Jennifer Lawrence Voted Top Money-Making Star of 2013 in Quigley Publishing Company's Annual Poll

GROTON, Mass., Dec. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennifer Lawrence has been voted the Top Money-Making Star of 2013 in Quigley Publishing Company's 82nd Annual Poll. This is Lawrence's first appearance in the Quigley Poll, and the first time an actor has gone from Star of Tomorrow one year to the Top Money-Making Star the next. After winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe earlier this year and outstanding performances in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "American Hustle," theatre owners and film buyers felt Lawrence was responsible for more traffic to movie theatres in 2013 than any other actor. Sandra Bullock, who was in "The Heat" and "Gravity" this year, placed second on the Top Ten Money- Making Stars list. The only other time females were voted the top two spots in history was our first poll in 1932 when Marie Dressler and Janet Gaynor were first and second respectively. Since then, nine women have been voted first in the Top Money-Making Star Poll a total of seventeen years, with Julie Andrews, Doris Day, Shirley Temple and Marie Dressler winning multiple times.

The Quigley Poll, conducted each year since 1932, is an annual survey of motion picture theatre owners and film buyers, which asks them to vote for the ten stars that they believe generated the most box-office revenue for their theatres during the year. It has been long regarded as one of the most reliable indicators of a Star's real box-office draw because the selections are made by professionals whose livelihood depends on choosing the films and actors that will bring audiences to their theatres. It draws a distinction among stars that happen to appear in hit films and those stars that Exhibitors and film buyers believe actually cause an audience to come to their theatres. The Quigley Poll appears annually in Quigley Publishing Company's International Motion Picture Almanac and on our web site: www.quigleypublishing.com. Both list the results of all the Polls since 1932.

Bradley Cooper placed third and was in "The Hangover Part III" and "American Hustle." Tom Hanks, who has been one of the Top Ten draws seventeen times with five first place finishes, was fourth this year with great performances in "Saving Mr. Banks" and "Captain Phillips." Last year's winner, Denzel Washington, was fifth place, appearing in "2 Guns" and Leonardo DiCaprio, who was in "The Great Gatsby" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," was sixth. This is the ninth year that Exhibitors have placed both Washington and DiCaprio in the Top Ten. Robert Downey, Jr. who starred in "Iron Man 3" came in seventh.

Hugh Jackman made his third showing in the Top Ten in eighth place with "The Wolverine," "Prisoners" and "Movie 43." Brad Pitt was voted into the ninth spot and was in "World War Z," "12 Years a Slave" and "The Counselor."  Exhibitors recognized Melissa McCarthy's audience appeal and voted her into the Top Ten for the first time this year after a busy 2013 with "Identity Theft," "The Hangover Part III" and "The Heat."

Tom Cruise has not placed in the Poll since 2007, but has been in the Top Ten 20 times since 1983, and been voted number one - the most of any actor - seven times. Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds and Bing Crosby have all won five times. Clint Eastwood has appeared in the poll 21 times starting in 1968. John Wayne, Doris Day and Shirley Temple each finished first four times, but John Wayne was voted one of the Top Ten Money-Making Stars an astounding 25 times from 1949 to 1974.

Exhibitors were also asked to name the Stars of Tomorrow for 2013: one male and one female who they feel will be Top Money-Makers in the years to come. The 2013 winners are Amy Adams who was in "Man of Steel," "Her," and "American Hustle" and the ubiquitous James Franco who acted in "Oz the Great and Powerful," "Spring Breakers," "Lovelace," "Homefront" and "This is the End" in 2013 in addition to writing, producing and directing numerous films.

Top Ten Money-Making Stars of 2013

1. Jennifer Lawrence
2. Sandra Bullock                                              
3. Bradley Cooper                                             
4. Tom Hanks                            
5. Denzel Washington
6. Leonardo DiCaprio
7. Robert Downey, Jr.
8. Hugh Jackman
9. Brad Pitt
10. Melissa McCarthy                             

Stars of Tomorrow:

Amy Adams
James Franco

Quigley Publishing Company was founded in 1915 and has published the International Motion Picture Almanac annually since 1930 and the International Television & Video Almanac since 1955.  Historical data, analysis and all of the Top Ten Money-Making Star Polls dating back to 1932 are available in the 2013 edition of the International Motion Picture Almanac and on our web site: www.quigleypublishing.com

SOURCE Quigley Publishing Company