.^[41] By the mid-1980s, VCR penetration reached about 30 million households (roughly 35% of U.S. households), and video revenues surpassed theatrical in some years, prompting stars to enter production to retain control over ancillary income streams like VHS sales and TV rights.^[42] This shift encouraged bankable talents to form companies—such as Hanks' Playtone in 1998—to oversee projects and capture backend profits, adapting to a multifaceted revenue model.

Measurement Approaches

Box Office and Revenue Metrics

One of the core metrics for evaluating a bankable star is the worldwide box office gross per film, which measures the revenue generated globally from ticket sales for projects where the actor serves as a lead. This figure is frequently adjusted for inflation—often to current-year dollars (such as 2025 dollars)—to account for changes in ticket prices and economic conditions, allowing comparisons between older and contemporary films.^[43] For historical context, inflation adjustments typically use consumer price index data applied to domestic and international grosses, as compiled by industry trackers. Such adjustments reveal that stars like Harrison Ford, whose early Indiana Jones films grossed over $1 billion in unadjusted terms, equate to even higher values today, emphasizing sustained value. Data for these metrics are primarily sourced from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, which aggregate verified studio reports and international market data.^[44]^[43] To assess ongoing bankability, analysts calculate the average performance by taking the mean worldwide gross across a star's last 5-10 films, excluding flops that fall under $50 million to isolate consistent successes. This approach filters out anomalies and focuses on the star's typical draw, often revealing patterns in genre reliability or audience turnout. For instance, Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series has averaged more than $500 million worldwide per installment across its eight films, with totals exceeding $4.9 billion for the franchise as a whole as of November 2025, underscoring his role in driving blockbuster action revenue.^[45]^[46] These averages are derived from comprehensive film-by-film breakdowns, prioritizing lead roles to attribute success directly to the star's involvement. Opening weekend performance further gauges a star's immediate appeal, typically representing 30-40% of a film's total domestic gross for bankable leads in star-driven vehicles. This front-loaded revenue—often one-third of overall earnings—stems from heightened marketing around the actor and fan mobilization, as seen in action franchises where pre-sales and buzz amplify debut turnout. Industry analyses confirm this range for high-profile releases, where a weak opening signals diminished star power.^[47]^[48] Market share analysis contextualizes a star's impact by comparing their films' grosses to the annual industry total, with elite bankable stars often accounting for 10-15% of global box office in years dominated by their projects. For example, a single film like Avatar, led by Sam Worthington in a breakout role, captured roughly 10% of the 2009 worldwide total of about $30 billion, illustrating how one star vehicle can skew market dynamics. This metric, drawn from yearly aggregates, highlights stars who elevate studio slates beyond averages, though it varies by release schedule and competition.^[49]

Return on Investment Calculations

Return on investment (ROI) calculations for bankable stars focus on quantifying the financial value a performer brings to film projects by assessing profitability relative to associated costs, particularly the star's compensation. The basic formula for a film's ROI, which serves as the foundation for star-attached evaluations, is expressed as:

\text{ROI} = \frac{\text{Total Revenue} - \text{Budget}}{\text{Budget}} \times 100

