2007: The year of big-star movie flops

Alonso Duralde Film critic

Having a big star in your movie was a guarantee of success in 2007 — providing that star’s name was Will Smith, whose “I Am Legend” opened to record December numbers. For everyone else, it was a little more touch and go.

In a year when even Brad Pitt’s fortunes fell — his critically lauded “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” eked out a mere $3.8 million at the U.S. box office, and even “Ocean’s Thirteen” underperformed in comparison to the preceding chapters — it was a tough year for above-the-title talent to justify their fat paychecks.

The stars themselves can’t be held fully responsible, in the same way that they can’t claim sole credit when a movie is a hit. But given that the leading men and ladies are often the focus of the marketing campaign and promotional push for a movie, that movie’s failure in theaters will more often than not reflect upon the actors and actresses whose mugs you see on “Entertainment Tonight” and “Access Hollywood” for the weeks leading up to opening day.

Other factors were at play, of course. The only movie dealing with Bush and Cheney and the War on Terror that audiences turned out to see was “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” (What was Dolores Umbridge, after all, but a stand-in for the Department of Homeland Security?)

More on-the-nose stories about Iraq and/or terrorism, however, foundered, even if they starred Angelina Jolie (“A Mighty Heart,” $9.1 million), Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep (“Lions for Lambs,” $14.9 million); Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep (“Rendition,” $9.7 million); or the Oscar-winning troika of Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon (“In the Valley of Elah,” $6.7 million). And while “Redacted” had a cast of unknowns, even the prestige factor of being a Brian De Palma film couldn’t give the film more than a measly $65,000 take. Analysts are waiting to see if “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts) and “Grace is Gone” (John Cusack) can manage to buck the trend.

Speaking of the gloriously talented Meryl Streep, here’s hoping that 2008 is kinder to her, box office–wise. In addition to the above-mentioned duds, her star power — combined with that of Vanessa Redgrave, Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Natasha Richardson and Glenn Close — could tastefully scare up only $12.4 million worth of business for the critically drubbed “Evening.”

Lopez, Costner, Berry all bomb
Other star vehicles may have overestimated the public’s interest in seeing the stars in question. Why Jennifer Lopez, after “Gigli,” thought it would be a good idea to make another movie co-starring the man in her life remains a mystery for the ages. What we do know is that “El Cantante,” featuring Lopez and Marc Anthony, grossed a measly $7.5 million, which barely covers expenses for the leading lady’s hair and makeup. The combo of Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and William Hurt would have no doubt shaken up the multiplex 15 years ago, but 2007 audiences showered only $28.4 million worth of love on “Mr. Brooks.”

Perhaps Costner and Hurt were caught up in a larger curse placed on Oscar winners, since fellow honorees like Halle Berry (“Perfect Stranger,” $23.7 million, and “Things We Lost in the Fire,” $3.2 million), Nicolas Cage (“Next,” $18 million), Jodie Foster (“The Brave One,” $36.7 million), Morgan Freeman (“Feast of Love,” $3.5 million), Nicole Kidman (“Margot at the Wedding,” $1.4 million, and “Invasion,” $15 million), Jamie Foxx (“The Kingdom,” $47.4 million), Jane Fonda (“Georgia Rule,” $18.9 million), Jennifer Connelly (“Reservation Road,” $122,000), and Billy Bob Thornton (“Mr. Woodcock,” $25.8 million, and “The Astronaut Farmer,” $11 million) had a tough time of it as well this year.

It was a year when safe bets failed — reuniting Ben Stiller with his “There’s Something About Mary” directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly yielded just $36.7 million for “The Heartbreak Kid” — as did taking stars out of their comfort zones, which proved to be unsuccessful for Jim Carrey (the paranoid thriller “The Number 23,” $35.1 million), Drew Barrymore (dour gambling drama “Lucky You,” $5.7 million), and Chris Rock (marital farce “I Think I Love My Wife,” $12.6 million)

And “Jesse James” wasn’t the only film to demonstrate that critical acclaim doesn’t always help. Probably the best-reviewed film from the first half of 2007 was David Fincher’s “Zodiac,” with a strong cast that included Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Chloe Sevigny, but even rave reviews couldn’t get the murder mystery more than $33 million at domestic multiplexes.

So what do we learn from all this? Well, not much. Most if not all of these projects probably looked great on paper, and many awful movies made a fortune this year (“Spider-Man 3,” for instance, raked in $337 million) while lots of deserving and delightful films were left hoping for an audience on DVD. (And let’s not even talk about the dozens of great foreign and independent titles that barely get seen in New York or Los Angeles and are lucky to even snag playdates anywhere in between.)

One sure bet: Come January 1, 2008, the whole cycle starts all over again.

Big stars, bigger flops “Assassination of Jesse James…” (Brad Pitt), $3.8 million “In the Valley of Elah” (Charlize Theron), $6.7 million “El Cantante” (Jennifer Lopez), $7.5 million “A Mighty Heart” (Angelina Jolie), $9.1 million “Rendition” (Reese Witherspoon), $9.7 million “The Astronaut Farmer,” $11 million / “Mr. Woodcock” (Billy Bob Thornton), $25.8 million “Evening” (Meryl Streep), $12.4 million “Lions for Lambs” (Tom Cruise), $14.9 million “Invasion” (Nicole Kidman), $15 million “Next” (Nicolas Cage), $18 million “Georgia Rule” (Jane Fonda), $18.9 million “Reign Over Me” (Adam Sandler), $19.6 million “Perfect Stranger” (Halle Berry), $23.7 million “Nanny Diaries” (Scarlett Johansson), $25.9 million “Mr. Brooks” (Kevin Costner), $28.4 million “Zodiac” (Jake Gyllenhaal), $33 million “The Number 23” (Jim Carrey), $35.1 million “The Heartbreak Kid” (Adam Sandler), $36.7 million “The Brave One” (Jodie Foster), $36.7 million “Stardust” (Claire Danes), $38.3 million “The Kingdom” (Jamie Foxx), $47.4 million “Evan Almighty” (Steve Carell), $100.2 million

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