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Bruce Hall: I agree with Jay; it's kind of academic. Maybe Depp is kazillionaire number one, or maybe he's kazillionaire number three. Either way, Disney just sank over a quarter billion dollars into a franchise built around him, because he's Jack Freaking Sparrow. Depp is one of those rare stars who has found ways to satisfy his creative needs AND remain financially and critically relevant enough to have fun and take risks. He shows no sign of slowing down and audiences will forgive him The Lone Ranger because A) It's not his fault and B) Whatever his next role is, they'll be able to see his pretty face again.

Daron Aldridge: I agree he will recover at least for a few years until this cycle of superstardom works its way through. But this one may sting more than Dark Shadows because Tonto is exponentially more recognizable than Barnabas the vampire.

I would argue the coronation of Depp as the "number one box office star in the world," though. That crown seems more fitting atop Robert Downey Jr.'s head. Bear with me: Since 2008's Iron Man, Downey has been the lead or an above the title draw in nine films (yes, I excluded his Hulk cameo) with an average global gross of $600 million per film ($255 million in North America). Since 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Depp has similarly starred in 15 films with an average global take of $443.9 million ($159.6 million domestically). These were their introductions, as Edwin put it, to the "whole new level of famous." Downey hasn't quite had the misfire yet, thanks to Marvel, but he is also only five years into this run. To play devil's advocate with myself a bit, those numbers equate to Depp's non-domestic tally accounting for 64 percent of his global gross compared to Downey's non-domestic gross being 57 percent of his global numbers. So percentage-wise Depp is slightly bigger.

Max Braden: The silver lining I heard from the Lone Ranger debacle was that it wasn't Depp's fault. I could see him benefiting from the upside without suffering from the downside. I personally think his hammy performance is wearing thin, but he's been in different movies even as he's acted the same way. The contest between him and Robert Downey Jr. is pretty interesting. I think Depp is less a marquis name but better at catalyzing an ensemble or genre movie and making it memorable, while audiences largely go to see Downey for being Downey.

Kim Hollis: I think the only reason The Lone Ranger did as well as it did was *because* of the presence of Depp. Without him, it's a disaster. No one else but Depp (and sure, Robert Downey Jr.) gets a film like Sweeney Todd to open to $9 million and earn $150 million worldwide. With all that said, I do think he's starting to fade a bit. He'll always have loyal fans, but he may not continue to draw the kinds of mass audiences that he has in the past.

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