This measures the percentage return after subtracting production costs from revenues generated by the project. When applied to star bankability, the formula is calculated across multiple films featuring the actor to isolate their contribution, using worldwide box office grosses as a primary revenue proxy. For instance, a film with a $200 million production budget that grosses $800 million worldwide yields an ROI of approximately 80%, assuming an average studio share of ~45% of gross (typically 50% domestic and 40% international, yielding ~$360 million revenue).^[50]^[51] A star-specific variant emphasizes the multiplier effect, calculating dollars returned to the studio per dollar paid to the actor as salary. This approach divides the average box office gross of the star's recent films by their estimated upfront pay, revealing efficiency in talent investment. For example, in analyses of high-profile performers, this metric has shown returns ranging from $10 to over $700 per dollar invested, depending on the actor's draw in non-franchise roles. Such multipliers highlight bankable stars' ability to amplify project profitability beyond their direct compensation.^[52] Adjustments to these calculations account for complexities in compensation and revenue streams. Backend deals, where stars receive a percentage of net profits (often 5-20% after recoupment), effectively increase their total earnings and must be factored into the denominator to avoid understating costs; for instance, a $20 million salary might double with backend participation on successful films. International grosses, comprising up to 70% of total revenue for blockbusters, are incorporated via worldwide figures, while ancillary revenues from DVD sales, streaming rights, and merchandising—potentially adding 50-100% to theatrical earnings—are estimated separately to refine net profit assessments. These adjustments ensure a more holistic view of a star's long-term value.^[53]^[54] Despite their utility, ROI calculations for bankable stars have notable limitations. They often exclude marketing expenditures, which can exceed $100 million for major releases and significantly erode apparent profits, leading to overestimations of true returns. Additionally, isolating a single star's impact amid ensemble casts, director influence, and genre factors introduces variability, as does reliance on box office data without full profit participation details. These gaps underscore that ROI provides directional insight rather than precise forecasting.^[50] Modern tools facilitate more robust evaluations by aggregating historical data. Platforms like The Numbers employ proprietary databases tracking film budgets, grosses, and credits from the 1990s onward, enabling automated ROI computations and star multiplier analyses across thousands of projects. These systems support industry professionals in benchmarking bankability while incorporating global revenue trends.^[43]

Historical Rankings

The Hollywood Reporter Lists

The Hollywood Reporter's Star Power surveys represented some of the earliest structured efforts to quantify actors' bankability in Hollywood, blending industry executive opinions with performance metrics to gauge a star's ability to drive financial success. Launched in the mid-1990s with an inaugural poll in 1995 evaluating 700 actors, these surveys influenced perceptions of who could reliably attract audiences and secure funding for films.^[39] In its 1999 Star Power survey, The Hollywood Reporter ranked Tom Hanks at the top with a perfect score of 100, followed closely by Mel Gibson (99.44) and Tom Cruise (99.38), based on evaluations of 525 actors and actresses from the 1990s. Julia Roberts placed eighth overall (97.62), marking her as the highest-ranked female star, while emerging talents like Ben Affleck ranked much lower at 42nd, highlighting the gap between established draws and rising names. The assessment drew on recent box office grosses, with top performers credited for consistent hits like Hanks' Saving Private Ryan and Cruise's Mission: Impossible franchise, emphasizing average revenue per film as a key indicator of reliability.^[55]^[56] The 2002 update, conducted amid the post-9/11 economic recovery in the film industry, tied Cruise, Hanks, and Roberts for first place, all scoring 100 out of 100, with Mel Gibson (98.68) and Jim Carrey (98.46) rounding out the top five. This edition incorporated more rising stars, reflecting a broader pool of 1,000 actors evaluated for their role in stabilizing box office draws during uncertain times, though Affleck did not crack the top 10 despite his recent successes in Pearl Harbor and Good Will Hunting. The list underscored a focus on proven resilience, as studios sought stars capable of pulling audiences back to theaters.^[57] Overall, the methodology combined quantitative elements, such as average box office performance from recent films, with qualitative insights from surveys of studio executives, agents, and financiers—114 respondents in 2002 alone—who rated stars on criteria like securing project financing, obtaining wide distribution, and opening films to blockbuster potential. No rigid formula was applied; instead, scores reflected consensus on "draw power" tied to verifiable hits, allowing for subjective industry judgment alongside revenue data.^[55]^[57] These lists had a tangible impact on Hollywood, shaping casting decisions by validating stars' value in revenue generation; academic analyses using the Star Power data confirmed that top-ranked actors could significantly boost a film's expected theatrical earnings, encouraging studios to prioritize them for high-stakes projects.^[18]

