Scarlett Johansson’s coronation as Hollywood’s highest-grossing leading lady, thanks to Jurassic World Rebirth’s epic $322.5 million opening, sends a loud and clear message to Hollywood: Dinosaurs didn’t do it alone; movie stars still matter.
Going into the holiday weekend, it was unclear how “Jurassic World Rebirth” would fare, given mixed reviews that criticized the franchise’s inability to evolve beyond its core premise. But viral videos of stars Johansson and Jonathan Bailey getting cozy on red carpets or jokingly bantering with the “Chicken Shop Date” host did much to raise “Rebirth’s” profile, helping fuel its opening weekend box office.
The film’s success proves that intellectual property and an established brand—even one as well-known as “Jurassic World”—aren’t necessarily enough to drive people to theaters. Audiences want movie stars and familiar faces they recognize and connect with.
This dynamic contradicts the idea that having the right IP is everything, allowing studios to plug in any configuration of actors while the franchise does the heavy lifting of putting butts in seats. Indeed, many of this year’s biggest wins have come from films that combine strong IP with the most star power. Besides “Jurassic World Rebirth,” the racing drama “F1” has been a crowd-pleaser thanks in part to Brad Pitt’s portrayal of a grizzled veteran race car driver, while “A Minecraft Movie” benefited from Jack Black’s humor that spawned memes galore.
“Stars are a known quantity in a similar way to IP,” Christofer Hamilton, industry insights manager at Parrot Analytics, told The Wrap. “They’re battle-tested and have their own audiences. So if you’re looking to offload a production, talent is one of those levers you can pull in the same way you can pursue existing IP.”
It’s not a new notion. Movie stars have existed since the dawn of Hollywood. But as CG-heavy blockbusters took over the box office and silver screen icons faded, many began to question whether movie stars still matter. The recent string of blockbusters pairing IP with a well-known star seems to point to one notion: rumors of the death of the movie star have been greatly exaggerated.
Formula for success
Há uma longa lista de filmes que combinaram com sucesso franquias com grandes atores. No ano passado, Ryan Reynolds e “Deadpool & Wolverine”, de Hugh Jackman, quebraram recordes de bilheteria com US $ 1,34 bilhão em todo o mundo, tornando-se o filme de maior classificação R de todos os tempos-um resultado que os insiders da indústria dizem que não seria possível sem a química comprovada da dupla e a estrela.
“O Wolverine de Hugh Jackman, Robert Downey Jr. – esses são ótimos exemplos em que o talento está tão entrelaçado com o personagem que eles são quase inseparáveis neste momento”, disse Hamilton.
Black é um bom exemplo do impulso que um ator pode fornecer, mesmo que ele ou ela ainda não esteja ligado a um personagem. Em sua performance como Steve, o Avatar do Silencioso Jogador nos Jogos “Minecraft”, Black deu ao público um sabor não diluído da persona cômica barulhenta que primeiro fez dele um líder com filmes do início dos anos 2000, como “Halsal Hal” (2001) e “School of Rock” (2003) e que foram mais populares entre “Kung Fu Panda Panda”.
Graças em grande parte ao seu desempenho enérgico, o filme se tornou um sucesso global de US $ 954 milhões. Ele está correndo nos últimos anos, tendo ajudado Dwayne Johnson a relançar a franquia “Jumanji” e dar voz a Bowser no filme “The Super Mario Bros.
Mudando de apenas IP
Essa mudança é uma partida clara de uma época em que os estúdios se basearam apenas no reconhecimento da marca. A franquia “Transformers” não foi com grandes nomes até que Mark Wahlberg se juntou às sequências posteriores. A série “Harry Potter” cercou vários atores mais jovens desconhecidos com veteranos britânicos notáveis, mas não necessariamente bancários.
Os primeiros dias da Marvel Studios confiaram totalmente nessa estratégia, apostando em Downey Jr., cuja estrela havia caído consideravelmente na época, para manchar o “Homem de Ferro” e lançar um ator relativamente desconhecido como Chris Hemsworth em “Thor”. As coisas mudaram consideravelmente.
“Você notará que, após os primeiros filmes nessas respectivas franquias, a Marvel rapidamente acrescentou Robert Downey Jr. a praticamente todos os filmes”, disse um dos principais agentes de talentos. “Isso não foi uma coincidência.”
A mudança de estratégia da Marvel chegou ao círculo completo no ano passado com o anúncio do retorno de Robert Downey Jr. ao MCU em dois próximos filmes de “Vingadores”, não como Tony Stark, mas como um personagem completamente diferente, Doctor Doom. A Marvel está apostando muito no sucesso do Star Power, que reforça o sucesso de bilheteria após uma série de falhas.
Despite IP-based titles making up the majority of audience demand for films, the share of new IP-based releases has been falling since 2021, suggesting that audiences are becoming more selective about which franchise films they will support, according to a recent analytics report from Parrot.
Recent flops like Sony’s Marvel adaptation “Kraven the Hunter,” which grossed just $62 million worldwide against a budget north of $100 million, and even Universal’s new “Wolf Man,” which grossed $34 million worldwide, show that people won’t automatically see a movie if it’s based on an existing property.
The “Movie star + IP” formula isn’t a guarantee of success—just ask Tom Cruise about “The Mummy”—but relying solely on IP puts a film at risk of hitting a small ceiling. Can “Twisters” hit as high as it does without Glen Powell’s Texas charm lighting up the press circuit?
Although some IP is big enough to roll the dice. Christian Bale was a well-known actor but far from a movie star when he landed the lead in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins,” and DC Studios followed a similar path by casting David Corenswet to lead the next “Superman.”
Folding the stars
The IP/Star strategy also marks a return to the city’s pre-French era, when movie stars were the primary drivers of box office success. Think Harrison Ford in “Air Force One” or Jim Carrey in “Liar Liar”—films that were a vehicle for an actor you adored.
But today’s approach is more subtle – instead of choosing between stars or IP, successful players are cleverly combining the two elements.
The agent TheWrap spoke to noted that studios have long understood this dynamic. “They’ve always anchored movies with movie stars. Maybe not Tom Cruise-level, but genre stars,” the agent said. “So whether it’s Christian Bale, or Robert Downey Jr., or Edward Norton, they’re usually trying to anchor the IP with a star.”
More than 70% of the top 100 movies on demand in 2024 were based on existing IP, as previously reported, established franchises like “Jurassic World” and video game adaptations like “A Minecraft Movie” continue to dominate mainstream attention.
Studios that pair proven IP with top movie stars aren’t just playing it safe—they’re setting themselves up for the kind of Jurassic-sized hits that drive the box office.
Jeremy Fuster contributed to this report.
