A Friend In Need...

I woke up this morning telling myself that I wasn't going to mention Tom Cruise today on The Last Reel...

But then, I read this article Hollywood friends rally around Tom Cruise by Steve Gorman of Reuters, and I could not help myself. I had to comment on it:

In a rare public show of support for a beleaguered star, some of Hollywood's top executives rallied to Tom Cruise's side on Wednesday as a new poll suggested his odd behavior in recent months may have cost him millions of dollars at the box office.

Among the movie industry heavyweights offering personal testimonials to his talent and bankability were Universal Studios President Ron Meyer, veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Paramount Pictures Chairman Brad Grey, whose company released Cruise's latest film, "Mission: Impossible III."

As the man behind the distribution of MI:3, it's no surprise that Grey is supporting Cruise, what else can he do? Disown him? As for Bruckheimer, he's made some great films in the past with Cruise and probably wants to do so again.

"Tom Cruise is one of the most important stars ever in the motion picture business," Ron Meyer, a close friend and former agent, told Reuters. "I don't know anybody who has had the consistent success rate that Tom has. And nobody should be counting him out."

Added Gray: "He is clearly, on a profit basis as well as a creative basis, one of the biggest stars in the world."

Days after "Mission: Impossible III" opened to lower-than-expected domestic ticket sales, a USA Today/Gallup poll showed Cruise's star power in the eyes of the public has dimmed considerably.

In the poll of 1,013 adults conducted during the film's first weekend in theaters, 35 percent registered a favorable opinion of Cruise, to 51 percent with an unfavorable opinion.

That's a major turnaround from last year, when Cruise's previous film, "War of the Worlds," opened and his poll ratings were 58 percent favorable and 31 percent unfavorable.

USA Today reported that Cruise's popularity decline with women was also sharp, slipping from a 56 percent favorable rating in 2005 to 35 percent now.

Wow! And I thought President George W Bush's popularity was in the toilet...Sheesh! The approval numbers for both men are about the same. I guess the old adage is true, Misery does indeed, love company

The poll sparked an unusual public outpouring of solidarity from Cruise's friends in high places, who insisted his status and popularity were undiminished. And they disputed the notion that his latest film was a commercial disappointment.

...Supporters [also] pointed to the additional $70 million in overseas receipts it generated in its first weekend.

"If you do $118 million in a three-day period around the world, you're to be congratulated," Gray said. "When the summer is over, you will see that audiences will have come out to see Tom and they'll be praising the picture and praising the work he's done."

"It's the biggest non-holiday opening for a Tom Cruise movie ever," added longtime producing partner Paula Wagner.

Sure, when you tally up the world-wide gross of MI:3, it is a successful debut. But the fact is that, had the film done better in the states, Grey would not need to include those international numbers at all, as a way of making himself feel better.

I love how Wagner uses the phrase "biggest non holiday opening..." Forgetting that MI:3 opened in more theaters than its predecessor. Given that it's a popular franchise with a built in audience, and as an event film with solid reviews, complete with a mega-star as its headliner-- the movie should have definitely done better. The fact that the film opened when it did doesn't matter this time. It also had no real competition to fight off. It opened the season for crying out loud!! No other Summer blockbuster will be able to say that this year.

And it's clear that there's only one person to blame here--and that's Cruise