Ulmer Scale

The Ulmer Scale, developed by entertainment journalist James Ulmer, represents a proprietary ranking system designed to quantify the bankability of film actors based on their ability to drive global box office revenue and secure financing for projects. Ulmer, who founded the scale in 1997 after serving as international editor at The Hollywood Reporter, released the 2009-2010 edition as a comprehensive assessment following a brief hiatus, drawing on his expertise in star power dynamics outlined in his book James Ulmer's Hollywood Hot List: The Complete Guide to Star Power and Box Office Performance. This iteration analyzed over 1,400 actors worldwide, assigning scores on a 100-point scale to reflect their commercial viability in an industry reeling from the 2008 financial crisis.^[58] The methodology employed a multifaceted approach, combining quantitative box office data with qualitative insights from interviews with more than 100 international film buyers, sales agents, producers, and executives. Key factors included an actor's historical film performance, global audience appeal, career management strategies, willingness to promote projects, and versatility in roles, evaluated across three budget tiers: low ($1-8 million), medium ($8-30 million), and high (over $30 million). Unlike purely financial metrics, the scale emphasized a star's "name value" in triggering full project financing, treating bankability akin to a stock market index for Hollywood talent. This blend aimed to capture not just revenue but also reliability in diverse markets, such as action preferences in Japan or horror appeal in Latin America.^[59]^[60] In the 2009 rankings, the scale highlighted a contraction in overall star power, with only two actors achieving A+ status amid fewer high-scorers compared to prior years. Representative top performers included Will Smith at #1 with a score of 96, credited to his consistent franchise successes like Hancock; Johnny Depp at #2 with 95, bolstered by the Pirates of the Caribbean series; Brad Pitt at #3 with 88; Tom Hanks at #4 with 87; and George Clooney at #5 with 86. Leonardo DiCaprio ranked #9, reflecting strong international draws from films like Blood Diamond and The Departed. Among actresses, Reese Witherspoon stood out at #8 overall with a score of 85, the sole woman in the top 10, due to hits like Legally Blonde and her appeal in romantic comedies. The analysis covered approximately 100 major films from the preceding decade, prioritizing theatrical releases.^[60]^[61] The data scope focused exclusively on feature film performance, incorporating U.S. and international grosses alongside production budgets from 2000 to 2008, while excluding television work, endorsements, and non-theatrical revenue streams to isolate pure cinematic bankability. This period captured the digital shift in distribution and the rise of franchises, with emphasis on overseas markets contributing up to 70% of global earnings for top stars.^[60]^[59] The 2009 Ulmer Scale influenced industry conversations on gender disparities in bankability, spotlighting the scarcity of top female rankings—such as Witherspoon's outlier status—and prompting debates on how women like her navigated limited roles compared to male counterparts. However, it faced criticism for potential biases toward established stars, underrepresenting emerging talents influenced by phenomena like the Twilight saga, and relying on subjective industry input alongside a finite sample of recent releases, which some argued overlooked broader economic factors. Despite these critiques, the scale's framework contributed to standardized discussions on return-on-investment principles in casting, though no formal updates followed the 2010 edition.^[58]^[59]

