{"id":2414682,"date":"2026-05-13T10:04:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2414682"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:04:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:04:02","slug":"stardom-in-flux-the-evolving-role-of-movie-stars-in-celebrity-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/stardom-in-flux-the-evolving-role-of-movie-stars-in-celebrity-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Stardom in flux: The evolving role of movie stars in celebrity culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The dark romantic dramedy \u201cThe Drama\u201d is one of the year\u2019s earliest hits, with a total box office gross climbing above $100 million ($45 million domestic). Sure, that only places it as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boxofficemojo.com\/year\/world\/\">No. 14<\/a> on the year\u2019s top box office earners, but it\u2019s still remarkable given the nature of the film and its marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The film is the latest <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/a24films.com\/\">A24<\/a> effort from Norwegian writer-director Kristoffer Borgli, who is far from an American household name \u2014 although he had some mild success with his previous A24 project, 2023\u2019s Nicolas Cage-starring \u201cDream Scenario\u201d \u2014 and it broke one of the major rules of modern film marketing: Do not hide the ball.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-related-independent-theaters-resurrect-and-redefine-the-theater-going-experience\"><em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/arts-culture\/film\/2025\/05\/buoyed-by-signs-of-life-at-the-box-office-theaters-work-to-get-more-people-in-the-seats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Related: Independent theaters resurrect and redefine the theater-going experience<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Movie stars used to be the main engine of a film\u2019s financial success, but times have changed. A rapidly evolving, less original cinema scene \u2014 as well as overexposure to countless celebrities \u2014 have contributed to this, but they\u2019re not entirely gone.\u00a0Some current releases have shown that audiences still care about movie stars: The question is how much?\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThe Drama\u201d is centered around a major reveal, but it doesn\u2019t give it away in the trailer, like far too many blockbuster films do (think \u201cBatman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice,\u201d which spoiled the entire ending fight scene and Wonder Woman\u2019s reveal in the first full trailer). This seemed set to deliver a massive blow to the film\u2019s potential financial success, but one (or shall I say two) things stepped in the way: the movie\u2019s stars, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. <\/p>\n<p>They heavily marketed the film, but it didn\u2019t feel like their sheer willpower pushed it to $100 million plus, as it did with Timothe\u00e9 Chalamet\u2019s excellent, massive guerrilla campaign for \u201cMarty Supreme.\u201d People just showed up to see them. Their two faces in the trailer were enough to get butts in seats, even when audiences knew practically nothing about what the film would be.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>This is one of the prime examples of massive star power driving cultural impact and box office success\u00a0in the past six months of movie-going (the others being \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d and, on a much larger scale, Ryan Gosling\u2019s \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d). The question is, are these outliers, or do they signal something much larger in cinematic culture?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Timothee Chalamet in \u201cMarty Supreme.\u201d <span class=\"image-credit\"><span class=\"credit-label-wrapper\">Credit:<\/span> Courtesy of A24<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look back at a time when stars really were the center of movie culture. The year is 1976. Average Americans are spending significantly more time at theaters than they are now, and they are probably seeing one of five movies: \u201cRocky,\u201d \u201cA Star is Born,\u201d \u201cAll the President\u2019s Men,\u201d \u201cKing Kong\u201d or \u201cThe Enforcer.\u201d What is one thing these all have in common \u2014 besides generally being smart and made for adults? Stars. Sylvester Stallone bursting onto the scene, Barbara Streisand continuing her dominance, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman finally joining forces, Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange making themselves known and Clint Eastwood continuing to be your dad\u2019s favorite action star.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Fast-forward 43 years to 2019, widely considered one of the 21st century\u2019s finest years of film releases. The top five that year? \u201cAvengers: Endgame,\u201d \u201cThe Lion King,\u201d \u201cToy Story 4,\u201d \u201cFrozen II\u201d and \u201cCaptain Marvel.\u201d None of these films is star-driven. Three of them are animated (ignore how Disney attempted to market its\u201cLion King\u201d remake; it really is just \u201cadvanced\u201d animation), and two of them are superhero films that, sure, have major stars, but nobody is going to the theater for the stars; they\u2019re going for their favorite characters. This box office communicates one thing: The stars of yesteryear are gone. The Al Pacinos, the Robert Redfords, the Meryl Streeps, even the Brad Pitts and the Leonardo DiCaprios, are going extinct.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Four short years later, with the film industry mostly recovered from a disastrous <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/arts-culture\/film\/2025\/05\/buoyed-by-signs-of-life-at-the-box-office-theaters-work-to-get-more-people-in-the-seats\/\">pandemic<\/a>-writers\u2019 strike combo, more positive trends are emerging. The lighting-in-a-bottle \u201cBarbinheimer\u201d event is contributing to most of it (these two projects are partially star-driven, with Margot Robbie and Gosling highlighting \u201cBarbie,\u201d and Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt for \u201cOppenheimer\u201d). <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"423\" src=\"https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-640x423.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2229346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-640x423.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-190x126.jpg 190w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-130x85.jpg?crop=1 130w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-1536x1016.