is one of the biggest tentpole releases of the year. With a trimmed budget of $215 million, it needed to be a big hit for Disney to even break even. But over a five-day opening weekend it made just $48 million , a figure that is shockingly low to those of us who keep an eye on these things. There are plenty of possible reasons why, including the fact thatdoesn't necessarily appeal to younger audiences. But certainly, following the insane success of their Depp-frontedfranchise, Disney was expecting Johnny Depp to be the major draw. But with what looks to be his second flop in as many years, it appears Depp's star power is failing. I say it's his own damn fault. He's overreaching on his star power, thinking he can do no wrong, and that wackier/wilder equals better. It's a costly mistake that Mike Myers made before him, and Depp may be heading for a Myers-like decline. Hear me out.Johnny Depp is a fascinating performer. He went from dreamy TV star ofto captivating leading man by purposely selecting peculiar parts and projects, likeand. In the 90s he balanced commercial prospects like Mike Newell'swith more offbeat productions like Terry Gilliam's. From there, Depp developed the kind of career many actors dream of. It seemed he'd emerge from his own private island only to play the parts that really appealed to him. He was an artist, not just an actor! Commercial appeal and box office drawing power was no real concern of his. (Proof of his inability to inspire financiers can be found in the documentary, which had Gilliam fighting tooth and nail to get his ill-fated Don Quixote movie made for the first time.) Then came his tipping point. In 2003, Depp went from respected but quirky leading man to a full-fledged A-list star withIt's become part of the film's legend that Disney execs initially loathed Depp's take on Jack Sparrow. Michael Eisner reportedly screamed, "He's ruining the film!" while perusing dailies. But producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski backed Depp's Keith Richards-inspired pirate performance. Ultimately, it was this deeply strange portrayal that launched the film inspired by a theme park ride as an immensely successful franchise. Everyone loved Jack Sparrow. While the subsequent sequels drew less and less positive reviews from critics, audiences worldwide turned out in droves, resulting inmaking about a billion dollars each. With that kind of bankability, the sky was the limit for Depp. And what did he do? He madeRe-teaming with recurring collaborator Tim Burton, Depp—as producer and star—aimed attempted to adapt the cult TV series into a comedy. He played Baranabas Collins, a role he'd dreamed of since childhood. But the results were absolutely atrocious. Critics loathed the film. In Eric's review , he offers, "Terrible as the pacing, structure and plot are, the real weak link in the chain is Barnabas himself. Depp isn’t bad in the part, but movie-goers are never given any reason to appreciate him as a character because nothing he does makes much sense."Despite Depp's presumed box office drawing power, the $150 million film only made $79 million domestically. While it's international numbers pulled that up to $245, it's still generally regarded as a failure of star power. Then Depp has followed it up with another bizarre big budget movie which he produced and in which he plays a cartoonish figure too strange to connect with. His acting canon has devolved from thoughtful and compelling portraits of unusual heroes to a collection of wacky faces , weird accents, and topped off with the racially insensitive portrayal of the insane Indian outcast Tonto. It turns out Johnny Depp is not a performer who can do no wrong.