The Era of Box Office Megastars Is Over: Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio Become Box Office Flops

The global box office has just wrapped up 2025, and another alarming trend has surfaced: former guaranteed blockbusters—stars whose names alone once drew crowds to theaters—like Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Julia Roberts, have all flopped at the box office. Julia's 'After the Hunt' did especially poorly, grossing less than $9.5 million (about RM38.48 million) worldwide—not even half of her $20 million (about RM81.01 million) salary. Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning' and Leonardo's 'One Battle After Another' also lost money. No wonder George Clooney laments: the era of box office superstars is over.

Hollywood superstars once earned tens of millions in salary because their names were a selling point for films—audiences would go to the cinema just for them. Whether Tom Cruise made action films or suave dramas like 'Cocktail', the North American box office always looked stellar, giving them strong negotiating power. But in the 21st century, Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible' franchise has already failed for two consecutive entries, and Leonardo's 'One Battle After Another' is still $100 million (about RM400 million) short of breaking even just on box office sales. No matter how much audiences try to support them, they can't escape becoming loss-makers.

When asked by British media about the film industry's transformation, Leonardo said: “The pace of change is staggering. We're going through a massive transformation. First, documentaries disappeared from cinemas. Now, narrative films have limited release windows; people wait to watch them on streaming platforms. I don't know what to do.” He also asked rhetorically: “Who is still interested in going to the cinema? Or will cinemas, like jazz bars, become closed-off islands?”

Once a big name himself, George Clooney now makes more money from his tequila business than acting, allowing him to act purely for interest. He laments that Hollywood studios no longer invest time and resources to nurture new stars like they did with his generation, instead focusing on making franchises and expanding IPs. Audiences are drawn to stories and world-building, not to the stars, making it difficult for actors’ names alone to sell tickets.

Among the new generation of stars, Clooney points out that Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Glen Powell have great potential. If they receive the same support and resources studios gave to former superstars, they could become the megastars of the 21st century.

Source: NOWnews Entertainment + Oriental Daily