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Quote:
Variety: Hollywood Stars Lost Their Shimmer in 2014
Movie stars didn’t shine as brightly in 2014.
It was a year in which the big draws were Captain America, Star Lord and various CGI Transformers, giant reptiles and talking apes.
With a few exceptions, those films that depended largely on the names above the title floundered last year, raising doubts about the value of some of Hollywood’s best-compensated men and women.
Johnny Depp flunked the test with “Transcendence,” Robert Downey Jr. whiffed with “The Judge,” Adam Sandler fumbled with “Blended,” George Clooney erred with “Monuments Men,” Christian Bale blundered with “Exodus: Gods & Men” and Tom Cruise missed the mark with “Edge of Tomorrow.”
Some of the old guard also showed resilience. Denzel Washington continued his hot streak with “The Equalizer,” Scarlett Johansson delivered with “Lucy” and Seth Rogen scored with “Neighbors.”
Perhaps the biggest star of all was Angelina Jolie. After a four-year absence from the screen, she returned with the year’s third highest grossing film globally, “Maleficent.” The Oscar winner was front and center in the advertising campaign for the fantasy adventure, her name and face the big selling points.
“Angelina Jolie added credibility to that film and brought in a different demographic,” said Bock. “There are some stars that still make a film an event that has to be seen in theaters.”
For good measure, “Unbroken,” the survival story Jolie directed, has been a Christmas season winner, earning $87.8 million despite its bleak subject matter.
Jolie’s role in both of those pictures’ success is instructive. Her outsized public persona (Brad Pitt, the kids, her U.N. work, even her bout with chicken pox) brought buzz to projects that might not have received the same level of media attention.
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