What’s Hot vs. What’s Not

↑ SANDRA BULLOCK

The Lost City faced plenty of hurdles. Not only are romantic comedies an endangered species, but older females are a difficult demo to reach. Yet it grossed an impressive $190 million globally. Domestically, it even came in ahead of Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train.

DWAYNE JOHNSON

At a time when superhero fare is all the rage, Johnson starrer Black Adam topped out at an unimpressive $391.5 million in worldwide ticket sales. The popular actor had intended to launch a franchise for DC and Warner Bros., but it wasn’t to be, with Johnson and Warners just parting ways.

MICHELLE YEOH

The actress was the toast of 2022 after starring in the staggering success that was Everything Everywhere All at Once, which singlehandedly proved that there is still a place at the box office for indie films. Yeoh also had a voice role in Minions: The Rise of Gru, last year’s biggest animated film.

DAVID O. RUSSELL

The director’s latest film, Amsterdam, was a bust despite a star-packed cast led by Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington. The comedy thriller, about a political conspiracy, barely got to $30 million at the global box office, including $15 million in the U.S.

TOM CRUISE There was no stopping

Top Gun: Maverick, which now ranks as Tom Cruise’s top-grossing film with $1.49 billion in global ticket sales (it’s also the first time one of his movies has cracked the $1 billion mark). The Top Gun sequel was a slow burn, playing in theaters for months.

↑ DAMIEN CHAZELLE

Like David O. Russell, the La

La Land director recently suffered a major miss. His Babylon bombed in its debut over Christmas in what will be a multimillion-dollar flop for Paramount. The two movies also have Margot Robbie in common. And both cost $80 million to make before marketing.