Monday Morning Quarterback Part II

By BOP Staff

November 27, 2013

We play two halves in this league, defense!

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Jason Barney: There is no question she has a remarkable run of box office success. She probably is the most popular actress. Critical success and profitable movies are probably the best way to measure this. At present, the only actress who would come close would be Sandra Bullock. She had a pretty impressive run, and her success this year has been remarkable. The Heat and Gravity were two big films. Natalie Portman earns some consideration as well.

All in all....Lawrence is probably on top.

Max Braden: ~This girl is on f-- okay, enough of that. But who else is there? I can't even think of what Reese Witherspoon has been up to lately (she's not still in jail for interfering with an arrest, is she?) . Ever popular Julia Roberts is more in the Emeritus zone than "most popular." Even with the runaway popularity of Gravity and The Heat in one year, I think Sandra Bullock would come in second to Lawrence in this poll. Kristen Stewart has been in some high-earning movies, but "most popular actress"? I think even her fans would pause at that title. The next name that comes to mind is Hayden Panettiere, who is doing well on TV but hasn't been strong in movies. Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, even Kaley Cuoco - all popular, but Lawrence is really the one who can claim the top spot as the "It" girl.




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David Mumpower: I agree with Max although I will take a different approach to reach the same conclusion. I believe that Sandra Bullock is the only other actress in the conversation right now. Nobody else has the track record of blockbuster movies over the past five years. Within the category of two, let's evaluate Bullock first. Her career resurgence includes four huge hits. Those titles are The Proposal, The Blind Side, The Heat and Gravity. I am going to give her full credit for all of those roles even though there is an argument to be the contrary for each of them. The quartet of hits has grossed $825.4 million domestically, $1.43 billion globally. Any thespian in the world would love to claim that strong a series of movies.

Jennifer Lawrence scoffs at such paltry numbers. I am not being hyperbolic. X-Men: First Class, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook and Catching Fire currently claim a total of $873 million domestically (including Tuesday box office for Catching Fire) and $1.6 billion globally. Keep in mind that Catching Fire, certain to be the biggest movie of the quartet in terms of global revenue, has only been in theaters for a week and a half. The gap will only grow over the next month. For that matter, The Blind Side is the biggest domestic hit in the storied career of Bullock. It earned $256 million in North America; Catching Fire will have passed that amount by Sunday. At the age of 23, Lawrence will already have two movies bigger than anything Bullock has ever done in her entire career.

We can debate how much Lawrence means to the bottom line of a project all we want. What matters is what is on her resume. She has been cast in films that have become commercial standouts, and she even has another blockbuster waiting in the wings with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Next year alone, Lawrence will star in two more $200 million domestic earners than Julia Roberts has had in her entire career. And when Mockingjay Part One is released, she will exceed the sum total of $200 million domestic earners Tom Cruise can claim on his resume. The conversation with her is not so much about whether she is the biggest actress in the world right now. Instead, it is where she stands in terms of Hollywood overall. She has earned her place in that conversation with Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr.


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