Who’s the Next Big Male Movie Star?

With Shia LaBeouf’s Eagle Eye taking the top spot at the box-office this weekend it makes four-in-a-row for the actor (not counting the animated Surf’s Up) and it made me wonder if the 22-year-old is our next big time actor or if it’s just a case of him starring in the right film at the right time that has made his films so popular leaving the title of “The Next Big Thing” up for grabs.

Let’s face it, Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were going to make big bucks no matter what, Shia had very little, if anything, to do with their success. One could make the argument that Disturbia opened during a very weak time in 2007 and that accounts for its three week box-office domination with rather modest numbers, winning that third weekend with barely over $9 million. But how about Eagle Eye opening just shy of $30 million with a $8,319 per-theater-average. Is this a sign that Shia is the big box-office draw for years to come?

Right now the big star is undoubtedly Will Smith. The man could be starring in Fecal Burger: The Movie and open with $30 million without even thinking twice. The difference between Smith and LaBeouf, however, is that Smith has blockbuster draw and Oscar draw and he manages to attract the same kind of attention to each. Smith’s Hancock was hammered by critics to the tune of a 33% RottenTomatoes rating and it ended up earning $227,946,274. The fans didn’t care, they wanted their Will. That’s the blockbuster draw, but he was also able to bring in over $163 million for The Pursuit of Happyness as well as a second Best Actor Oscar nomination. Now that is box-office power and he is looking to do it again this year with Seven Pounds, a film he made with Gabriele Muccino who directed him to his Happyness nomination. Look for Will to be at the tops of the box again on December 18.

So I guess with this question I am asking who is the next Will Smith? Smith, in my mind, replaced Tom Cruise who was also doing the blockbuster/Oscar thing until his Scientology exploits turned off so many. Who knows, maybe Valkyrie will bring ol’ Tom back, but for right now the crown belongs to Smith and it’s time to look for a successor. Below is a list of eleven actors I think may have a chance of breaking the Smith-barrier… What do you think?