A-list

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For the books by Zoey Dean, see The a-list. For other uses see A-list (disambiguation).

The A-list is the roster of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. Often these top actors in the film industry are able to earn $20 million per movie. The list was created by veteran entertainment journalist James Ulmer, who developed a 100-point method to quantify a star's value to a film production, in terms of getting a film financed and the cameras rolling.

"Bankability" is determined for films according to three budgetary levels:

$5 million or less (typically independent productions)
$5 to $25 million
$25 million or over (studio films).

1 Ulmer Scale
2 Popular usage
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Ulmer Scale

James Ulmer calls his method "The Ulmer Scale". The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood. Lesser-known actors inhabit the B+, B, and C lists, and there is even a dreaded "Bottom of the Heap."

The Ulmer Scale also takes into account an actor's history (box office successes vs. failures), versatility, professional demeanor, and ability and willingness to travel and promote films. Ulmer has also developed a Hot List of directors.

Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise have topped the latest ranking in 2006. Ulmer's latest Top Ten List, from 2006 also includes:

[edit] Popular usage

In popular usage outside the film industry, an "A list celebrity" simply refers to any person with an admired or desirable social status.^[2] Similarly, less popular persons are referred to as "B list." ^[3]