Movienomics: How do you know when a Jason Statham movie will be good 2.0?

A while back I was working on a post about explosions and movie posters and one person kept popping up. As I scoured through 266 action movie posters from 2000-2013, I noticed that Jason Statham has had quite the poster personality evolution. Jason Statham has been kicking butt for well over a decade and his posters tell a story. For instance, he started off looking blue-collar and transformed into a suave man who wears a suit and shoots two guns whilst jumping in the air.

There is a pattern afoot and I’ve figured out how to gauge whether a Stath film is going to be good or not. I’ve compiled 34 of his posters (the main theatrical posters) and put them through the data wringer. I broke down the posters to various Stath coats/outfits and found a world-changing discovery (not really).

Sidenote: The following research was done out of a love of randomness. The causation and correlation cannot be proved but I found the results to be intriguing, cheeky and fun.

The Average Rotten Tomatoes score for all Stath films is 41.35% and the Audience Score is 56.38%

Overcoat posters = 70.25% RT Score/78% Audience Score. When Stath wears an overcoat on a poster the results are 28.9% and 21.62% higher than the average. The totals are understandable because three out of the four overcoat films are really good (Mechanic is garbage). It also shows that critics and audiences enjoy Statham as an everyday bloke who speaks more than monosyllabic sentences. Lock Stock, Snatch, Mechanic, Bank Job.

Suit/Cardigan/Jacket posters = 41.275% RT Score/52% Audience Score. Crank and Transporter buoyed this score because they were solid films that weren’t wrecked by the Statham suit persona. The rest of these films are a hodge podge of random action films. Crank, Safe, Redemption, Revolver, Chaos, Transporter 1-3, 13, Parker, Homefront, Cellular, Blitz, Italian Job, Crank 2, London, Killer Elite, Wilcard

Military Garb = 40% RT Score/51% Audience Score The one thing I find interesting about this list is that Expendables 2 was certified fresh on RT (65%). Nowadays people love to hate on the sequel. Expendables 1-3, Ghost of Mars.

Not on Poster = 32.5% RT Score. Pink Panther, The One, Collateral, Turn it Up

Medieval Garb = 4% RT Score. Do not watch In the Name of the King. Listen to this podcast though.

One piece jumpsuits = 38.5% RT Score Death Race, Mean Machine

Keep your eye out for overcoats because good things happen when he wears the long coats! When Statham has a new movie coming out look at the posters and let me know on twitter (@MoviesFilmsFlix), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/moviesfilmsandflix) or on this post. Will the upcoming movies Fast 7 or Spy lift his suit poster score?