i just heard reese witherspoon is getting 29 or 30 million bucks for her next movie.

i ask you more involved in movies and that world: does having that name in the movie draw money all by itself, or is it really more important to make a good movie?

I think a lot of actors are considered in terms of how they "open" a movie--how much they can bring in during that all-important first weekend. Tom Cruise, love him or hate him, can open a movie. Julia Roberts can usually open a movie. Harrison Ford used to be able to open a movie. They all get paid as such. I don't think anyone, especially Reese Witherspoon, is worth $30 mill, though.

that's what i mean. are these people worth $30 million just for the money? or is it better to allocate those sources elsewhere? is witherspoon really the best actress out there?

I'd say no, but then again, can you come up with someone "better?"

i hear pink is gonna be pretty good as janis joplin.

I guess Jenna Jameson may be worth $30 mill.....in my PANTS!

it keeps getting pushed back i think: http://imdb.com/title/tt0384141/

No actor is worth 30 million.

i agree. i've just never understood why they get paid so much. i've always thought that there are people in other jobs that deserve a chunk of the millions that actors get.

only if the movie is a biography of alex rodriguez

This has nothing to do with quality. OF COURSE it's worth it "just for the money" from the studio's perspective. Why wouldn't it be? All they care about is profit.

very good point, but like someone above pretty much already said, if the star is why you see a movie and the movie is going to make 500 million or somehting rediculous then the star should get a big chunk, and in fact i htink some of the biggest payouts to actors come from movies where they decide to take a percentage of the box instead of a big upfront payday, i cant think of examples right now though i was thinkng tom hanks did this on a movie ones and made a ton.
but i think they should lower ticket prices back to a decent amount( i would be fine with 5 bucks) and then drop the actors salary to a less rediculous amount. but for me its kinda like with pro athletes, i dont think they deserve 20 mil a year, but i dont think the team owner deserves it either when its the players the fans pay to see.

Titled "Brokeback Yankee" ???

Nah, something more like "Whiny Fag" would work.

Actors are worth whatever the people are willing to pay (through ticket sales, DVD, merchandise, and so on).

Like Jason said, the ones making the really big bucks do percentage deals. Jack Nicholson made $50 million from Batman that way.

I think the cast for Ocean's 11 did this and raked in huge amounts.

It's not about that. Reese Witherspoon is coming off a string of big successes. Not that she was necessarily the reson for their success, but if the studios perceive that she was, they'll pay her big bucks.

Right now, she is at the peak of her career. I guarantee, she is about to take a big slide because she is NOT that good an actress, and she's pulled some big success straight out of her ass in the last five years. If I were her agent, I would be going for the big money upfront deals right now also, before she gets a film that drops big ol' deuce all over the pages of Variety and she's out like last year's starlet.