Movie News
By Dorothy Pomerantz
Forbes.com
Did you know that Eddie Murphy has a new movie coming out this week? If you did, it's likely only because you've seen the scathing reviews for "A Thousand Words." It looks like it's going to be another flop for Murphy.
Search: How many Razzie nominations does Murphy have?
The movie earns a zero on Rotten Tomatoes, which means there isn't one critic out there recommending the movie.
How did it come to this for Murphy? Back in 2009, Murphy ranked 41st on our Celebrity 100 list. That year he earned a whopping $40 million. A lot of that was from his work as Donkey in the incredibly profitable "Shrek" movies, but thanks to a slew of well-performing family-friendly films like "Doctor Dolittle," "The Nutty Professor" and "Norbit," Murphy was a hot commodity in Hollywood.
Tell us on Facebook: What should Eddie Murphy to do to get his movie mojo back?
Studios like Fox and Paramount were willing to pay him big up-front paychecks for movies like "Meet Dave" and "Imagine That." But those two movies were colossal flops. They helped land Murphy on one of our lists that no stars want to see themselves on: Hollywood's Most Overpaid list.
Also on Forbes.com: Hollywood's Most Overpaid
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According to our estimates, for every $1 Murphy is paid, his
films return an average of $2.70.
But this year was supposed to be Murphy's comeback year.
His friend, director Brett Ratner, had tailored the role of a professional thief in the film "Tower Heist" for Murphy. The movie, about a group of workers at a fancy condo in New York who try to steal $20 million from a Bernie Madoff-type who has ripped them off, promised to bring the star back to his "Beverly Hills Cop" heyday.
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But the film didn't do very well at the box office. While
it wasn't an outright flop like "Meet Dave," it earned only $152
million on a $75 million budget.
Murphy's comeback further faltered when he ended up not hosting the Oscars.
The plan has been laid out so clearly. "Tower Heist" would be a hit. Ratner would produce the Oscars. Murphy would be hot again and then he would host the Oscars in a triumphant return.
Related: Eddie Murphy wants another chance to host Oscars
But after the poor performance of "Tower Heist" and some insensitive remarks by Ratner, the producer dropped out of the gig and so did Murphy.
If everything had gone as planned, the timing of "A Thousand Words" would have worked to Murphy's advantage. The film has been sitting on the shelf for the past three years.
If Murphy had managed to regain some of his swagger, people might have gone to see "A Thousand Words" no matter how bad it was.
More: Brett Ratner apologizes for gay slur at 'Tower Heist' screening
Now it looks like the movie is going to be yet another Murphy flop. Exhibitor Relations doesn't expect the film to crack to top five this weekend. Some are saying this will be the final nail in Murphy's career.
I hope not. It would be great to see Murphy return to form. Maybe he just needs to find the right movie.
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Eddie Murphy's time has passed. His last few movies he is trying to play at something he can no longer play with any sense of believiblity.
He also has spent too much time away from Hollywood Movies, oh sure he did Shrek, but that wasn't a real movie, it was him doing a voice over.
If he never did the remakes/reimaginings of the films it would be no great loss to me, he's lost his charme, his is still trying to be "cute" & "funny" when he's become old and fat (he now has a fat head). I don't see his movies unless they are on netflix.
His movies just are not funny at all.
I have seen a number of trailers for his current movie, why the ariticle would even assumes I even looked at any reviews is beyond me. I do not look at reivews for movies. I decide to see a movie pased on trailers i've seen or by actor if I do not like the actor at all (for example I do not see Tom Cruise movies at all) Based on the trailers I would not see "A Thousands Words", it is a stupid premise for a movie an I am sure that it has some parable ending trying to teach us something. I will not see it at movie theater prices it's not even worth it.
@someone,
"All his movies are flops"????? What are you 12 years old? What about 48hrs, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2. okay they're over 20 years ago but even Dr. Doolittle 1 & for us Harlem Knights was enjoyable even though the white media & fans hated it, they just couldnt' relate. The problem is NOT that Eddie Murphy isn't funny or releveant is that he just makes bad choices in movies & in other times this is all he's left with so he makes it happen, even if it's bad. But to say all his movies are flops you gotta be either too young to remember or just....dumb?
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