Modern Rankings and Indices

Forbes Highest-Paid Actors

In 2023, Forbes shifted its focus for the highest-paid actors list to an annual ranking emphasizing pre-tax earnings derived from film and television projects, as well as related endorsements and production deals.^[62] This approach highlights actors whose star power drives lucrative contracts, directly tying into bankability by showcasing how their involvement guarantees revenue streams for studios. For instance, Adam Sandler topped the 2023 list with $73 million in earnings, largely from multi-picture Netflix agreements that capitalized on his consistent draw for streaming audiences.^[62] The 2024 list, published in February 2025, continued this annual format and featured Dwayne Johnson at number one with $88 million, bolstered by backend profits from Moana 2 and other ventures that underscored his ability to generate box office returns.^[63] Ryan Reynolds ranked second at $85 million, driven by the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine, which exemplified how his comedic appeal translates to high-stakes film deals.^[63] These earnings reflect bankability through performance incentives, where actors like Johnson and Reynolds secure pay tied to a film's profitability. Reports indicate Tom Cruise earned $100–120 million from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025), including salary and profit participation, underscoring his bankability in action franchises.^[64] Forbes verifies such figures through direct consultations with agents, managers, and producers, compiling pre-tax totals from salaries, residuals, and endorsements while prioritizing those linked to film and TV output.^[62] This methodology weights earnings toward projects with strong performance metrics, reinforcing bankability as a metric of an actor's revenue-generating potential. High earnings in these lists often stem from an actor's demonstrated draw, as seen with Margot Robbie's $59 million in 2023, which included over $50 million from the blockbuster Barbie and subsequent deals that affirmed her role in driving cultural and commercial hits.^[62] Such figures illustrate how bankable stars command premiums not just for talent, but for their ability to ensure financial viability in high-budget productions.

The Numbers Bankability Index

The Numbers Bankability Index, launched in November 2013, provides monthly rankings of actors, directors, and other film contributors based on their performance in films released over the preceding 10 years.^[65] This data-driven tool aggregates box office and financial data to estimate an individual's economic value to the film industry, emphasizing recent contributions to reflect current market relevance.^[66] The index's methodology employs a graph analysis of collaborations in the Hollywood Creative Graph, assigning economic value based on relationships and using algorithms to estimate each individual's contribution to film revenues, aggregated to derive a per-movie value.^[65] This approach incorporates foundational box office metrics while accounting for collaborative networks via the Hollywood Creative Graph, which links professionals based on shared projects and assigns influence percentages derived from proprietary algorithms like HITS and CheiRank.^[65] The final value represents an estimated worth for an average non-franchise film, adjusted for inflation and excluding outliers to focus on sustainable impact.^[66] In the June 2025 rankings, Robert Downey Jr. held the top position at $14,889,143 per movie, bolstered by his enduring legacy from the Avengers franchise, particularly through recent appearances like in Deadpool & Wolverine.^[66] Tom Cruise ranked fourth at $12,598,679 per movie, supported by the ongoing success of the Mission: Impossible series despite a monthly decline of -$1,545,311.^[66] As of 2025, Scarlett Johansson has grossed over $15 billion in career worldwide box office, though her bankability index value fell to $6,126,715 per movie (rank #38) amid franchise momentum from projects like Deadpool & Wolverine.^[67] Jason Statham led the 2025 domestic highest-grossing stars list with 298 points across his films, driven by action hits such as A Working Man and The Beekeeper, positioning him as a reliable draw in the early year box office.^[68] Key advantages of the index include its reliance on transparent, verifiable box office records from public data sources, enabling objective comparisons without reliance on self-reported earnings.^[66] It also effectively tracks fluctuations in star power, such as declines following the post-2023 superhero fatigue, where oversaturation led to underperforming releases and shifted investor focus toward diverse genres.^[69]

