Ladies, according to the Quigley Publishing Company’s 80th Annual Poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors, your male-lead heart throb Brad Pitt, was the top money-making star of 2011, for starring in Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and Happy Feet Two. Now, the Quigley Poll isn’t about how much money the stars generate for themselves, but for the industry as a whole. The poll surveys motion picture owners and film buyers to pick the top ten money-making stars of 2011.
George Clooney, a gent whose kept his good looks for decades, came right after Brad Pitt for starring in The Descendants, and for his quadruple threat combination of director, producer, co-writer, and lead actor in The Ides of March. Johnny Depp, who I’d put in the dictionary under versatility, came in third for the fourth Pirates movie and for playing Hunter S. Thompson in The Rum Diary.
Here’s the rest of the top ten and a breakdown of what they’ve done this year:
- Brad Pitt – Moneyball, The Tree of Life, Happy Feet Two
- George Clooney – The Descendants, The Ides of March (director, producer, co-writer, actor)
- Johnny Depp – Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Rum Diary
- Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar
- Matt Damon – Contagion, The Adjustment Bureau, Margaret, We Bought a Zoo
- Sandra Bullock – Beats me. It’s probably her entrepreneurship. She’s only done one movie with a limited release this year…
- Bradley Cooper – The Hangover: Part Two
- Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady, general Meryl Streep win
- Ben Stiller – Tower Heist
This list seems to be scant with the women. Come on women of Hollywood! Make some money! (Oddly, that sounds more wrong when I direct this towards the womenfolk…)
Other notables are those who have been on the list in the past. For instance, Tom Cruise has been number one on the list seven times. Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, and Bing Crosby have been #1 on the list five times. However, Clint Eastwood, being the seasoned and grizzled actor, director, and writer, has been in the poll at least 21 times. Holy shit, this man is a moneymaker.
The Poll also asked for who the exhibitors believe to be 2012’s top money makers, both male and female. They decided to pick Rooney Mara, whom you’ll probably remember as the girl who transformed from the ingenue… to the badass punk:
Mara’s male counterpart to the award is Jonah Hill, whom you’ll probably know as “the noob” from the Modern Warfare 3 trailer. Hill starred in The Sitter and also with Pitt in Moneyball.
