Columbia PicturesJohnny Depp and Angelina Jolie star in The Tourist together, but who's the bigger star and who can open a movie better?
—Lisa M., via Twitter
Sure, let's start another celebrity rivalry. They're fun, and they keep sites like mine in business. Also, I did some digging, and took a look at the numbers, and—whoa.
I sure did not expect this:
Jolie may own the tabloids. Depp may have bigger box office deliveries—and he does. But according to people who actually quantify the fame of stars, Depp and Jolie are neck and neck.
"They're both at the zenith of their fame and fandom," says Tom Meyer, president for entertainment for The Marketing Arm, which runs the celebrity DBI, or Davie Brown Index.
The DBI measures a star's fame and appeal based on eight criteria, including public awareness and the star's influence.
Depp has an awareness score of around 98, Jolie 96.
OK, and Depp has an influence score of about 74. Jolie's is around 76.
But once we start drilling down a little deeper, the numbers start to diverge. And what we realize is this:
Jolie is more recognizable as a star.
"She's is in the spotlight considerably more than Depp is," Meyer says. "He is only out there when he is promoting his movies."
But Depp is more widely loved. That's according both to the DBI and the people behind the Q Scores, another star measurement system.
"A lot of Depp's advantage is that he appeals to kids, teens and adults," says Henry Schafer, Executive Vice President of Marketing Evaluations, Inc., which handles the Q Scores. "He cuts across more demographics."
Of course Depp cuts across more demographics. He has a pirate sword, after all.