Why Doesn’t Scarlett Johansson = Box Office Success?
Business Week has an interesting article about Scarlett Johansson’s recent movies, most of which haven’t been box office winners:
Her latest effort, The Black Dahlia, got a hefty marketing blitz and starred her love interest, fellow heartthrob Josh Hartnett. It had legendary director Brian DePalma behind the camera. Still, it tanked at the box office, opening below industry expectations with $10 million (second to The Rock and his prison football flick Gridiron Gang). The film noir murder mystery, made for around $40 million, will be lucky to gross 20. Johansson’s publicist said the actress is in the midst of filming in London and was unavailable for comment.Add that to a résumé that includes last year’s super-bomb The Island and the Woody Allen mega-stiff Scoop, and you have the makings of an Affleck-like streak.
I kind of think the writer is missing a couple of key points.
Johansson’s career seems mostly geared towards making movies that she wants to make, as opposed to movies that will make a great deal of money. Witness her working with Woody Allen and Brian DePalma. Also, while The Black Dahlia might only make $20 million in theaters, it’ll almost certainly cover production costs with things like DVD sales, and I’d be surprised if the film isn’t eventually a moneymaker for the studio.
A huge hit? No, definitely not, but not a bomb either.
I wouldn’t even say that Johansson is reaching a saturation point. She’s been in a ton of movies lately, but most were small films. Woody Allen movies aren’t generally going to launch in 3,000 theaters coast to coast, so I doubt audiences are getting sick of her. She’s only 21 and she’ll have a mega-hit at some point. I have to think that as long as Scarlett Johansson has the desire to act that there’ll be directors willing to hire her. She’s certainly no Ben Affleck.
