Brent Lang of The Wrap just doesn't get it. Plain and simple. In his provocatively-titled piece 'Zac Efron and the Incredible Shrinking Teen Idol Stars', Land submits that the newest generation of young stars (Zac Efron, Robert Pattinson, Miley Cyrus, etc) have disappointed at the box office even as the numbers he uses fail to bear that out. Once again, a pundit has fallen into the classic trap: Because a movie star's latest movie has failed to match up with his or her all-time best performances, said actor's star must be fading. But it fails to take into account two obvious factors: not every film an actor makes is identical in appeal and marketability, and a star cannot be expected to top their previous best every time out of the gate.
As I've said any number of occasions, movie stars are worth certain paydays for certain projects. Robert Downey Jr. is worth whatever he can get for a theoretical Iron Man 3, and he's worth almost as much for the upcoming Sherlock Holmes 2 (on that note, fan-favorite Jude Law can and should hold out for a career-high payday to return as Dr. Watson, as the sequel needs his chemistry with Downey Jr. to work again). But no one should expect The Soloist, a dark, sobering drama about homelessness and mental illness, to perform at the same levels as a crowd-pleasing franchise picture. Brendan Fraser knew that The Mummy Returns was his big payday back in 2001, so he asked for and got $12.5 million. And for that film and that franchise, he was worth every penny. But he certainly wasn't so foolhardy to ask for another $12.5 million for The Quiet American.
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