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How do you measure the value of a person? That's a question better left to philosophers, but in Hollywood there are actual numbers that can provide this answer. Our friends at Vulture.com have crunched those numbers and measure the stats to create a list of 2014's Most Valuable Stars.
Their methods?
Vulture Senior Editor and co-author of the 3rd annual Most Valuable Stars list, got confidential ratings from four anonymous studio executives, then weighed those against box office returns, critics' ratings and tabloid appeal.
Buchanan spoke with John Horn on The Frame about why Jennifer Lawrence is #1 and why Shia LaBeouf is nowhere to be seen. When Vulture introduced the MVS list a couple of years ago, LaBeouf was #20 among the top 100. This year, despite polling well on the tabloid metric, he's off the list because studio executives see him as a liability and his tabloid traffic is mostly negative.
Among the notable newcomers to the list:
Kevin Hart debuts at #39. Buchanan tells The Frame that in previous years he's asked movie studio executives about putting Hart on the list, but it wasn't until the success of his films "About Last Night" and "Ride Along" that Hart got the ratings worthy of a most valuable star.
Lupita Nyong'o debuts on the list at #82. She won an Oscar and became a fashion icon following the success of "12 Years a Slave," which got her a big likability rating. Now she'll appear in the upcoming "Star Wars" films, which could boost her box office score in the future.
Joaquin Phoenix debuts on the list at #88. While "Her" and "The Master" weren't commercial successes, his low box office returns were balanced by getting the best critics score on the list.
Below are the top 10 Most Valuable Stars. Go to Vulture.com for the full list of 100.
1. Jennifer Lawrence
2. Robert Downey Jr.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio
4. Sandra Bullock
5. Denzel Washington
6. Angelina Jolie
7. Tom Hanks
8. Johnny Depp
9. Brad Pitt
10. Bradley Cooper