Hollywood rallies to defend Tom's diminishing star power

Rating: 2/10 (16 May 2006)

Here's a news story going around Australia. Hollywood pals defend Cruise's capers Powerful Hollywood friends of Tom Cruise rallied to his defence today as a new poll suggested the actor's odd behaviour in recent months may have cost him millions of dollars at the box office.
Days after his latest movie, Mission: Impossible III, opened to lower than expected US ticket sales, a USA Today/Gallup poll showed Cruise's star power has dimmed considerably during the past year in the eyes of the public.
In the poll of 1,013 adults conducted over the weekend the film opened in theatres, 35 per cent had a favourable opinion of Cruise, while 51 per cent had an unfavourable opinion.
That's a major turnaround from last year when War of the Worlds, the previous film by the ex-husband of Australian actress Nicole Kidman opened, and his poll ratings were 58 per cent favourable and 31 per cent unfavourable.
USA Today reported that Cruise's popularity decline with women was especially sharp, slipping from a 56 per cent favourable rating in 2005 to 35 per cent now.
The poll prompted a concerted defence by Cruise's supporters, who insisted the actor's popularity and standing as one of Hollywood's most bankable stars was undiminished.
"Tom Cruise is one of the most important stars ever in the motion picture business," Universal Studios President Ron Meyer, a close friend and former agent, told Reuters.
"I don't know anybody who has had the consistent success rate that Tom has. And nobody should be counting him out." Mission: Impossible III grossed $US47.7 million ($A61.72 million) in its first three days at the North American box office, well short of the $US60 million to $US70 million ($A77.63 million to $A90.57 million) expected by industry watchers despite generally warm reviews and an extra-wide opening in more than 4,000 theatres.
Supporters challenged the notion that the film's initial commercial showing was a disappointment, citing the $US70 million ($A90.57 million) in overseas receipts it generated in its first weekend.
"It's the biggest non-holiday opening for a Tom Cruise movie ever, and the third-biggest in the history of his movies," said longtime producing partner, Paula Wagner.
"His career has spanned over 20 years of powerful, culture-reflecting and culture-changing films." The action film, which was distributed by Paramount Pictures, cost just under $US150 million ($A194 million) to make.
Some experts have said the movie suffered from overexposure of Cruise, 43, in the media during three weeks of publicity, premieres and stories about him, his fiancé, actress Katie Holmes, and their newborn daughter, Suri.
"The media overexposes him, and then turns around and asks the question: 'Is he overexposed?', which is kind of ironic," said Cruise spokesman Arnold Robinson.
USA Today said that many of its survey's respondents cited Cruise's behaviour during the past year, including his blunt criticism of psychiatry and actress Brooke Shield's treatment for postpartum depression, for their waning impression of him.
Cruise also became the butt of countless jokes for his manic, couch-hopping appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show last May to declare his love for Holmes.
But one associate who spoke on condition of anonymity said any star "has to be careful" about the persona projected off screen, and Cruise may have become too freewheeling while promoting his last film in the midst of his high-profile courtship of Holmes last year.
Reuters