"A star is born" will he launch a box office career worth a billion dollars?

"A star is born" is one of the most anticipated releases of 2018 this weekend. The film's title could also refer to its lead actress, singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, recipient of a Grammy Award, whose previous experience was the result of brief appearances in two films. Robert Rodriguez movies. Her critics are enthusiastic and she is a prime candidate for an Oscar nomination for best actress, which could make her the biggest singing cross since Barbra Streisand.

Hollywood has not seen a singer become a resounding success since Whitney Houston in 1992 – though many have tried it. John Singleton's "Poetic Justice" in 1993 featured Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur, which totaled $ 61 million. She starred alongside Eddie Murphy in "The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps" ($ 212 million) and was part of a Tyler Perry ensemble in two films "Why I Got Married".

In 2001, Mariah Carey played in "Glitter", an embarrassing flop. The "Wise Girls" of 2002 was a first at Sundance that went straight to the video. After a series of cameo appearances and a minor independent effort ("Tennessee"), she rebounded with important roles in "Precious" and "The Butler".

After years of small roles in film and television, with "Mudbound", Mary J Blige is the first singer crossover to receive an Oscar nomination from Cher. Beyonce made a big revolt with "Dreamgirls" in 2006, but her later roles in movies such as "The Fighting Temptations" and "The Pink Panther" were not starmakers. (Of course, she had already been chosen for the role of Lady Gaga in "A star is born".) Rhianna has made more timid steps in the films with "Battleship" and more recently "Ocean's Eight".

Others were big screens. Britney Spears was a one-shot wonder in 2002 with Crossroads' ($ 59 million). Hannah Montana's Miley Cyrus has grossed nearly $ 100 million, but "So Undercover" (2012) has barely been released.

This is hardly a complete list. Tina Turner was a major force in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome", Olivia Newton-John played in "Grease" and Reba McIntire had a few films before settling comfortably into the television series.

To set the context for the debut of Lady Gaga, here is the film career of the superstars of the singer. All amounts are adjusted to 2018 ticket prices.

Barbra Streisand

First main role: "Funny Girl" (1968)
Box office: $ 371 million
Oscar: Winner, Best Actress

It's been 50 years since Streisand's first film, Funny Girl, opened for $ 371 million (adjusted). At this point in her career, she had seven albums in the Billboard Top Ten and was the best-selling singer of the '60s. Today, Billboard ranks her as the number one female artist of all time, with estimates of its total sales between 100 and 150 million copies. After "Funny Girl" came "Hello, Dolly! (estimated at $ 200 million, although the film barely made a profit), then "One day clear, you can see forever" ($ 84 million). His total box office career is about $ 3.2 billion, with "Meet the Fockers" at $ 409 million.

Always smart in her career choices, she adapts to the decline of Broadway-adapted musicals and turns to classic comedy roles, with "What's Up, Doc?" In 1972, generating a gross profit of 360 million of dollars. (By comparison, the biggest comedy of 2018, "Crazy Rich Asians", is expected to reach $ 180 million or more.)

The following year, she collaborated with Robert Redford for "The Way We Were" ($ 236 million) before returning to musicals with "Funny Lady" ($ 176 million) and a third contemporary version of " A Star Is Born "in 1976 ($ 348 million). .

Streisand used her musical fame to face a huge success (and win an Oscar for best actress). But what has supported his long career in cinema is ambition, flexibility and control of his trajectory.

Diana Ross

Leading role: "Lady Sings the Blues" (1972)
Ticketing: $ 100 million
Oscar: Nominated, Best Actress

Berry Gordy, Ross's mentor and founder of Motown, produced "Lady Sings the Blues" in 1972. This biopic by Billie Holliday earned him immense success for his filming cures, with adjusted receipts of about $ 100 million. dollars. But his next film, "Mahogany", yielded less than a quarter. His only other film, the 1978 musical "The Wiz", was an expensive flop. After that, his career returned solely to music.

Bette Midler

First main role: "The Rose" (1979)
Ticketing: $ 108 million

Midler had limited commercial success before "The Rose", with only two singles among the top 20. A romantic melodrama with similarities to "A star is born", "The rose" came three years after Streisand's remake. His next film was the major flop "Jinxed!" In 1982, she played in a series of Disney comedies, three of which exceeded $ 100 million ("Ruthless People" the largest). She also scored in 1988 with "Beaches" (which gave birth to her biggest single "The Wind Under My Wings".) It's an impressive career, with gross receipts of over $ 1.5 billion. She got a second Oscar nomination with "For the Boys". His subsequent successes have been ensembles such as "Hocus Pocus", "The First Wives Club", "The Stepford Wives" and, more recently, "Parental Guidance".

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Expensive

Lead role: "Come to 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" (1982)
Box office: $ 2.7 million
Oscar: Winner of Best Actress, "Moonstruck"

Her film career dates back to 1967, when she appeared with her husband, Sonny Bono, in William Friedkin's debut feature, "Good Times." She was followed by the little-seen "Chastity" (1969), in which she appeared solo (Bono produced). A work outside Broadway followed before Robert Altman's "Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean". She quickly attracted attention for her supportive role with Meryl Streep in "Silkwood" and then in "Mask". both roles deglamorized. This was followed by his "Moonlight", his greatest success. She was the Oscar-nominated actress nominated for "Silkwood", neglected but praised for "Mask", and then won for "Moonstruck" (1987). Her films yielded a little less than a billion, and she returned this summer in "Mamma Mia! Here we go again, which has brought in about $ 400 million worldwide.

Madonna

Main role: "Susan, looking desperate" (1985)
Ticketing: $ 71 million

In many ways, Madonna is the best-selling performer of all time. After a small role in "Vision Quest", she plays alongside Roseanne Arquette in Susan Seidelman's "Desperately Seeking Susan". This has turned into a sleep tube, and its original urban vibe has completed its nascent image. But her next film, "Shanghai Surprise" (1986), opposite her husband Sean Penn, failed, with "Who's That Girl" the following year, arousing limited interest. That could have ended her film career, but in 1990 she joined Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy" ($ 227 million) and then two years later, Tom Hanks in "A League Away" ($ 240 million). ). The biggest of his remaining films was "Evita". She won the Golden Globe for best actress, but the film cost more than her $ 100 million gross.

Whitney Houston

First main role: "The Bodyguard" (1992)
Box office: $ 273 million

"The Bodyguard" has paired Houston and Kevin Costner, at the top of his call, in what would otherwise have been a romantic thriller routine. Instead, he has become a prime example of creating a medium-budget movie around a singer-free superstar singer. The soundtrack was sold to 42 million copies and won the Grammy 's album title of the year. "I Will Always Love You" became Houston's reference song and was Billboard's # 1 single for 14 weeks. She has appeared in three other films, with "Waiting to Exphale" ($ 141 million) and "The Preacher's Wife" ($ 99 million), more modest successes. Each was accompanied by successful soundtracks. More than a decade has passed until his next film, "Sparkle" ($ 29 million) in 2012, in a supporting role. It was published several months after his death.

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