6 ways to rate a movie's success

How made-in-Michigan films fared commercially

Looking at BoxOfficeMojo.com, it's easy to see why Clint Eastwood is feeling lucky, punk. The venerable actor-director can still rock theatergoers. "Gran Torino," the gritty, thoughtful 2008 drama about an angry Detroit retiree learning to live with his immigrant neighbors, made about $148 million domestically and $121.8 million overseas.
Another solid hit was George Clooney's 2009 downsizing drama "Up in the Air," which raked in $83.8 million in the U.S. and another $79.4 in foreign markets.
"Gran Torino" had a rough budget of $33 million, while "Up In the Air" was $25 million. Those estimates don't include costs like marketing, which can vary widely.
Two 2010 films that did some post-production work here, "Gulliver's Travels" and "Piranha 3D," also earned a nice chunk of change. The estimated $100-million-plus budget "Gulliver" made $42.7 million in the U.S. and $194.1 million abroad. A more modestly budgeted horror film, "Piranha 3D" earned $25 million domestically and $58.1 overseas.
In contrast, Drew Barrymore's roller-derby romp "Whip It" made $13 million domestically and only $3.5 million overseas.
Several prestige films barely made a dent at the box office. Rob Reiner's 2010 coming-of-age dramedy "Flipped" earned $1.7 million domestically, while "Mooz-lum" took in $369,000.

Raking in the awards

Of all the features done here since 2008, "Up in the Air" has been the awards king. It got six Oscar nominations in top categories, including best picture, director and actor, and won best screenplay at the Golden Globes.
The 2010 drama "Conviction" nabbed a Screen Actors Guild nod for Hilary Swank as a woman determined to prove her brother's innocence.
"Gran Torino," a film grounded in American melting-pot tensions, was snubbed by the Oscars, but won a French Cesar award as best foreign film.
Where made-in-Michigan projects have really excelled is in the TV realm. "You Don't Know Jack," the 2010 HBO film about Dr. Jack Kevorkian, boasted 15 Emmy nominations and won for best miniseries, movie or dramatic special and best actor for Al Pacino. He also received a Golden Globe for his performance.
Several other TV projects have earned nominations, most notably in acting categories. Lifetime's "Prayers for Bobby" earned an Emmy nomination for best TV movie and Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild acting nods for Sigourney Weaver.
Thomas Jane, the teacher turned gigolo of HBO's "Hung," has been in the running for two Golden Globes.
Cuba Gooding Jr. played real-life neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who grew up in Detroit, in TNT's "Gifted Hands" and got a Screen Actors Guild nod. So did the legendary Ruby Dee for Lifetime's "America."

Getting a glowing review

For smaller projects, critical kudos can advance the careers of those involved.
"Cedar Rapids," the 2011 comedy with Ed Helms as a small-town insurance salesman cutting loose at an annual convention, received an impressive 84% positive "fresh" rating on the Tomatometer, a measure of good-vs.-bad reviews at film Web site RottenTomatoes.com. It helped cement the post-"Hangover" reputation of Helms, a costar of NBC's "The Office," as a rising actor in funny films.
In television, good reviews can't always save a show, but they do cushion the blow of a cancellation. "Detroit 1-8-7," which ABC didn't renew for a second season, got this initial review from TV Guide's Matt Roush: " 'Detroit' doesn't reinvent the wheel but promises to be a mighty fine ride."

Straight to DVD

If movies don't reach theaters, they can go direct to video.
At least 10 feature films made here under the incentives have gone the direct-to-video route, according to Rentrak, a global digital media measurement and research company that serves well-known companies in the entertainment industry.
Movies take that path for many reasons, sometimes for reasons of quality or the limited audience potential of a topic. But some films make particular sense as direct-to-DVD releases, such as the locally made franchise sequels "S.W.A.T: Firefight" and "Street Kings 2: Motor City," which had built-in name recognition.

