Guess How Much Chris Pine Allegedly Made for This Means War?
How's this for a dramatic break-up story? After a nine-year relationship with SDB Partners, Chris Pine opted to part ways via email. Having worked with the actor for pretty much his entire career to date, during which time he rose from guest slots on ER and CSI: Miami to nabbing Star Trek and this week's slick rom-com This Means War, Pine's former agents weren't going to be dumped so easily; they're suing Pine for millions in back- and future-commissions with a lawsuit that puts his salaries on blast. All of which means that today we get to play "Guess That Salary - Chris Pine Edition!"
As you ponder the fiscal worth of Pine's charm, chops, and star power, consider the trajectory his career has taken since his film debut in 2004's The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. I recall feeling compassion for Pine when, in 2006, he found himself stuck opposite Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck and playing a sightless virgin in Blind Dating; can't say his agents were doing a great service for him with those unfortunate turns. But then came Smokin Aces, with Pine near-unrecognizable as the eldest Tremor brother, and within a few years Pine landed the career-making role of Captain James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek.
Still, Star Trek fame wasn't enough to help Pine open the long-delayed horror pic Carriers in the fall of 2009, but soon enough he found himself sharing the screen with Denzel Washington (and a runaway train) in Unstoppable, which boosted his profile. Now he's billed along with fellow up and comer Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon in the love triangle spy romance This Means War, a slick $70M Valentine's week offering from McG which in the very least showcases Pine's pretty blue eyes, comic timing, and leading man swagger.
And according to the SDB lawsuit (obtained by The Hollywood Reporter), these last few years of rising stardom have brought Pine to quite an enviable place: For This Means War he was reportedly paid $5 million. (Unstoppable nabbed him a $3 million paycheck, while he's set to earn a base salary of $4 million, $8 million, and $12 million for the planned Jack Ryan series.)
What say you, Movieliners? Is Pine's star rising in accordance with his salary?
Chris Pine Sued By Former Agents; 'This Means War,' 'Star Trek 2' Salary Revealed [THR]
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I guess we "Movieliners" aren't sayin' much cuz like, we don't care for Chris.
I made $3 selling my Star Trek DVD so that I could buy the Blu Ray.
But if Pine is reading this, more power to him, so long as he can help a brother get a walk on to the Enterprise!
He's definitely worth that money if the producers think they have a good, highly commercial movie on their hands. Reading Nikki Finke, you get this impression that actors are responsible for "opening" movies at the box office, which has never made sense to me. There isn't an actor out there averse to bombs – particularly if the movie looks or is stupid. Will Smith is probably the only actor with an unblemished record of success. But to say it's all him is short-sighted. An actor successful in that way does two things: He's gotta be likable on screen, he has to be a pretty good actor and he's gotta pick big movies that will have a baseline of quality and high commerciality. Smith does that very well. And it's earned him this incredible reputation. Even when he did "Seven Pounds," which was terrible, it was still a massively successful film financially. Now, if he did two more of those, I don't think he'd be so Teflon.
Pine seems to be similar, though he obviously doesn't have Smith's stature. In short, he's a movie star, and he's likable. And that's worth a lot. And he's a good actor. You only need to see "Smokin' Aces" and "Star Trek" to settle on that. So, provided it's a pretty good movie that will interest a broad audience, pay him that money because he'll be an added draw. I'd love to see Pine as Jack Ryan, for instance. (Though I'd love to see Harrison Ford do one more.)
I don't care how pretty his eyes are -- you don't end a 9-year legal contract via an email where you cite how much they've helped your career. Even IF his old agents were hateful crap, it's a legal contract! How dumb is this guy? And why didn't his new agents give him some better advice about such potentially expensive break-ups?
I liked him in Unstoppable and Star Trek, but would I follow him into a movie? I dunno. He's cute and all, but I haven't seen acting chops yet.
He's not an actor, he's a movie star. There's a difference.
You can't be a movie star if you got no fanbase and can't put butts in seats. I know Star Trek has a fanbase. I know Denzel has a fanbase. So far I've seen no evidence of Pine putting any butts in seats or having any sort of fanbase.
^ This.