8 stars whose box-office draw is nosediving

With an opening weekend take of $28 million, Tom Cruise’s new sci-fi film, “Edge of Tomorrow” — which debuted June 6 — did even worse than his last sci-fi movie, 2013’s “Oblivion.” In the last eight years, Cruise has had only one hit (2011’s “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol”). It looks like he’s nearing the end of his run as a major movie star, though we’ll see how “Mission: Impossible 5” does when it comes out next year.

The 51-year-old is not alone in his midlife crisis: Here are seven more movie stars whose careers are in trouble.

Russell Crowe

It’s been over for Crowe, 50, for some time; “Noah,” spun as a hit, did only okay — $100 million in the US, which may cover the movie’s marketing costs, but won’t make much of a dent in the gargantuan production cost. The last time he was the leading attraction in a movie that made a lot of money was 2001, for “A Beautiful Mind.” (In 2007, “American Gangster” also did well, but Denzel Washington deserves the lion’s share of the credit.)

Audiences never really warmed to Crowe in the first place; “Gladiator” is the only other hit he’s ever had as a leading man. Compare that to his long string of flops: “Robin Hood,” “Body of Lies,” “State of Play,” “Cinderella Man,” “A Good Year,” “Proof of Life,” “The Insider,” etc.

George Clooney

Hollywood still loves the 53-year-old — he’s got the lead role in next year’s sci-fi extravaganza “Tomorrowland,” directed by “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol’s” Brad Bird. Entertainment journalists still love him. But do audiences, really? If you don’t count his small role in “Gravity,” Clooney’s never had a big moneymaker, apart from the three “Ocean’s” movies and 2000’s “The Perfect Storm” — in which he was the third banana behind Mark Wahlberg and a bigass wave.

Colin Farrell

The spectacular failure of this year’s “Winter’s Tale” and 2012’s “Total Recall” remake have driven home the point that nobody cares about Colin Farrell, 38.

Every movie in which he’s been top-billed has flopped.

Every one.

Adam Sandler

Gross-out comedies don’t cost very much, so Sandler’s movies only need to do okay to turn a profit. The problem is, except for “Grown Ups” and its sequel, there’s a steady downward trend for the performance of the 47-year-old’s comedies, and they’re starting to lose money.

“Blended,” his latest, is losing millions.

Johnny Depp

He can do no wrong with the “Pirates” movies — the last one earned over a billion dollars — but the failure of “Transcendence,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Dark Shadows,” “The Rum Diary” and “The Tourist” doesn’t bode well.

Perhaps Depp, 51, can bounce back with the musical “Into the Woods,” due at Christmas, or the Whitey Bulger movie “Black Mass,” due next year. His best bet, though, is the “Alice in Wonderland” sequel, “Through the Looking Glass,” in 2016.

Vince Vaughn

It turns out, playing the same character every time can catch up to you. Vaughn, 44, is riding a string of four flops going back to 2009’s “Couples Retreat.” Next February, he’ll be seen in a comedy that is as yet untitled, but he’s getting too old to play the fast-talking young schemer.

Matt Damon

The “Bourne” and “Ocean’s” franchises were great while they lasted, but Damon couldn’t sell audiences on “Hereafter,” “The Adjustment Bureau,” “We Bought a Zoo,” “Promised Land” or “Elysium.”

Now, the 43-year-old’s got an empty acting schedule.