Stars Bomb at the Box Office

6 highest-grossing films all have it

(NEWSER) - One key to The Avengers' record success this weekend: its PG-13 rating. The top six highest-grossing movies ever made are all rated PG-13; the rating points to a film that's titillating enough for teens but isn't likely to offend adults, the Los Angeles Times notes. The rating has become a Holy Grail for movie execs, particularly lately. Last year, R-rated movies accounted for 21% of US box office takings—the lowest figure in decades. More»

Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum flick snags top spot from 'The Lorax'

(NEWSER) - 21 Jump Street busted the weekend box office with a healthy $35 million take, appealing to both genders and drawing in viewers of all ages, the LA Times reports. No other film debuted nationwide, but in smaller markets Will Ferrell's Casa de Mi Padre banked a solid $2.2 million and Jeff, Who Lives at Home starring Jason Segel scored a middling $840,000. Filling out the top 5 are The Lorax ($22.8 million), John Carter ($13.5), Project X ($4), and A Thousand Words ($3.8), reports Entertainment Weekly . More»

Comedians don't fare well on Forbes ' 2010 list

(NEWSER) - Will Ferrell is Hollywood’s most overpaid actor for the second year in a row, thanks mostly to his role in the flop Land of the Lost . From Forbes ’ annual top 10 (of which six are comedians), which looks at the year ending June 1:

1. Will Ferrell: For every $1 he was paid, his films returned an average $3.35, but things may be better for him next year thanks to the relative success of The Other Guys .
2. Eddie Murphy: $4.45 return on the dollar. Though his Shrek films are always successful, the list doesn’t take animated movies into account.

Men prefer Clint, women like Johnny Depp in Harris poll

(NEWSER) - Americans love Clint Eastwood—he's the nation's favorite movie star for the fourth time in the annual Harris poll. Eastwood topped the men's list, as well being the favorite of Republicans and Independents. Democrats preferred Denzel Washington, while women liked Johnny Depp. The overall winners, not broken down by gender or politics, from Entertainment Weekly : More»

(NEWSER) - Celebrities are everywhere, grinning from magazine stands and TV screens galore. But good luck trying to join the glossy ranks of fame, Jim Hanas writes in the New York Post. The odds are daunting: Only 4,763 people are famous, says a market research company, and only 2% of them have a high "awareness score." That puts your odds at 1 in 62,986—"slightly worse than your chances of being put to death by legal execution." More»