[BurbankKarl]

There was a long NY Times article last week that the "stars" are worried because all the over-the-top deals are going away...

[samadams2000]

Friend in the business says he's a three dollar bill. Not that that matters. He's also 5 foot 4 when not jumping on a couch or standing on a box.

[abb]

Caught on Film: A Growing Unease in Hollywood (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1686480/posts

Tom Cruise's Studio Pact Is in Question (BIG pay cut coming)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1674953/posts

[Richard Kimball]

I think that's because for the last couple of years the successful movies haven't been star vehicles. The top three domestic grossers for 2005 were Star Wars, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Harry Potter. None of these movies has a top level Hollywood star. The concept of the movie was the star. This year, Pirates of the Caribbean might be said to be a Johnny Depp vehicle, but none of his shows prior to the Pirates movies were huge grossers (except Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was another concept film). Other than that, this year, Cars, Xmen, the DaVinci Code, Ice Age, Superman Returns, and Over the Hedge come in before the first "star" vehicle, Click.

There just aren't any actors that can guarantee a big box office return anymore. The concept is the star now, and frequently, a big star gets in the way of the believability of the film instead of enhancing it.