According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest grossing actress of the aughties 2000s I-don’t-know-what-to-call-’ems is Emma Watson. All six of her live-action films this decade just happen to be the six Harry Potter films, which have conjured $5.4 billion worldwide, or roughly $900 million per film. (Guinness actually only measured the first five Potter films, but PopWatch is a full service pop-culture blog. You’re welcome.)
But if you want to know who Guinness believes is Ms. Watson’s male counterpart as the decade’s highest moneymaker, you’re out of luck. For some reason, the famed record keeping crew simply proclaims Samuel L. Jackson as the world’s Highest Grossing Actor, full stop, no time-frame included.
Even if this is true for all time, the idea that Jackson was tops for the last ten years seemed…doubtful to me, so I crunched the numbers, courtesy Box Office Mojo. (We’re full service, I tells ya!) Indeed, thanks in part to the fact that he’s starred in practically every other movie released in the last ten years (okay, more like two dozen films, but that’s still more than two flicks a year), Mr. L. Jackson’s movies (excluding voice-over work) have raked in a most impressive $3.3 billion in global box-office. But that does not make him the decade’s highest grosser — not even close. Johnny Depp — a.k.a. Capt. Jack Sparrow, a.k.a. Willy Wonka, a.k.a. Sweeney Todd, a.k.a. EW’s Best of the Decade cover boy — has pulled in $4.2 billion in box-office doubloons this decade, but he isn’t tops either. Neither is Sir Ian McKellan, even though his work helped The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the X-Men trilogy, and The Da Vinci Code rake in an astronomic $4.8 billion worldwide.
Nope, best I can figure, the highest grossing male actor is…drumroll please… READ FULL STORY »
There’s a German word called schadenfreude, which has no direct translation into English but means something like “taking joy in the misfortune of others.” Now, I’m not saying that’s the Deutch wort that was floating through director Bryan Singer’s head when X-Men: The Last Stand — directed by Brett Ratner, who stepped in after Singer left the X-world he started to make Superman Returns — premiered to scorn from the fan and critical communities, but it’s only human to take a secret joy in getting empirical proof that one is the best at what they do. Especially if what they do is making X-Men movies — and, so we’re all clear, X2: X-Men United is one of the best superhero movies ever made.
I was ecstatic when I heard that some of my favorite mutants were finally going to get some screen time in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, especially Deadpool. However, I was utterly confused (and my fangirl heart was horrified) when Deadpool arrived on screen sans his greatest asset: his wisecracking mouth. So now that 
SPOILER ALERT Confused about why Wolverine appeared to be downing sake in a Japanese bar in the teaser clip at the end of the movie? Here’s a hint: 
Just read a 
True confession: I see the gay in everything. It’s a gift and a curse, much like Haley Joel Osment’s ability to chat with the dead in The Sixth Sense. After sitting through Wolverine this past weekend, I believe this flick to be the gayest comic book movie ever. It felt like an issue of Men’s Health come to life, albeit with more adamantium. First, the gorgeous Hugh Jackman is shirtless for a good portion of the film — he even has a naked fight scene! And he squares off against a shirtless (and similarly ripped) Ryan Reynolds at one point. Secondly, Wolverine’s job as a lumberjack allows him to wear some very 1970s gay-friendly tight jeans, leather jackets, and flannel shirts, unbuttoned to reveal more than a hint of chest hair. Thirdly, the big sparring between Wolverine and Sabretooth really comes down to two hot guys basically clawing each other with their fingernails. Catfight!
The summer movie season is just around the corner, with X-Men Origins: Wolverine opening this Friday and Star Trek hitting theaters next week. But which of these heavily anticipated tentpoles will see more green at the box office? Two weeks ago, everyone’s money would have been on Wolverine. 
It’s hard out there for a short, Canadian, nigh-invulnerable mutant superhero. First, 
