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Top 12 Stories of 2003:#8: Johnny Depp, box office star
When the prognasticators surveyed the movie selections for the summer of
2003, the conventional wisdom was that Arnold or Keanu or the Hulk was going
to rule the box office. No one predicted that the actor who would anchor
the summer's biggest live action hit would be Johnny Depp.
After gaining prominence in 1987 in the teen cop drama, 21 Jump Street,
Depp has made a film career of starring in Tim Burton films like Edward
Scissorhands and Ed Wood and other, smaller films, like Fear and Loathing in
Las Vegas and Chocolat. While Depp has gained the respect of directors like
Burton and Terry Gilliam, he never burned up the box office. In fact, it
seemed that Depp deliberately shunned the big blockbuster-type films. That
all changed this summer when he teamed up with Jerry Bruckheimer, of all
people. As Jack Sparrow, Depp gained critical acclaim playing the pirate as
swaggering and over-the-top (Depp admits to basing his portrayal of
Sparrow partly on Keith Richards). Movie fans loved it, too. Pirates made
over $46 million in its opening weekend and has grossed over $300 million in
its theatrical run. That success more than likely helped to fuel Depp's
other film of 2003, Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The Robert Rodriguez film,
co-starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek along with Depp, made a
surprising $23.4 million in its opening weekend, ultimately earning $55.9
million in its theatrical run. Considering Mexico was made for $29 million,
its box office take was staggering, and most credit Depp with driving its
success.
Depp is likely to continue his success at the box office in two future
releases. He's set to star in Tim Burton's remake of the beloved classic
Willy Wonka and he's signed to the sequel for Pirates of the Carribean. No
one will underestimate him next time around, we're sure. (Stephanie De Gateo/BOP)
The Top 12 Stories of 2003:Friday, December 19#12: Documentaries find box office success #11: The Passion production causes controversy Monday, December 22 #10: Hulk screener leaks #9: Greatest movie trilogy of all time comes to an end Tuesday, December 23 #8: Johnny Depp, box office star #7: Disney owns summer Friday, December 26 #6: North America to movie sequels: thanks but no thanks #5: Arnold the Governator Monday, December 29 #4: Gigli bombs Tuesday, December 30 #3: The Matrix sequels fall far short Wednesday, December 31 #2: Finding Nemo becomes top grossing movie of the year Thursday, January 1 #1: MPAA attempts to ban screeners |
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Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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