Movie stars who draw audiences to theaters are getting older, raising questions about young Hollywood's star power
Paramount Pictures
- A new study found the actors who are most likely to draw audiences to theaters are getting older.
- National Research Group asked consumers to name the actors they'd be most interested in seeing in a movie in theaters.
- Most of the top 100 actors — with 13 exceptions — were age 40 or older, according to the study.
Theaters could be facing another existential crisis: America's movie stars are aging.
A recent study commissioned by National Research Group, a firm that specializes in tech and entertainment, asked consumers to name the movie stars they'd be most interested in seeing in a film in a theater. The respondents were able to choose up to five actors.
The top 20 US actors that respondents named were all over the age of 40 — with one exception, Chris Hemsworth, who turns 40 later this year.
The survey, which was conducted in February, was part of a larger NRG study on the future of film globally. The findings, which were first reported by Puck News, raise questions about the star power of young actors in Hollywood during an age when studios are constantly evaluating which films can get people off the couch and into theaters.
"With the renewed emphasis on theatrical in 2022 and 2023, but with the box-office still well below pre-pandemic levels, the industry is grappling with the existential question: What is theatrical?" Ray Subers, senior vice president of theatrical strategy at National Research Group, told Insider. Subers added that stars are one of the elements that can help films — particularly those based on original ideas or fresh IP — stand out.
Here's the list (ages are based on IMdB data):
- Tom Cruise (60 years old)
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (50)
- Tom Hanks (66)
- Brad Pitt (59)
- Denzel Washington (68)
- Julia Roberts (55)
- Will Smith (54)
- Leonardo DiCaprio (48)
- Johnny Depp (58)
- Kevin Hart (43)
- Keanu Reeves (58)
- Sandra Bullock (58)
- Ryan Reynolds (46)
- Adam Sandler (56)
- Harrison Ford (80)
- George Clooney (61)
- Robert Downey, Jr. (58)
- Angelina Jolie (47)
- Morgan Freeman (85)
- Chris Hemsworth (39)
The biggest box-office draws are many of the same who have led blockbuster films for years now, or in some cases, decades.
Younger stars weren't completely boxed out of the list.
The report ranked the top 100 actors named in the survey, and 13 were under the age of 40. Some of those actors over-indexed with Gen Z and millennial respondents, including Tom Holland (No. 39 overall, No. 10 among Gen Z), Zendaya (No. 47 overall, No. 14 among Gen Z), Michael B. Jordan (No. 43, No. 26 among Millennials).
But older actors also ranked highly with younger cohorts, including Hart and Sandler, who were the third and fifth biggest box-office draws respectively for Gen Z.
As the theatrical industry stages a comeback and charts its future, studios will need to figure out which stars, in addition to IP, can actually fill seats.