A-list

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the books by Zoey Dean, see The a-list. For other uses see A-list (disambiguation).

The A-list is the roster of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood.

The list was created by veteran entertainment journalist James Ulmer, who developed a 100-point method to quantify a star's value to a film production, in terms of getting a film financed and the cameras rolling.

"Bankability" is determined for films according to three budgetary levels:

$5 million or less (typically independent productions)
$5 to $25 million
$25 million or over (studio films).

A total score of 300 possible points is achieved by adding up the rankings for each budgetary level.

Fewer than fifteen stars occupy the A+ list, and these are stars with a solid 300 rating, who include:

After years at the top of the A-list, Julia Roberts became the first actress on the A+ list.^{[citation needed]}

When an A-list star releases a big-budget movie, it is usually considered a major Hollywood event and generally includes massive worldwide promotion of the film.

[edit] Ulmer Scale

Ulmer calls his method "The Ulmer Scale". Both the Ulmer Scale and the A-list are parts of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood. Lesser-known actors inhabit the B+, B, and C lists, and there is even a dreaded "Bottom of the Heap."

The Ulmer Scale also takes into account an actor's history (box office successes vs. failures), versatility, professional demeanor, and ability and willingness to travel and promote films.

If an actor has 100 points on the Ulmer Scale for a given budget, a movie on that budgetary level can have 100% of its financing guaranteed, based solely on that actor's participation. Very few stars have such power in the "$25 million or over" range, and the ones nearest to it occupy the A-list. Ulmer has also developed a Hot List of directors.