Is Johnny Depp losing his mojo? His latest film, the campy Tim Burton-directed adaptation of the '60s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, finished the weekend below industry expectations, grossing a meager $28 million. Odds of recouping the movie's rumored $150 million are looking slim. It's an undeniable disappointment for the actor once thought to be Hollywood's most reliable box office star — and the latest in a series of missteps that may prove that his popularity is fading. Two of his other recent films, The Tourist and The Rum Diary, both flopped, while last summer's Pirates of the Caribbean installment was the lowest-grossing domestic performer of the franchise. Has America fallen out of love with Johnny Depp?
He isn't completely faltering: American audiences may be souring, but Depp's as popular as ever with international audiences, says Steven Zeitchik at the Los Angeles Times. The Tourist was a smash overseas, and the latest Pirates film scored nearly quadruple the gross abroad as it did in the states. Even Dark Shadows eked out $7 million more overseas than it did domestically. After decades as a domestic box office force, his film choices are clearly resonating more with international audiences than American ones.
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