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-2048x1354.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-1200x794.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-2000x1323.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-780x516.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/meryl-streep-400x265.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meryl Streep in \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada.\u201d <span class=\"image-credit\"><span class=\"credit-label-wrapper\">Credit:<\/span> Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Outside of the top five, some star-focused intellectual property rears its head with installments from Keanu Reeves\u2019s \u201cJohn Wick\u201d series, Tom Cruise\u2019s \u201cMission Impossible,\u201d Michael B Jordan\u2019s \u201cCreed,\u201d and the latest film in the legacy of Willy Wonka films, Timothe\u00e9 Chalamet\u2019s \u201cWonka.\u201d Those four films are undeniably IP, and Robbie and Murphy only made up a portion of the massive success of their respective films, but it\u2019s much more positive than 2019\u2019s box office. It\u2019s nowhere close to the inspiring list of films that 1976 boasts, but at least it\u2019s some sort of step in that direction.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, we stand at a fascinating time in the world of movie stardom. 2025\u2019s box office, although largely made up of films like \u201cLilo &amp; Stitch\u201d and \u201cFantastic Four: The First Steps,\u201d had some hopeful material like \u201cSinners\u201d slotting in at No. 7 on the domestic box office and \u201cF1: The Movie\u201d at No. 14. A decent portion of these films\u2019 success has to be attributed to their stars (Michael B. Jordan and Brad Pitt, respectively). A24\u2019s twin pairing of movie star vehicles \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d and \u201cThe Drama,\u201d both crossing the $100 million threshold at the worldwide box office, is exciting, and Ryan Gosling\u2019s massive sci-fi spectacle \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d climbing to over $600 million is equally impressive.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Alongside these three projects, the late 2025, early 2026 season has given us two more star-driven films: \u201cWuthering Heights\u201d and \u201cThe Housemaid.\u201d Although the quality of these two is sketchy, they\u2019re both literary adaptations, riding on the backs of their stars (Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi for the first, and Sydney Sweeney for the latter). <\/p>\n<p>Finally, early 2026 has also given us \u201cSend Help,\u201d a gnarly survival thriller directed by professional sicko Sam Raimi starring two actors that Hollywood has cast aside. Rachel McAdams is the first of these two. Coming off the three-hander of \u201cMean Girls,\u201d \u201cThe Notebook\u201d and \u201cWedding Crashers,\u201d\u00a0she seemed set to be the next big leading woman. <\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, besides 2015\u2019s \u201cSpotlight,\u201d she\u2019s almost entirely been in lousy parts in mediocre movies that are mostly unsuccessful \u2014 both critically and financially. What happened? Were there no strong movies that wanted McAdams\u2019 multi-faceted acting chops in their leading spot? Did audiences suddenly lose interest in her? It\u2019s difficult to say, which is a classic case of 21st-century stardom.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-related-hollywood-s-new-film-genre-degrades-us-with-its-celebration-of-the-bizarre\"><em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/community-voices\/2024\/05\/hollywoods-new-film-genre-degrades-us-with-its-celebration-of-the-bizarre\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Related: Hollywood\u2019s new film genre degrades us with its celebration of the bizarre<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Alongside her in \u201cSend Help\u201d is Dylan O\u2019Brien. He seemed to be on a fast track to stardom after the smash success of the \u201cMaze Runner\u201d films (in which he was first billed), but a freak on-set accident drastically derailed his career. And when he decided to return to the screen, he couldn\u2019t find a decent part. Before \u201cSend Help,\u201d his only mildly successful film since \u201cThe Maze Runner\u201d was \u201cSaturday Night,\u201d which he wasn\u2019t starring in. Hollywood seemingly doesn\u2019t want O\u2019Brien, but he wants Hollywood. And judging from his recent success, viewers want him, too. It\u2019s a complex case that is still evolving, but the question of whether he can make his way back into receiving consistent, good roles remains unanswered.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>What defines a movie star is tricky to think about now. After the DiCaprio-Pitt generation, it\u2019s difficult to find a list of A-List stars that you can\u2019t count on one hand. Recent successes have the future looking brighter than it has in decades, but the role of the movie star in contemporary pop culture remains an ever-changing tale.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rubiconline.com\/staff_name\/peter-ostrem\/\">Peter Ostrem<\/a>, a student journalist at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, is a senior who will be attending the University of Minnesota in the fall. <\/em><\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.minnpost.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The dark romantic dramedy \u201cThe Drama\u201d is one of the year\u2019s earliest hits, with a total box office gross climbing above $100 million ($45 million domestic). Sure, that only places it as No. 14 on the year\u2019s top box office earners, but it\u2019s still remarkable given the nature of the film and its marketing.\u00a0 The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2414683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[316792],"class_list":["post-2414682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-arts-culture"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stardom-in-flux-The-evolving-role-of-movie-stars-in.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2414682"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2414684,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414682\/revisions\/2414684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2414683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2414682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2414682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2414682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}