Bankable star

In the film industry, a bankable star is an actor famous or charismatic enough to be "capable of guaranteeing box-office success simply by showing up in a movie".^[1] A bankable director is a similar notion.

Overview

Media consultant Blake Harris^[2] states that a bankable star is one of the "3 minimum ingredients to any film package", the other two being a successful director and a script or a strong story idea. The involvement of a bankable star in a film gives investors confidence that they will achieve a return on their investments, by ensuring that the film is widely distributed and that at least some people will pay to see it (i.e. that it will "open"). Harris adds that obtaining a bankable star for a package is not easy, because of the dearth of such stars, stating that at any point in time there are no more than "a dozen or so" stars whose mere involvement will ensure that a film will be made.

Analyst Alex Epstein^[3] states that bankable stars — or, more generally, "bankable elements" — are how "hookless" films (i.e. films without a compelling concept that makes people interested in them in their own right) get made, giving Dances with Wolves as an example of a movie where the involvement of Kevin Costner as the bankable star guaranteed that the movie was made. Writer Melissa Robbie concurs, stating that some movies are high-concept (i.e. they have what Epstein terms "hooks") whereas others are simply star vehicles for bankable stars.

The Hollywood Reporter has published several results of polls for Hollywood's top 10 most bankable stars, the most recent three being one in 1999, one in 2002 and the last one in 2006.^[4]

The 2002 survey polled "114 executives at both major studios and independent companies, financiers and various industry players from around the world".^[5] Voters were asked which stars "did the most to attract financing to a film, ensure its global distribution, and deliver that hugely important opening weekend based on the strength of their good name".

James Ulmer has compared his list of bankable stars, The Ulmer Scale, to a stock market index. His criteria for ranking is based on the name of a star alone being able to get people to movie theaters, in the United States as well as the rest of the world.^[6] In an August 2010 interview Ulmer described the international movie market as "unfortunately ... pretty sexist"; how a woman's name alone cannot sell a movie, and how female stars are only bankable when cast with a male star or in ensemble movies.^[6]

Lists of most bankable stars

Hollywood Reporter

These are the top 10 lists of the most bankable stars, with their scores, as published by Hollywood Reporter.

1999

1. Tom Hanks
2. Mel Gibson
3. Tom Cruise
4. Harrison Ford
5. Jim Carrey
6. Leonardo DiCaprio
7. John Travolta
8. Julia Roberts
9. Robin Williams
10. Brad Pitt

2002

1. Tom Cruise (100.00)
2. Tom Hanks (100.00)
3. Julia Roberts (100.00)
4. Mel Gibson (98.68)
5. Jim Carrey (98.46)
6. George Clooney (95.18)
7. Russell Crowe (94.74)
8. Harrison Ford (94.74)
9. Bruce Willis (94.30)
10. Brad Pitt (92.98) ^[7]

2006

1. Tom Hanks
2. Tom Cruise
3. Jim Carrey
4. George Clooney
5. Russell Crowe
6. Johnny Depp
7. Nicole Kidman
8. Jude Law
9. Brad Pitt
10. Julia Roberts^[8]

Ulmer Scale

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 movie financed and the cameras rolling. 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 movies.

2009

The Top 10 list as of 2009 (in order of 'bankable' value):^[9]

1. Will Smith
2. Johnny Depp
3. Brad Pitt
4. Tom Hanks
5. George Clooney
6. Will Ferrell
7. Reese Witherspoon
8. Nicolas Cage
9. Leonardo DiCaprio
10. Russell Crowe

See also

• A-list
• Celebrity
• Movie star
• Superstar

References

External links

• Hollywood Reporter's on-line results of its Star Power surveys