We all know the movie business is a numbers game, and that the studio execs just don't get it - execs can be like that from time to time. But you'd think the stars would understand where their bread is buttered.

But alas, it seems they don't. Finding a genuine good guy in Hollywood these days seems to be as difficult as finding rocking horse manure, despite the numbers that say it's the path to fame and fortune.

Whether it's a clean-skin DA going "off his face", a crime fighter becoming the Dark Knight (emphasis on the Dark bit), or a drunken, foul-mouthed super hero, goodness - like beauty - certainly seems to be in the eye of the beholder.

 

Take everyone's buddy, Tom Hanks. From his early days of largely low-brow crudeness, and accompanying low box office returns, Hanks discovered the benefits of lifting his sights out of the gutter, with a string of feel-good, heart-filled classics - Sleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, You've Got Mail, just to name a few - that not only saw his paycheck sky rocket but also confirmed his place in the hearts of movie lovers as one of the good men of Tinsel town. Tom finally got it!!

Further analysis of returns on his body of work suggest that - were it not for those early shockers, and a few questionable choices of recent times (Ladykiller? What was he thinking?!) - his average gross of $102 million would be even greater.

Hanks career, with it's wins and losses, clearly shows that who their favorite actors play, and the quality of their characters, is inestimably more important than simply being involved in a movie.

We're a loyal lot, we movie lovers - but only if the picture is right!

Take Nic Cage as an example. Despite the fact he is the proud owner of Hollywood's worst running style, his star factor only wins at the box office when it matches his character's goodness factor. Ben Gates, the slightly goofy history freak - and owner of said running style - is the standout winner for Cage. A nice guy, with great intentions, and even greater intuition, has returned an average of almost $200 million domestically - with the global receipts taking it closer to $400 million - each film. Contrasted against Cage's career average of $46 million, with a number of truly vile efforts thrown in, it begs the question: how much evidence Cage does need until he gets it?

And then of course, at the other end of the spectrum is every teenage girl from Albury to Alberquerque's dreamboat, Orlando Bloom, who seems to realize not only his limitations, but is a believer in the old entertainment adage of 'giving 'em what they want'. Young Orlando's pictures gross the staggering average of $202 million per film - which includes a couple of R-rated shockers - most of which are built around his character's good intentions.

Note to budding and existing Hollywood leading men: If you still don't get, just give me a call, and I can take you through the numbers.

By Brett Stringer