Hey Hollywood, want a tax write-off?
Get Jude Law to star in your movie.
Last weekend, Law once again demonstrated his scrawny box-office muscles. The English actor has another bomb on his hands, with the long-delayed futuristic thriller "Repo Men" opening to a woeful $6.1 million. Yet despite his spotty track record, Law continues to get regular, high-profile work.
He’s not alone. And the company Law keeps is not always who you’d expect.
TheWrap takes a look at some of the busy bees who are racking up starring roles despite failing to make a stir at the box office.
Jude Law
Flops: "My Blueberry Nights," "Sleuth," "Repo Men," "All the King’s Men," "Closer," "Breaking and Entering"
"Sherlock Holmes" was a nearly $500 million smash, but credit there goes to co-star Robert Downey Jr. Take out those massive grosses and you’re left with a list that boasts "My Blueberry Nights" ($867,000), "Closer" ($34 million), "Sleuth" ($342,000), "All the King’s Men" ($7.2 million) and "Breaking and Entering" ($930,000). "Repo Men"s’ dreadful debut means it will be another notch in the two-time Oscar nominee’s belt.
Michael Cera
Flops: "Year One," "Paper Heart," "Extreme Movie," "Youth in Revolt"
Audiences loved him in "Superbad" and "Juno," and his reported paycheck soared accordingly. But Cera’s awkward doofus shtick is wearing thin faster than his movies can hit theaters. Among the duds, "Paper Heart" and "Extreme Movie" barely warranted theatrical releases, stumbling their way to $1.3 million and $54,000 grosses, respectively. "Year One" was an even bigger embarrassment, costing more than $60 million and taking in just $43 million domestically despite the added presence of Jack Black.
George Clooney
Flops: "The Men Who Stare at Goats," "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Leatherheads," "The Good German"
The sad fact remains that the debonair star’s misses far outflank the hits. For every modest performer like "Up in the Air," ($83 million domestically), Clooney has released out-and-out bombs like "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," which brought in $20.9 million domestically on a $40 million budget, and "Leatherheads," which banked $31.3 million on a $58 million budget. Behind the camera, Clooney doesn’t fare much better. "Good Night, and Good Luck" made its tiny budget back with $31 million, but "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" was D.O.A., banking only $16 million. Audiences, it seems, may be the only ones immune to the "Sexiest Man Alive"s charms.
Nicole Kidman
Flops: "Nine," "Australia," "The Golden Compass," "Fur," "The Invasion," "Margot at the Wedding," "Birth"
It’s hard to remember a time when Kidman had a hit. Probably 2001’s "The Others," a thriller that brought in $96 million on a $17 million budget. She’s been living off the residual goodwill for a long, long time. Moreover, when a Kidman movie misses, it bellyflops. "Australia," "Nine" and "The Golden Compass" weren’t just flops, they were epic bombs. The latter two nearly took their studios down with them.
Bruce Willis
Flops: "Cop Out," "Surrogates," "What Just Happened," "Grindhouse," "Perfect Stranger"
Willis as John McClane is gold. Take him out of his signature "Die Hard" role, and his box office bona fides begin to sag. "Cop Out" ($42 million) and "Perfect Stranger" ($23 million) could charitably be described as disappointments, but "Surrogates" ($38.6 million) and "Grindhouse" ($25 million) were outright disasters. Could "Die Hard 5" be far off?
Cameron Diaz
Flops: "The Box," "My Sister’s Keeper," "The Holiday," "In Her Shoes"
The "There’s Something About Mary" star charmed audiences with her good looks and self-deprecating ways. Getting audiences to embrace her efforts to stretch, however, has been an uphill climb. Diaz tried out the horror genre with "The Box," earning a paltry $15 million for her efforts. Serious roles in "My Sister’s Keeper" and "In Her Shoes" were met with similar shrugs to the tune of $49 million and $32 million, respectively. Diaz had better hope that next summer’s action comedy "Knight and Day," which reunites her with Tom Cruise — who barely escaped being on this list — ends her cold streak.
Harrison Ford
Flops: "Extraordinary Measures," "Hollywood Homicide," "Crossing Over," "K-19: The Widowmaker," "Firewall"
Yes, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was a hit. Whenever Ford hangs up his trademark fedora, though, it’s another story. "Extraordinary Measures" ($12 million), "Crossing Over" ($450,000) and "Firewall" ($48.7 million) demonstrated that when it comes to box office, this is one beat-up Ford.
Kate Winslet
Flops: "Revolutionary Road," "Little Children," "All the King’s Men," "Flushed Away," "The Holiday"
Hailed as the greatest actress of her generation, Winslet has nonetheless never been able to translate critical plaudits into box-office love. To be sure, "Revolutionary Road" ($22 million), "Little Children" ($5.4 million) and "All the King’s Men" ($7.2 million) were challenging fare, but their meager takes show that Winslet’s moneymaking prowess sank with 1997’s "Titanic."
Sean Penn
Flops: "What Just Happened," "All the King’s Men," "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," "21 Grams"
Like Winslet, Penn is an awards season regular, acclaimed for the brooding intensity he brings to his roles. Good thing the critics are watching, because judging from the paltry grosses of most of the actor’s films, not many other people are. "All the King’s Men" was a legendary $7.2 million grossing bomb for Sony and most of Penn’s other roles haven’t fared better. "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" ($708,776) and "21 Grams" ($16 million) may have been Oscar bait, but audiences don’t have much appetite for searing dramas. "Milk" made its money back, but at $31.8 million, it’s hardly anyone’s idea of a blockbuster.
Christian Bale
Flops: "Terminator Salvation," "The Machinist," "The Prestige," "The New World," "Harsh Times," "Rescue Dawn"
"The Dark Knight" was a bleachers-clearing hit. Only problem is that when Bale takes off the cape and cowl, moviegoers aren’t inclined to follow him. The biggest disappointment, "Terminator Salvation," made $125 million domestically while costing $200 million, stopping the mega-grossing franchise dead in its tracks. "Harsh Times" ($3.3 million), "The New World" ($12.7 million) and "The Prestige" ($53 million) also got the cold shoulder from audiences. Bale had better hope Batman returns again and again and again.
