'Magnificent seven' keep season ablaze

By Susan Wloszczyna
USA Today

When Tom Cruise's cop went on the lam in the bleak futuristic landscape of "Minority Report," he hit the screens in the first of a long line of big-name vehicles to pull into theaters over the coming weeks.

We studied box-office data to find the actors who sizzle most when the mercury soars, and summer 2002 happens to feature the hottest of the hot bunch. Besides Cruise, the actors who thrive when the heat is on include Will Smith ("Men in Black II," opening Wednesday), Tom Hanks ("Road to Perdition," July 12), Harrison Ford ("K-19: The Widowmaker," July 19), Mel Gibson ("Signs," Aug. 2), Julia Roberts ("Full Frontal," Aug. 2) and Eddie Murphy ("The Adventures of Pluto Nash," Aug. 16).

"We like them and we admire them," says Mark Gill, West Coast president of Miramax, which is releasing "Full Frontal." "Those who don't work as well in summer may have status, but they aren't as widely admired. These are the people with the broadest popular appeal."

Cinematic moods shift as the year progresses. Just like the theory that some people are autumns and others are springs when it comes to apparel color, it turns out stars also come in seasonal shades. And some just shine brighter with a little sultry glow about them.

"Those seven are stars of such magnitude that you could argue that people will go to see a movie simply because they are in it," says marketing chief Terry Press of DreamWorks, which is releasing "Perdition." "It's very rarified up there."

It doesn't surprise Jeanine Basinger, head of the film studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., that six of the magnificent seven are men. "In the summer, people tend to like comedies, action and serious looks at important events, like "Saving Private Ryan." Men dominate those genres."

A pool-and-picnic atmosphere is a plus. "Most of these male stars have a touch of humor or irony," Basinger says. "That's very appealing."

Stars can change their seasonal colors. Take Robin Williams and Al Pacino. They are almost strictly fall-winter guys, especially when going for the Oscar gold in movies such as "Good Will Hunting" or "Scent of a Woman." But Williams and Pacino paired for the first time in the offbeat detective thriller "Insomnia" in late May, is grossing a tidy $58.4 million so far. Says producer Andrew Kosove: "Al Pacino and Robin Williams together. That is my event."

Stars also can lose their summer passport. Nicolas Cage had quite a run of $100 million-plus action blockbusters before crashing in last year's "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" and burning in the just-opened "Windtalkers." Other heavyweights who have slipped include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.

"There is no star who is box office proof," says Leonard Maltin of "Entertainment Tonight." "It has to be the right combination of star and movie. People want Julia Roberts but in a certain kind of film." Which means, as her track record proves, a romantic comedy.

There is a question about whether name attractions hold as much sway as they used to. For instance, summer 2001 was low on star power but saturated with event flicks ("The Mummy Returns," "Planet of the Apes"). The box office still set a record of $ 2.96 billion"Actors who are blessed with being movie stars still open pictures," says "Minority Report" director Steven Spielberg.

"However, if they are in a movie that nobody is interested in, they can't force us to drink at the trough."

But reunite a star with the role that made him a star, and we will guzzle it down. Consider that Schwarzenegger, whose last two releases each took in $40 million or less, is getting paid $30 million to do "Terminator 3." Warner Bros. already has next July 2 locked in for its release. He'll be back.

Will Smith

• 2002 vacation property: "Men in Black II" (Wednesday)
• Summertime summary: The Fresh Prince doesn't just own the season. He rules a holiday (July 4, to be exact). At 34, Smith has only three summer hits, but when he scores, he scores big. He was supposed to be just one of an ensemble in "Independence Day," but his alien buster broke out. The first "Men in Black" (1997) took even better advantage of his super-cool heroics. Shame about 1999's "Wild Wild West," but it wouldn't have made $113.7 million without him.
• Why he can take the heat: "When Will was in 'Independence Day'," says Barry Sonnenfeld, director of both "MIB" movies and "West," "he was as important as the visual effects.He can be both manly and funny."
• Current project's temperature: A scorcher. Audiences who know and love his Agent Jay from the original "MIB" won't be able to resist. Plus, with that Oscar nod from "Ali," Smith, not partner Tommy Lee Jones, is now the main man in black. As Paul Dergarabedian of box office gatherer Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. puts it, "Everybody likes Will Smith."

Tom Cruise

• 2002 vacation property: "Minority Report"
• Summertime summary: "Top Gun," a high-flying joystick ride that put a cocky Cruise in the Navy pilot's seat, set in motion a split-personality career that the actor continues to follow. Summertime and the action is easy and profitable, such as his "Mission: Impossible" outings in 1996 and 2000. (No. 3 is on the way.) Wintertime, and the roles are challenging and Oscar-able, such as his nominated part as a paralyzed Vietnam vet in "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989).
• Why he can take the heat: Cruise, nearly 40, is a character actor in a hero's body. He denies any calculation when selecting projects: "I don't choose to do something because it is more or less artistic." What does guide him? "Is it a good story. Do I want to go there? Do I want to try that?"
• Current project's temperature: Medium-hot to fiery. "Minority Report" is a sci-fi mystery noir with popcorn thrills and food for thought. "He's getting back to the roles that made him famous," says Robert Bucksbaum of box office trackers Reel Source Inc.

