Top 10 Stars in Need of a Box Office Hit

 

Sherman J. Pearson here for another Top 10. This round we have a couple actors with spotty box office track records both appearing in the same film - Denzel Washington and Michael B. Jordan in Before Love Came to Kill Us. This got me thinking about other stars that could really use a hit on their LRF resumes. This post is going to be a bit more in-depth than the usual Top 10, so enjoy!

Top 10 Stars in Need of a Box Office Hit

10. Elle Fanning

Notable Flop(s): High School, The Reign of Lady Morgana 

Average Salary: Approximately $9-12 million

Hit(s): Spider-Man series, Klondike, The Letter J, Made in Abyss

Thoughts: She has a strong track record with Spider-Man and when paired with other big name stars like in Klondike, but has some pretty big flops as a headlining star outside of those. She could use a hit with her name top-billed on the poster to help cement her status as a legitimate A-List star.

9. Denzel Washington

Notable Flop(s): The Life After, The Boys of the Bayou

Average Salary: Approximately $13-15 million

Hit(s): The Invincible Iron Man

Thoughts: While his supporting role in The Invincible Iron Man gives him a legitimate box office hit on his LRF resume, the performance of his other films make it hard to justify his commanded salary.

8. Alex Wolff

Notable Flop(s): Sexual Paradise, Cleopatra, Corndog, The Vegan Movie 2: Tariq Goes to Sarah Lawrence (and more)

Average Salary: Approximately $1-3 million

Hit(s): The Vegan Movie

Thoughts: I think the days of LRF writers trying to make Alex Wolff a bankable leading man need to stop - it's clearly not in the cards for him. One hit won't turn that around, but it could at least keep him from fading away completely.

7. Michael B. Jordan

Notable Flop(s): Kiss Me Katie, Dishonest, Nexus, Bonnie and Clyde

Average Salary: Approximately $10-15 million

Hit(s): Broadway, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Thoughts: His hits have been modest at best, while his flops have been pretty big. I'm sure he'd like to prove that his old reputation as box office poison was all wrong.

6. Lucas Hedges

Notable Flop(s): Written By Jason, Hippies in New York, Amelie

Average Salary: Approximately $8-15 million

Hit(s): Spider-Man series, Kansas City, The Letter J

Thoughts: What he needs is a non-Spider-Man hit. He doesn't have many of those and may become typecast if he doesn't have another breakthrough hit role in the near future.

5. Alexander Skarsgard

Notable Flop(s): The House of Romanov

Average Salary: Approximately $15-25 million

Hit(s): Halo series, Swamp Thing series

Thoughts: Skarsgard's salary demands have been inflated by the overwhelming success of the Halo and Swamp Thing film series, but it remains to be seen if he's worth the costly salaries outside of those franchises.

4. Adam Driver

Notable Flop(s): Rookie's Road, Undefeated Abe, Beasts, An Eye For An Eye

Average Salary: Approximately $6-9 million

Hit(s): Oklahoma!, Murder Mysteries, The Stand

Thoughts: Murder Mysteries changed the narrative surrounding Driver's career in LRF. Prior to its success, he was riding a long string of costly flops.

3. Timothee Chalamet

Notable Flop(s): Citizen, The Giver, The Virgin Suicides, Hippies in New York

Average Salary: Approximately $10-12 million

Hit(s): Atlantis, Atlantis: Bloodline, Maximum Max, Paradise Lost

Thoughts: His big ensemble films seem to have a much better track record than smaller headlining roles - several of which have been surprisingly costly flops for the studio.

2. Emma Stone

Notable Flop(s): Dating Vanessa, Escape the Unknown, The Powerpuff Girls, Under Pressure

Average Salary: Approximately $12-17 million

Hit(s): The Long Way Home, Stepford

Thoughts: She has a couple hits, but no blockbuster successes, for LRF. Her flops have lost a lot more money than her hits have profited.

1. Joaquin Phoenix

Notable Flop(s): The Carpet Makers, Revelations, The Mobster's Violin

Average Salary: Approximately $10-12 million

Hit(s): Misfit, The Raven in the Night

Thoughts: He has a lot more flops than hits to his resume - although a lot of his films hover right around the profit margins.