Carrey Wins Box-Office Yes

(NEWSER) - The Oscars indicate who Hollywood thinks deserves a statue, but if you want to know what insiders really think about stars, start talking money. Forbes did just that, asking industry vets to rank talent based on their ability to make a project pop, from early hype to DVD sales. Here are the top 5.

• Will Smith: His perfect 10 rating comes from a demonstrated ability to draw crowds. His films have made more than $5.2 billion worldwide, and seven of his flicks opened consecutively at No. 1 in the 2000s.

Bedtime Stories, Button close behind

(NEWSER) - Marley & Me continued its reign atop the box office dog pile this weekend, digging up $24 million, Variety reports. Bedtime Stories took in $20.3 million, while Benjamin Button aged gracefully to third place with $18.4 million. Valkyrie ($14.3 million) and Yes Man ($13.9 million) rounded out the top five, but The Spirit scared up just $3.3 million for a 13th-place finish. More»

(NEWSER) - The annual ranking of movie stars based on exhibitors' sentiment is out. Thing is, the Quigley Poll bases its list on what industry insiders think the stars brought in, not on hard numbers. Gina Serpe of E! takes a look at the discrepancies.

• Will Smith: Theater owners had a lot of confidence in the Hancock actor, putting him first in the poll. But his movies brought in just $271.8 million, paltry in comparison to the runners-up.

(NEWSER) - After breaking the box office record for best Christmas Day opener, Marley & Me stayed top dog with $51.7 million this weekend, Variety reports. Brad Pitt vehicle The Curious Case of Benjamin Button finished behind ex-wife Jennifer Aniston’s puppy flick, but still earned a surprising $39 million. Bedtime Stories was a close third with $38.6 million, while Valkyrie and Yes Man rounded out the top five. More»

Familiar Carrey antics seem tired in positivity flick

(NEWSER) - Yes Man, a Jim Carrey comedy about a guy who can’t say no, is “too sluggish and slapdash a vehicle for its star’s prodigious wackiness,” writes AO Scott in the New York Times. “Carrey looks too grown up, too tired to plunge into the reckless silliness that the story demands, and the story doesn’t really demand enough of it.” More»