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“The biggest influencers on New Hollywood were the film school brats,” he said. These directors, including Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Francis Ford ...
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[PDF] Martin Scorsese's Outsiders, Misfits and Antiheroes
Nov 9, 2023 · In the late 1960s a new generation of filmmakers were challenging the classical Hollywood standards and values with films that would fit with ...
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - Box Office Mojo
Domestic (100%) $102,308,889 ; International (–) $3,272 ; Worldwide $102,315,881.
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[PDF] Film Marketing and the Creation of the Hollywood Blockbuster
The success of the 2009 film would ultimately lead to a prequel and crossover trilogy beginning in 2011 with X-Men: First Class, starring bankable star.
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[PDF] Untitled - University of California Press
dismiss the films of the 1980s as being symptoms of (a) the Spielberg-Lucas model of filmmaking or (b) Reaganesque political culture, and critical ...
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Indiana Jones Franchise Box Office History - The Numbers
Box Office History for Indiana Jones Movies ; Day: 1, $25,041,072 ; Day: 2, $55,612,347 ; Day: 3, $92,146,186, $8,305,823 ; Day: 4, $125,178,907 ...
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Franchise: Indiana Jones - Box Office Mojo
Franchise: Indiana Jones ; 1, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $317,101,119 ; 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark, $212,222,025 ; 3, Indiana Jones and ...
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THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Hollywood Takes More Cues From Overseas
Jun 25, 1990 · Other American stars, including Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton and Mr. Candy, have not fared as well abroad, industry experts say. And they note ...
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Forrest Gump (1994) - Box Office and Financial Information
48.6% (domestic box office/worldwide). Production Budget: $55,000,000 (worldwide box office is 12.4 times production budget). Theater counts: 1,595 opening ...
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Hollywood's Global Outlook: Economic Expansionism and ...
It lost its importance from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, and then regained it, reaching 40% of total theatrical rentals in 1992 and a historic 51% in 1994.Missing: impact | Show results with:impact
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Survey rates Hollywood star power - UPI Archives
May 9, 1995 · He, Cruise, Ford, Gibson and Schwarzenegger were the only actors with perfect scores of 100 bankable points. Costner's costly flop 'Wyatt Earp' ...
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LUCAS THE LONER RETURNS TO 'WARS' - Variety
Jun 5, 1995 · Lucas' antipathy toward Hollywood is well known – his feelings based on the experience of having his first two films recut against his will by ...Missing: 1980s influence
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Home video rentals | Research Starters - EBSCO
After becoming widespread in the 1980s, home video rentals surged in popularity in the 1990s as technology improved and dropped in price. Major nationwide video ...
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[PDF] A Decade of Change - University of California Press
By 1981, three million VCRs had been sold (two-thirds of which were in the VHS format), all of the Hollywood majors had their own video divisions, and the ...Missing: impact | Show results with:impact
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https://www.the-numbers.com/market/
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Top Lifetime Adjusted Grosses - Box Office Mojo
By Adjusted Gross ; 40, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, $645,487,188 ; 41, Love Story, $640,515,984 ; 42, Independence Day, $633,694,987 ; 43, Home Alone ...Overall · Gone with the Wind (1939) · Doctor Zhivago (1965)
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https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Mission-Impossible
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Franchise: Mission: Impossible - Box Office Mojo
Franchise: Mission: Impossible ; 1, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, $220,159,104 ; 2, Mission: Impossible II, $215,409,889 ; 3, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol ...Mission · Impossible - Fallout · Lifetime Gross · Impossible II
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Why is a movie's first week box office so important? - Entertainment
Today, most movies make a whopping one-third of their entire domestic box office gross during opening weekend [source: Eller and Friedman]. A bad opening ...Missing: action | Show results with:action
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Opening Weekends - Box Office Mojo
Rank, Release, Opening, Total Gross, % of Total, Theaters, Average, Date, Distributor. 1, Avengers: Endgame, $357,115,007, $858,373,000, 41.6%, 4,662 ...Missing: percentage | Show results with:percentage
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Gone with the Wind held the record for the highest-grossing film for twenty-five years and, when adjusted for inflation, has earned more than any other film.United States and Canada · Avatar (2009) · Gone with the Wind · Doctor Zhivago
