Star power has been dimming for years, but this summer was particularly low-wattage.
鈥淎udiences want a good concept more than they want to see a big Hollywood name,鈥� says Dergarabedian. While you could easily have put Tom Cruise in Avatar, he points out, 鈥渢he film would have been a big hit with or without a name like that.鈥� Iconic names such as Cameron Diaz and Mr. Cruise didn鈥檛 fare well this summer, either, he adds, pointing to the failure of their joint caper film, 鈥�Knight and Day.鈥� 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just throw a big name in a film anymore and expect audiences to bite,鈥� he adds.
