The movie star is not dead. The A-listers of the '80s, '90s and 2000's are still making big theatrical movies - and new stars have emerged as major box office draws.
Tom Holland headlined recent blockbusters "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey." Both also featured his partner, Zendaya, who's also in the highly anticipated "Dune: Part Three."
Robert Pattinson, who will be in "Dune," also plays "Dateline: To Catch a Predator" journalist Chris Hansen in this month's drama "Primetime." Timothee Chalamet, star of "Dune," "Wonka," "A Complete Unknown" and "Marty Supreme," and Michael B. Jordan, from "Sinners," "Creed" and "Black Panther," are contemporary powerhouses.
As for 2000's movie stars still going strong: What a 2026 Anne Hathaway has had - one of her biggest years of her quarter century career. In addition to "The Odyssey," she starred in "The Devil Wears Prada 2," "The End of Oak Street" - and the new romantic thriller "Verity," out October 2nd. It's based on a novel by Colleen Hoover, the author of "It Ends with Us," "Regretting You" and "Reminders of Him." All three had recent film adaptations and all three performed well for their respective studios.
Shout-out to Ryan Gosling, who's always been a popular, well-respected actor. But he's had a monumental few years, with "Barbie," "Project Hail Mary" and the upcoming "Star Wars: Starfighter" and Marvel flick "Ghost Rider."
Now let's talk about some of those '80s and '90s stars, who are still making the theatrical experience a priority, and who audiences are still making a priority to see on the big screen. The queen in this category is Nicole Kidman, who will forever be associated with the iconic AMC Theatres ad encouraging people to go to the movies that debuted five years ago this month. She joins fellow Oscar winner Sandra Bullock in "Practical Magic 2" - the sequel to a 1998 film that only made $47 million in North America. But it's the star-power of Kidman and Bullock (which has significantly grown since 1998), and the trend of legacy sequels, that made WB invest in this.
Have you seen the trailer for that Brad Pitt dog movie? "Heart of the Beast," in theaters Sept. 25, is an action/adventure survival movie that feels like it could've been straight to streaming. But no - Paramount and Pitt believe in this being theatrical, and I think audiences, especially older moviegoers, will show up.
And then there's Tom Cruise. He's made it his mission over the past six years to keep movie theaters alive by giving them stories people want to see - and supporting other filmmakers and actors in their cinematic achievements.
On Oct. 2, Cruise and "Birdman" director Alejandro G. Inarritu present a new, offbeat political comedy called "Digger." Think of it as the "Dr. Strangelove" of our time. Cruise believes in the power of storytelling, and it's nice to see him take on a different genre and type of character than we've been accustomed to lately. There's so much curiosity surrounding Cruise's role in this - a performance that could finally win him a competitive Oscar - that unless the early reviews are disastrous, this will be one of the big winners of the fall season.
The movie star is alive and well!
Upstate New York Native Jackson Murphy has been reviewing films on Radio, TV, and online for more than 20 years. The Emmy winner, content producer, and author is a member of SAG-AFTRA and the Critics' Choice Association.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
