Actor Johnny Depp is undoubtedly one of the most famous actors the world of cinema has witnessed in the past few decades. At one point, studios were at his front door begging him to play a part in their movies on top of that, he had a huge fan following.
But what happened now? The past few movies done by the actor have terribly performed at the box office. Some say it’s just old age while others claim that the modern audience doesn’t prefer the type of movies he stars in. Although he has only done a handful of movies since 2018, his popularity has still witnessed a sharp decline.
Johnny Depp was once Hollywood’s most overpaid actor
In 2015, actor Johnny Depp was named the most overpaid Hollywood actor by Forbes magazine as he only returned $1.20 for every $1 he was paid. Until that point, the actor could do whatever he wanted as studios were dying to hire him. Thanks to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and huge hits like Alice in Wonderland, the actor gained a lot of popularity and almost all his movies were massive hits but things started to change.
The actor saw a sharp decline in his popularity after 2016
Johnny Depp’s career took a turn in 2015-2016. In the year 2015, David Koepp’s Mortdecai starring Depp only grossed about $47.3 million, against a production budget of $60 million. This was quite terrible for a star like Johnny Depp. At that point, Mortdecai was Depp’s fourth flop in a row.
Since the actor showcased his quirky abilities in previous hits, the studios just wanted him to star in their movie and do whatever he wants as that method worked with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. However, things are not the same anymore, the actor is now losing fans. The actor won the defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard last year, which also made him quite relevant once again.
Johnny Depp’s last few projects flopped
Depp’s last few projects were massive flops, for example, his last movie Minamata (2020) only grossed about $1.7 million worldwide, on a budget of $11 to $13 million. Some may blame the pandemic for it, but even his 2019 movie, Waiting for the Barbarians, grossed about $764,000 on a budget of $205 million, which makes his 2020 movie look successful.
Now, his fans can only expect that his next movie, Jeanne du Barry, turns out to be a massive hit that makes him a superstar once again. Jeanne du Barry, directed by Maïwenn Le Besco, will premiere as the opening film at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2023, and will hit the theatres in France on the same day.
Source: Forbes
