Buzz
The fact that Top Gun: Maverick (2022) earned over $1 billion at the box office essentially confirms that Tom Cruise has the rare ability to draw moviegoers even in the age of streaming. And a recent survey reveals that he's more successful at this than any other actor in Hollywood.
As reported by Matthew Belloni in the April 24th edition of his Puck newsletter, National Research Group (NRG) carried out a nationwide survey asking people to “name up to five actors that would make them most eager to watch a movie in a theater.” Tom Cruise topped the list, followed by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Tom Hanks.
The top three reflects the type of actor who can still pack theaters today—namely, older (mostly white) men with long, successful careers in Hollywood. The average age of the top 20 actors is 57.5, according to Belloni. Only four actors are in their forties: Leonardo DiCaprio (8th), Kevin Hart (10th), Ryan Reynolds (13th), and Chris Hemsworth (20th). The three women on the list have all had decades-long careers: Julia Roberts (6th), Sandra Bullock (12th), and Angelina Jolie (18th). Public scandals seem to have little effect on people's admiration, as evidenced by Will Smith and Johnny Depp both making it to the top 10.
The age distribution of the survey might partly explain the results. In an interview on Belloni’s podcast The Town, Ray Subers, NRG’s senior vice president of theatrical strategy, shared that while the survey sampled a 'nationally representative sample' of people aged 12 to 74, the study leaned 'heavily weighted older.' Younger stars like Tom Holland and Zendaya performed far better among younger respondents. Holland and Zendaya ranked 39th and 47th overall, but they were 10th and 14th among Gen Zers respectively.
Despite this, the findings suggest that the current appeal of the box office relies less on actors and more on established intellectual properties, such as superheroes and Super Mario. Stars like Cruise, Hanks, and Roberts still manage to draw audiences because their reputations as movie giants were built during a time when that wasn't as common.
Check out the top 20 list below, and gain additional insights from the survey by listening to The Town or subscribing to Puck.
- Tom Cruise
- Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
- Tom Hanks
- Brad Pitt
- Denzel Washington
- Julia Roberts
- Will Smith
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Johnny Depp
- Kevin Hart
- Keanu Reeves
- Sandra Bullock
- Ryan Reynolds
- Adam Sandler
- Harrison Ford
- George Clooney
- Robert Downey, Jr.
- Angelina Jolie
- Morgan Freeman
- Chris Hemsworth