Harrison Ford

• 2002 vacation property: "K-19: The Widowmaker" (July 19)
• Summertime summary: The original summer action hero. Ford had his first hot-weather blockbuster as just one of the boys with space toys in "Star Wars" (1977), but he really cracked the star whip in "Raiders" series. ("Indy 4" is on the way.) Dashingly self-deprecating, he's the perfect postmodern matinee idol, whether as CIA operative Jack Ryan in "Patriot Games" (1992) and "Clear and Present Danger" (1994) or as a hijacked president in "Air Force One" (1997). He's less steady in other seasons — see "Random Hearts" (1999).
• Why he can take the heat: "He gives complicated performances and makes them look easy," says Kathryn Bigelow, director of "K-19." "A viewer tends to relax and feel the confidence coming off the screen."
• Current project's temperature: Temperate but may falter. Still imposing at nearly 60, Ford is a natural as a commander of a nuclear sub that malfunctions during its maiden voyage in 1961, a situation that could erupt into war. Except it's a Russian sub, and the all-American Ford speaks with an accent. Bucksbaum maintains it's understated: "Ford is phenomenal. The problem is that it isn't the right patriotic flavor."

Julia Roberts

• 2002 vacation property: "Full Frontal" (Aug. 2)
• Summertime summary: The lone actress in this all-male club got there not by out-muscling the men in action pictures, but by taking advantage of her own unique attributes: beauty, brains and a well-synchronized sense of comic timing. After her gold-hearted hooker in "Pretty Woman" cemented her status, Roberts, 35, was recruited for the summer leagues. She has suffered missteps, including "Dying Young" (1991). But when she beams in a romantic comedy such as "Runaway Bride" (1999), she's unbeatable.
• Why she can take the heat: Few boast her level of girl-next-door approachability, suggests Mark Gill of Miramax, which is releasing "Full Frontal." "We see ourselves or significant others in her. She's the best version of ourselves."
• Current project's temperature: Cool, as in hip. Roberts is just one of the players aboard director Steven Soderbergh's movie-within-a-movie. "It's a small art-house movie no one expects that much from," Bucksbaum says.

Mel Gibson

• 2002 vacation property: "Signs" (Aug. 2)
• Summertime summary: Mad Max is truly a man for all seasons and all sizes of movies. But Gibson's mischievous humor and macho good looks translate best into summer action fare. After the first "Lethal," in which he memorably fused the Stooges with suicidal tendencies, he soon was a summer regular. He even squeezed a couple Oscars out of the silly season after 1995's brawling "Braveheart" took best picture and director. He even can carry a summer "toon," doing voice work for both "Pocahontas" and "Chicken Run" (2000).
• Why he can take the heat: "He can do the two things I needed to bring energy to the movie," says M. Night Shyamalan, director of the otherworldly "Signs." "Physicality and comedy. And he's a superb dramatic actor. He's a hidden jewel in these big movies."
• Current project's temperature: A spark that could build into an inferno. As a reverend who finds crop circles on his farm, Gibson, 46, taps his family-man persona while relieving the suspense with heaps of humor. Says Dergarabedian, who saw a 35-minute preview, "It is like, wow. This movie will have people talking."

Tom Hanks

• 2002 vacation property: "Road to Perdition" (July 12)
• Summertime summary: Hanks established his summer rep and everyguy appeal in the grown-up-kid fantasy "Big." "After a spotty '80s, he hit a hot streak that has yet to halt, including his slow-wit savant in "Forrest Gump" (1994) and stout-hearted captain in "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). He also is durably bi-seasonal in such year-end successes as "Cast Away" (2000).
• Why he can take the heat: "Name a season where Tom Hanks doesn't work," says Terry Press of DreamWorks, the studio behind "Perdition." He has stretched the concept of a summer movie with "Ryan" and, now, "Perdition," a gangster yarn. "He has a way of saying, "'Come with me. The water is fine.'"
• Current project's temperature: Warm with room to rise. Hanks, at almost 46, dons a bad-guy's hat as a hit man, but one with undying family devotion. "He brings a humanity to his characters, even ones like the prison guard in "The Green Mile,"" Dergarabedian says. Still, he hedges, "Perdition" is more about quality and potential Oscar buzz than box office."

Eddie Murphy

• 2002 vacation property: "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" (Aug. 16)
• Summertime summary: Tying Ford with eight $100 million-plus summer movies, Murphy is hot stuff personified. The first "Cop," earned him a king-of-comedy crown. He proved his summer prowess after tempering his dirty talk and reaching out to the family crowd with "The Nutty Professor" (1996) and "Dr. Dolittle" (1998).
• Why he can take the heat: Murphy's comic-chameleon showcases are often taken for granted. But not by moviegoers. Current project's temperature: Cooling trend. "Pluto Nash," a sci-fi comedy about a club owner on the moon, has been delayed twice. With no chatty critters in sight, the buzz for this "Casablanca in space" has been negligible.