Johnny wins Top Money MakerQuigley Publishing Company's 75th Annual Exhibitors' Poll
Wednesday January 3, 10:00 am ET
Johnny Depp Wins 2006 Motion Picture Money-Makers Poll GROTON, MA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 3, 2007 -- Johnny Depp has been voted the Top Money-Making Star of 2006 in Quigley Publishing Company's 75th Annual Top Ten Money-Making Stars Poll. Depp, who appeared in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" in 2006, has appeared twice in the poll previously -- last year when he was second to Tom Cruise and in 2003 when he played Jack Sparrow in the original "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
The Quigley Poll, conducted every year since 1932, is an annual survey of motion picture exhibitors, which asks them to vote for the ten stars that they believe generated the most box-office revenue in the preceding year for their theatres. Long regarded as one of the most reliable indicators of a Star's box-office draw because the selections are done by people whose livelihood depends on choosing the films that will bring audiences to their theatres, the Quigley Poll appears annually in Quigley Publishing Company's International Motion Picture Almanac and at www.quigleypublishing.com.
In his fourth appearance, Leonardo DiCaprio finished second in the voting on performances in "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed," followed by Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness") and Denzel Washington ("Déjà Vu" and "Inside Man") who have been in the Poll six and four times respectively. Tom Hanks ("The Da Vinci Code" and "Cars" -- voice) was fifth this year and has been in the Top Ten thirteen times since 1988, including placing first five times.
The rest of the Top Ten in order were: George Clooney #6, Will Ferrell #7, last year's winner Tom Cruise #8, Dakota Fanning #9 and in his first appearance, the pride of Kazakhstan, Sacha Baron Cohen, placed #10. In spite of his very public dismissal from Paramount, exhibitors know Cruise's box-office potency; this is his nineteenth time voted into the poll, including a record seven times as the Top Money-Making Star. The only female in the Top Ten, twelve-year-old Dakota Fanning, was voted last year's Star of Tomorrow. Shirley Temple was the youngest actor to appear in the Top Ten at age six in 1934 and made the poll six years in a row until 1939.
Five on last year's list that did not make it in 2006 are Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon and Adam Sandler.
To date, Tom Cruise has been voted number one seven times. Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds and Bing Crosby have all won five times. John Wayne, Doris Day and Shirley Temple each finished first four times, but John Wayne was voted one of the Top Ten Money-Making Stars an astounding 25 times from 1949 to 1974.
Exhibitors were also asked to name the Stars of Tomorrow for 2006: one actor and one actress who they feel will be Top Money-Makers in the years to come. The 2006 winners are Daniel Craig who starred as the new James Bond in "Casino Royale" and the talented Maggie Gyllenhaal who was in "World Trade Center," "Stranger than Fiction" and "SherryBaby" in 2006.
Top Ten Money-Making Stars of 2006
1. Johnny Depp
2. Leonardo DiCaprio
3. Will Smith
4. Denzel Washington
5. Tom Hanks
6. George Clooney
7. Will Ferrell
8. Tom Cruise
9. Dakota Fanning
10. Sacha Baron Cohen
Stars of Tomorrow of 2006:
Daniel Craig
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Quigley Publishing Company was founded in 1915 and has published the International Motion Picture Almanac annually since 1930 and the International Television & Video Almanac since 1955. Historical data on the Top Ten Money-Making Star Poll dating back to 1932 is available in the 2007 edition of the International Motion Picture Almanac and on our web site:
www.quigleypublishing.com