IMO, What Woman Want was greatly helped by Gibson, but the holiday season was what really pushed it up. It opened really well, but then fell 53% in its 2nd weekend (granted Dec 24th was the Sunday of that weekend, and Miss Congeniality came out). At a normal time, I would have seen $140 m or so from it, but the holidays were what pushed it to its huge heights (at the time outpacing Pretty Woman for biggest rom com ever I believe).

Tom Hanks is #1 or #2 with Tom Cruise and Will Smith being top 3. Jim Carrey should follow.

As for actresses: The only two actresses with 100% proven time and again drawing power are Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster.
Though i'd bracket Michelle Pfieffer, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon in a similar ballpark.

Not right now. Wasn't the last movie she was even in I Am Sam?

I hope that Amy Heckerling movie gives her a career boost, she's really a wonderful actress.

Actors:

Will Smith is currently #1, in my opinion, but it is always very close between him and Tom Cruise. He usually picks less risky projects and that obviously helps. Still, you can't deny I, Robot, Bad Boys II and Hitch cleaning up the box-office. Cruise is very big as well. It is not movies like M:I-3 that show his drawing potential because this is already an estabilished franchise. It's movies like Collateral, Vanilla Sky and The Last Samurai. So, it is really close between the two.

Tom Hanks is #3/#4, in my opinion. Sorry, but that's how I see it. I know several people here will disagree, I actually know who, so no reason for them to point out once again that they do disagree. I have argued this point to death in the past. You can justify that The Ladykillers did not do well because of the R-rating and the uncommercial directors, but The Terminal's mediocre domestic box-office (I am elaborating only on domestic draws here, by the way) just can't really be justified. The movie really had a lot going for it. Adam Sandler is fighting it out with Hanks for the current #3, but obviously, he is only successful in his genre. However, he really is VERY successful there. Hanks is more versatile as far as his drawing power goes, but there is no genre in which he is as much of a draw as Sandler is in comedy.

Jim Carrey follows these four. Bruce Almighty was HUGE, but it also had an ingenious concept. I am pretty sure that with Sandler as a star, it would have crossed $200 million as well. Carrey is still a big draw in comedy, but thing is, he just doesn't do much pure comedy anymore, that's why I put him behind Sandler.

Then we get to the medium-draws. Denzel Washington rules them all. He is pretty kuch the most consistent draw out there. He has only two $100+ million hits, but out of his last nine wide releases, eight made $50+ million and seven made $65+ million. Six opened to $20+ million. You can't get more consistent than that.

The judge's out on Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson right now. I am not sure about them yet, but they have potential.


Actresses:

Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster are top. There is little arguing there, really. But who is #1? It is hard to say because each of them is usually a big draw in their own genre (Roberts in romcoms, Foster in thrillers). But Roberts has been absent from leading roles for a while and her last one in Closer didn't really make the film a hit. Thus, I would currently give the edge to Foster. Panic Room passed $90 million, Flightplan came close to that and Inside Man should pass the mark as well.

Nicole Kidman is a very clear #3, in my opinion and she has a shot at equalling Foster and Roberts eventually. She is quite versatile. Moulin Rouge gave her career a very needed boost. Cold Mountain, The Stepford Wives, Bewitched, The Interpreter and The Others all did pretty well and even the less accessible The Hours passed $40 million. All she needs now is one big breakout flick that passes $100 million.


Directors:

Steven Spielberg is #1. The End.

But M. Night Shyamalan is certainly #2 as of now. I won't even consider Cameron because he hasn't made a film in almost a decade. Shyamalan's name is one of the very rare occasions when a director's name pushes the movie more than anything. That name only opened The Village to $50+ million and while Mel Gibson helped Signs a lot, Shyamalan's name was what pushed it beyond $60 million in its opening.

Robert Zemeckis might not be a very well-known name, but as far as directors with many movies (i.e. not George Lucas) go, Zemeckis is #2 behind Spielberg in terms of success. Just look at The Polar Express, Back to the Future trilogy, What Lies Beneath, Cast Away, Forrest Gump etc. All huge hits.

I think putting tom hanks at #3/4 is a very young persons thing to do. Tom hanks is by far and wide the #1 actor with older audiences. Denzel Washington is also a big draw ith the 30+ bracket.

Of course Hanks is #1 with older audiences and not Will Smith. However, I alos think that younger audiences make up for more movie business than older audiences, thus making Smith a bigger draw.

BTW, you are younger than me