THIS TRIP IS OVER

I don't need to see The Tourist (the new spy comedy-thriller starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie) to know that it is utter rubbish. How do I know? Well, for a start, the trailer is shocking. I would like to argue that when a trailer is bad, the film is also bad. And it has Johnny Depp in it; who in the last decade or so has possibly been the most under-achieving actor of his generation. I used to blame his downfall on the dreaded Pirates of the Caribbean films and the fact he hangs around with Tim Burton too much but now I just think he's forgotten how to act. How else do I know? It's been sold not on story (the trailer barely discloses any information about that) or director (rather disappointingly he directed one of my favourite films of all time, The Lives of Others) but on star power - Depp and Jolie; two of the biggest names in the movie business. Basically, they are in this movie so you should go and see it. Problem is, no-one gives a hoot about that anymore.

Proof of this can be found simply by looking at the box-office takings for The Tourist - only $30 million grossed so far in America. Not terrible but with an estimated budget of $100 million, definitely not great. Think of Knight and Day as well (also released this year). Cruise! Diaz! Secret agents! Big red motorbikes! Total domestic gross? $76 million. Estimated budget? $117 million.

Hark back, if you can, to 2005. Brad Pitt and Anglina Jolie (again) starred in the rather silly but very successful Mr & Mrs Smith. It grossed nearly $200 million. If you remember, around the time of its release you couldn't escape newspaper and magazine stories about their on-set romance and the impending death of Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's relationship. No-one cared about the film itself. They just wanted to see Pitt and Jolie getting off with each other. But I get the impression now that even if Cruise, Diaz, Depp and Jolie had a foursome during the making of The Tourist and Knight and Day, people still wouldn't have flocked to see them. Mr & Mrs Smith may have been the last successful 'star-vehicle' Hollywood blockbuster.

So why is this? I think it could be down to Mr. Franchise. And by that I mean big-budget Hollywood films, often superhero-based, that build up stories and familiar characters that they hope people will grow to love and get hooked on so that they see the next instalment... and the next... and the next...

If Hollywood is the universe, then actors like Depp and Jolie are the red giants on the verge of collapse and franchises are the black holes eating everything else up. Let's have a look at the evidence:

For a start, 5 of the top 10 highest grossing films of 2010 (worldwide) are franchise films. Toy Story 3, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Shrek Forever After, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Iron Man 2; they all make an appearance and are all sequels to successful franchise films. The others are Alice in Wonderland (sold on it's 3D aspect), Clash of the Titans (a new, and most likely terrible, franchise in the making), Despicable Me and How To Train Your Dragon (both animations) and Inception (an anomaly but a mighty welcome one, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, who may be the only proper Hollywood star left).

No less than 7 of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time are franchise films - Harry Potter, Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean all feature (and released in the last decade). They may contain big name actors such as Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, but is that why audiences flocked to see them? Or is it because they like cinematic entertainment on a massive scale with familiar characters and loads of CGI and explosions? (Franchise and CGI - each wouldn't exist without the other.)

Which films do Hollywood studios pump the most money into? Obvious answer really. For example, this year Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released and cost an estimated $250 million and Iron Man 2 about $200 million.

Hollywood knows where to spend its money now and The Tourist may signal the final nail in the Hollywood stars coffin. Is it a shame? I'm not sure really. A film-goer such as myself ultimately likes to see films that are well made and built upon involving stories with good performances from its actors. Neither stars nor franchises guarantee this.

Depp and Jolie on a boat to nowhere.