Movie theater owners name Sandra Bullock and Johnny Depp top box office stars of 2009

Congratulations to Sandra Bullock and Johnny Depp, who were named top box office stars of 2009 by U. S. movie theater owners, according to the yearly survey by Quigley Publishing Company. The annual list of top money making stars is based on a poll of hundreds of theater executives. Sandra Bullock ranked first on the strength of her starring roles in the romantic comedy The Proposal and the recently-released drama The Blind Side. Johnny Depp ranked second on the basis of his performance in Public Enemies. Completing the top ten were Matt Damon, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf and Denzel Washington.

Quigley has been compiling its list of top box office attractions since 1932, and says its list does not rank stars simply on box office receipts, but on drawing power–what theater owners say about who attracts audiences on their star power alone.

The Zone thanks Gilbert’s Girl for sharing the news; you can read more on the Zone’s News and Views forum. –Part-Time Poet

"A gift for an actor"–Johnny Depp discusses playing The Mad Hatter

What a wonderful way to begin the new year . . . with a snippet of an interview with Johnny Depp about his upcoming role in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland! The Disney Channel ran a brief preview of Alice during its New Year’s Eve programming, and while it mainly featured scenes from the trailer, it did include the following question for JD and his reply:

Q: What is it about the story that appealed to you?

JOHNNY DEPP: Well, it’s a teenage Alice and she’s fallen down the rabbit hole yet again. I have the honor of playing the Mad Hatter. It is a gift for an actor and I consider myself very, very lucky to have been able to play the role. The relationship between Alice and the Hatter is as if they complete one another, like a brother and sister do, you know. He’s very protective of her, and she’s very protective of him. And it was really fun.

The Zone thanks Theresa for the interview transcript; you can see a video clip of the Disney Channel segment on the Zone’s News and Views forum. Thanks also to dramaqueen for the screencap of the Mad Hatter.

Alice in Wonderland arrives in movie theaters in North America on March 5, 2010–only about two months away, now. Happy New Year! –Part-Time Poet