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Calculating the Return on Investment of This Year's Oscar Nominees
Feb 17, 2016 · Determining a movie's ultimate return on investment is an imperfect science. To calculate ROI for this chart, Variety measured only a film's ...
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Hollywood's Best Actors For The Buck: 'Avengers' Stars Earn Top ...
Dec 26, 2018 · Hollywood's Best Actors For The Buck: 'Avengers' Stars Earn Top ROIs, Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale Flop. holywood-roi. ByNatalie ...
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Demystifying Backend: A Simplified Guide to Common Film and ...
Jul 9, 2025 · Remaining sums are the “backend,” and while the split may be negotiable, it is common for 50% of the backend to be allocated to financiers and ...
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What Is the Most Profitable Movie Ever? - The Hollywood Reporter
Jan 18, 2020 · When you include ancillary revenue, its profit is in the $3.5 billion to $4 billion zone. ... (Back then, “ancillary” was the term for ...
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Movie Market Summary 1995 to 2025 - The Numbers
Our market analysis is built on The Numbers' unique categorization system, which uses six different criteria to identify a movie.
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HANKS TOPS LIST OF CELLULOID'S MOST-BANKABLE NAMES
Jun 16, 1999 · Focusing on the bankability of 525 actors and actresses, the execs were asked to rank the performers on their ability to secure financing for a ...Missing: methodology 1999-2006
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(PDF) POWER RANKING - Academia.edu
8 Table 1.1 Top 20 Actresses & Actors in the Hollywood Reporter Star Power, 1999 Number Actresses & Actors Power Rank 1 Tom Hanks 100 2 Mel Gibson 99.44 3 ...
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Bankable Stars - CBS News
Feb 5, 2002 · The poll scored 1,000 actors on their "bankability" with a top score being 100. Hanks, Cruise and Roberts all reached that magic mark. Next came ...
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You're All Stars -- Some More Than Others - The New York Times
No surprise: “There's a major recession in bankability among top actors,” said James Ulmer, who founded the company in 1997 after leaving the Hollywood Reporter ...
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The Ulmer Scale: A true test of Hollywood star bankability?
May 22, 2009 · Ulmer ranks bankability at three different budget levels -- low ($1-$8 million), medium ($8-$30 million) and high (more than $30 million).
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Aug 6, 2010 · Michele Norris talks with James Ulmer about The Ulmer Scale, which ranks more than 1,000 actors worldwide by their bankability.
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Will Smith Tops the Ulmer Scale's List of Most Bankable Actors ...
May 25, 2009 · Here is the complete list of The Ulmer Scale's Top 10: 1. Will Smith 96 2. Johnny Depp 95 3. Brad Pitt 88 4. Tom Hanks 87 5. George Clooney ...
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The Highest-Paid Actors Of 2023 - Forbes
Mar 6, 2024 · The 10 highest-paid stars combined to earn $449 million in 2023. They come almost exclusively from movies, rather than television.
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The Highest-Paid Actors Of 2024 - Forbes
Feb 28, 2025 · For top-earning stars like Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, appearing in movies is one of many ways they reel in their out-sized paydays.
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Tom Cruise' net worth: A look at the Mission Impossible star's ... - Mint
Tom Cruise is set to earn between ₹820 crore and ₹984 crore (approximately $100–120 million) from the upcoming film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
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Nov 13, 2013 · A new service to help assess the value that different people bring to the industry, from actors and actresses to directors, screenwriters, producers, and ...Missing: calculation | Show results with:calculation
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The Numbers Bankability Index
The Numbers Bankability Index estimates how much someone is worth to a film based on analysis of the Hollywood Creative Graph.
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Top Stars at the Worldwide Box Office - The Numbers
Jason Statham, $8,533,140,494, 52, $164,098,856. 98, Timothy Spall, $8,529,079,380 ... Scarlett Johansson · Tom Cruise · Adrien Brody · Nicolas Cage · Geoffrey ...Missing: highlights | Show results with:highlights
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Highest Grossing Stars of 2025 at the Domestic Box Office
This list shows the highest grossing stars of 2025 based on the domestic box office of the movies they had a leading role in in 2025 and the two preceeding ...Missing: June | Show results with:June
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Superhero Fatigue Is Real, and the Numbers Don't Lie
Sep 25, 2025 · The global box office is showing signs of Superhero Fatigue. Let's look at box office numbers to see what's going on.Missing: Bankability Index data