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EntertainmentIndustry.name
Next on the food chain would probably be the powerful A-list Talent — actors first, directors second (see below). Ever since Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin bonded together to form United Artists, profit-sharing moviemaking strategies have had a rich and storied history.
As actors, directors, producers and even a handful of A-List screenwriters began to share in their movies’ revenues, the studios became increasingly creative with their notorious accounting procedures.
Artists and business people with “net profit” entitlements discovered that even record-breaking blockbusters such as Batman and Forrest Gump somehow penciled out as money losers on the studio's books, pre-empting any profits to even be shared.
To combat what elements of this that they can, actors, directors and screenwriters have increasingly set up shop via their own production companies in order to dig their heels in and contractually fortify themselves to hold on to the ever-elusive control, income and sometimes even the credits they’re legitimately entitled to for their services rendered. Or simply, to just make the films they want to make (e.g.: The Passion of the Christ, The Apostle).
Very few directors have the power to greenlight a film based on their name alone. Stephen Spielberg’s’ name, obviously, has so much cache in the entertainment industry (based on his amazing track record and terrific reputation both in Hollywood and branded to the rest of the world) that mentioning his mere affiliation is usually sufficient to get a project funded and directly into production.
But most directors, even well established, heavy weight ones, can have difficulty getting films off the ground until a major star attaches. The bigger the star, the more doors open. Most projects, then, become cast-contingent.
Stars are stars for a reason: they have a rare but palpable screen charisma — and their involvement can lead to investor commitment and heat with the ticket-buying public.
The biggest stars are those who can assure millions of butts in theater seats. Action stars are some of the most bankable because the excitement is not lost in translation to other languages (as might be the case with humor or romance) and they squarely hit the favored studio audience demographics — young American men 18-24.
Tom Cruise has long reigned as the most powerful actor in Hollywood, even worldwide. Pre-maternity, Julia Roberts wielded about as much clout as any actress in Hollywood.
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