A splash of star power

Michigan has seen its share of big-time actors, from Eastwood and Hugh Jackman of "Real Steel" to Sean Penn of "This Must Be the Place."
The state has been a temporary home base to three stars whose total film grosses are among the top 20, according to Box Office Mojo: Bruce Willis, who was in the Grand Rapids-made "Setup" with Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson, Robert De Niro, who starred in "Stone," and Sigourney Weaver, who starred in cable TV's "Prayers for Bobby," "Cedar Rapids" and "Vamps."
A few celebrities from last year's Forbes Celebrity 100, a ranking of rich and powerful entertainers, were brief local residents, including Miley Cyrus of "LOL"; Michael Bay, director of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"; George Clooney, who traveled here for "Up in the Air" and again in 2011 for "The Ides of March," and Drew Barrymore, director and star of "Whip It." None of them made the Forbes 2011 equivalent.
Some buzzworthy actors said yes to Michigan, including Demi Moore ("LOL" and "Another Happy Day"), Shia LaBeouf ("Transformers: Dark of the Moon"), a pre-split Courteney Cox and David Arquette ("Scream 4"), Gerard Butler ("Machine Gun Preacher") and Connor Cruise ("Red Dawn"), whose dad, Tom, visited metro Detroit during filming,
The indie elite made a habit of working here, from Michael Cera and Steve Buscemi ("Youth In Revolt") and Catherine Keener ("Trust") to John C. Reilly ("Cedar Rapids") and Parker Posey ("Highland Park").
And then there were visits from veteran greats who deserve a standing ovation just for being themselves: Christopher Walken ("Kill the Irishman"), Richard Gere ("The Double"), Pierce Brosnan ("Salvation Boulevard"), Robert Loggia ("Margarine Wars"), Ellen Burstyn and Ellen Barkin ("Another Happy Day"), Danny Glover ("Highland Park") and Al Pacino ("You Don't Know Jack").

Indies making a mark

Several films helped enhance the reputation of the casts and crews involved, whether or not they made a box-office splash. The limited-release run of "Meet Monica Velour" had no impact at the box office, making less than $30,000 so far, according to Box Office Mojo. But it did send out good vibes for "Sex and the City" star Kim Cattrall, who demonstrated versatility by dropping her sleek Samantha image and playing a down-and-out stripper.
Three films shot in Michigan premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival: "Another Happy Day," which was snapped up recently by a distributor, "Cedar Rapids," which already has been in theaters, and the upcoming "Salvation Boulevard."
One of the most talked-about films with a small budget was "Mooz-lum," which was written and directed by Qasim Basir. Starring Danny Glover and Nia Long, it tackled a serious subject, the post-9/11 experience of ordinary Muslim Americans, and provided Evan Ross, son of Motown legend Diana Ross, with a potentially breakout role as the young man at the center of the drama. It had a brief theatrical run and will be available on DVD in June.

On the horizon

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon," which spent time here and in several other cities, will be out June 29 and could be another summer blockbuster for the franchise. "30 Minutes or Less," with Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride, opens Aug. 12.
"Real Steel," the Hugh Jackman robot boxing movie from DreamWorks, is hitting theaters Oct. 7, and "The Ides of March," the George Clooney political drama partially filmed here this year, arrives Oct. 14, plenty of time for the quality-packed holiday season.
On Nov. 4, "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" will bring ho-ho-humor to the holiday box office -- and show how downtown Detroit and Oakland County could be transformed into a winter wonderland in the summer.
Even farther down the road, box-office-wise, is Disney's "Oz: The Great and Powerful," the largest film ever to come here under the incentives. It is directed by metro Detroit's own Sam Raimi of "Spider-Man" fame. Filming is set to start in a few months at Raleigh Michigan Studios in Pontiac.

Whatever happened to ...?

"Red Dawn," the remake of the 1984 pop icon of the same title, is expected to be released sometime this year, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The movie was filmed in and around Detroit in 2009 and has a young cast of newcomers, including "Thor" star Chris Hemsworth." Delayed by the financial troubles of MGM, the film has undergone a big change -- with help from digital magic, the villains are now portrayed as being from North Korea, not China.
"High School," which starred Michael Chiklis, Adrien Brody and Colin Hanks and began filming in Howell in 2008, played several festivals in 2010, but doesn't appear to have secured a theatrical release.