It took him a while to emerge as an action star, but time may be on Neeson’s side. Even the latest Taken only set its financier EuropaCorp back $48 million. Non-Stop, for instance, cost $50 million to make, Unknown carried a $30 million pricetag and The Grey had a $25 million budget and made $77.3 million globally. However, what’s impressive about Neeson’s run is that he’s associated himself with modestly budgeted films that have an eye firmly on profitability.
Last fall’s A Walk Among the Tombstones was D.O.A., for instance, earning a lackluster $53.2 million globally. Not everything has worked since he stepped onto centrestage, of course. With the possible exception of Rob Roy, however, it seemed as though Hollywood preferred him to assume the role of world-weary mentor. The burly Irish actor clocks in at six feet, four inches and always seems in danger of spilling out of the frame. As a physical presence, he has few equals.
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In some ways, it is surprising that it took so long for Neeson to crack skulls onscreen. It’s been six years of him being an action star.” “When someone has a surge and they become popular in a specific genre, you always think, ‘Well, when do they slow down?’ But it hasn’t. “It comes down to being reliable and giving audiences what they want,” said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at. In recent years, however, he has emerged as a leading man in his own right, propelling the likes of Non-Stop and Unknown to $222.8 million and $130.7 million, respectively, on the strength of his name alone. Previously, he was most often tapped to be a figure of gravitas orbiting a brighter star such as Christian Bale in Batman Begins or Orlando Bloom in Kingdom of Heaven. Neeson has been able to broaden his appeal beyond the Taken franchise. There’s something about this character and the charisma he brings to it that just works.” “It’s hard to explain a phenomenon like Taken. “Out of all the characters he’s done, this is the most enduring one,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox, the studio that distributed Taken. Last weekend, he topped the US charts yet again, as Taken 3 debuted to an impressive $40.4 million, showing that audiences have not tired of Neeson’s alter-ego Bryan Mills and his particular set of skills. He is a tortured, brooding avenger for a bleak and morally problematic time.
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In an era beset by financial fraud and terrorism, Neeson has emerged as a figure of authority who knows how to operate in a world without rules. Even though he himself is an older actor, Neeson fits the current zeitgeist. Put a gun in his hand and the 62-year-old Irish actor is the equal of Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise or Bruce Willis - stars in whose shadows he laboured for the initial decades of his long career.Īs stars from an older generation of action heroes such as Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone age out of leading roles or gracelessly battle against the ravages of time, Neeson has stepped in to take their place. From Taken 3 to Non-Stop, Liam Neeson has become one of the most consistent box office draws at an age when many actors are entering the twilight of their careers.