Tom Cruise proves that's a lie. He's got multiple successful franchises
Denzel bring big money into whatever movie he's working on because he's a great actor
Avatar is the best selling movie and it's not a comic book
There's a lot of movies that people go to specifically because of the actor or director
I don't want to derail the thread but this is just completely false
Tom Cruise was literally in nothing but Mission Impossible for the past 10 years.
Denzel Washington was in Equalizer...another franchise.
Avatar is by James Cameron, a director from the 90s that makes blockbuster movies.
Lol, the fact you are mentioning 90s movie stars and one of the GOAT blockbuster directors of all time from the 90s is proving my point.
You can't name an actor or director that debuted in the 2010s that can carry a non-framchise movie by themselves.