Support NeoGAF

[jph139]

Sort of a different example but - Jackie Chan has a super brief cameo appearance as an ambulance driver in Vampire Effect. For the US release, they put him front-and-center on the DVD and photoshopped out the steering wheel to make it look like he's mid-punch.

Honestly, kudos to them, that's some creative bullshitting.

 

[shem935]

I thought Cranston did the voice of Godzilla but then I saw he was an actor. That really threw me for a loop.

I am now imagining godzilla yelling "I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS!" and I have a big stupid grin on my face. Cheers!

 

[Banjotanooki]

Some guy named The Rock was in this for all of 30 seconds

Spoiler

and then comes back for 30 more as a PS2 rendering

lol, I remember as a kid being excited for this movie and couldn't wait to see the Rock in it but ended up disappointed.

 

[JdFoX187]

The Ghost and the Darkness is pretty bad about this. Michael Douglass is top billed and is barely in the film.

 

[Apoc29]

Spoiler: Guy Pearce did not play the kid.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I get it cuz Antonio and Selma were the stars in the last one, but in reality the movie is more of an ensemble piece. Johnny Depp has more screen time than both, and Hayek is only seen in flashbacks in relation to the narrative.

 

[Data West]

Segal in Executive Decision

I'm still angry

 

[Dr Amazon MD]

I get it cuz Antonio and Selma were the stars in the last one, but in reality the movie is more of an ensemble piece. Johnny Depp has more screen time than both, and Hayek is only seen in flashbacks in relation to the narrative.

Yeah that's a good one. Salma has very little screen time... :'(.

Fantastic movie though.

 

[thewaffles]

Julianne Moore wasn't the top billed actor in Children of Men or The Fugitive (second or third and on both posters), but she always comes to mine for those two.

 

[gblues]

Jim Carey in "High Strung"

He's only got like 5-10 minutes of total screen time. The movie's a cult classic, but his involvement was used heavily in marketing so people expecting a Jim Carey flick were probably disappointed.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

If you were to watch No Retreat No Surrender today, for the first time, you would probably think Jean Claude Van Damme was a major player, and not in in the movie for about 10 minutes at most. He was all over the VHS covers too. (it's a terrible movie by the way, but it's also amusing, with some nostalgic attached to it for me)

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Do puppets count? Elmo appears on the DVD cover for "Follow That Bird" even though he has literally zero screen time.

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

Sting's top-billing in David Lynch's Dune (1984) comes to mind.

 

[Elwood Blues]

I watched the movie Margaret because Matt Damon's name was on the dvd. It was a mistake.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

I watched the movie Margaret because Matt Damon's name was on the dvd. It was a mistake.

I've heard pretty good things about that film.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Julianne Moore wasn't the top billed actor in Children of Men or The Fugitive (second or third and on both posters), but she always comes to mine for those two.

Its funny rewatching the Fugitive, you have this great, gorgeous Hollywood actress in there for some 5-minute bit part anybody could have done. The way I hear, she was originally gonna be the love interest in the Fugitive, but of course they later realized that's kinda a dumb idea since he's on this big chase for his recently murdered wife. Kinda dilutes the story there if Kimble's getting it on with another woman a few days later.

As for Children of Men, she had about equal billing, right in the center!

 

[devilhawk]

Anthony Hopkins is only on-screen for something like 16 minutes in Silence of the Lambs

Darth Vader had 12 minutes in A New Hope.

 

[facelike]

How about a little personification?

The actual earthquake from the movie San Francisco. My mother told me this movie was about the 1906 SF earthquake but instead it's about all these people I don't care about. The earthquake happens at the end of the movie...........then a shot of the people recovering from the rubble....the end.

I was pissed.

Also, Executive Decision, first thing that came to mind when I read the title.

 

[Oblivion]

Brad Pitt in Megamind.

God that movie sucked.

 

[t26]

 

[MasterCheeze]

Robert De Niro in

Spoiler

American Hustle

was just in one scene.

 

[BigJonsson]

Executive Decision by a mile

 

[Randam]

Sort of a different example but - Jackie Chan has a super brief cameo appearance as an ambulance driver in Vampire Effect. For the US release, they put him front-and-center on the DVD and photoshopped out the steering wheel to make it look like he's mid-punch.

Honestly, kudos to them, that's some creative bullshitting.

Lol, this is awesome.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

Jackie Chan is the king of these.

I was fooled so many times by so many different movies.

 

[MetalGearZed]

.....oooh I get it. that is true. The scenes were good though.

 

[Booker Dewitt]

Robert De Niro in

Spoiler

American Hustle

was just in one scene.

That's a cameo, dude wasn't even credited for it.

 

[dark_chris]

I remember the company getting sued by Jesse for this. He only appeared for two mins and the company was forced to make a new cover too. Here is the originals.

Even though this movie appears to be about him, dont be fooled by this shit. Jackie only appears for a few mins in this too. The whole movie is just about a boy looking for Jackie.

 

[MasterCheeze]

That's a cameo, dude wasn't even credited for it.

Aah, my bad. I thought I remembered seeing a trailer or commercial one time that advertised him in it.

 

[Fury451]

Robert De Niro in

Spoiler

American Hustle

was just in one scene.

Wasn't that uncredited though? I don't recall seeing his name on any advertising.

Edit: already cleared up, never mind lol

 

[Stalfos]

G.I. Joe: Retaliation, both Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis had limited screen time.

 

[Son Of D]

Brad Pitt in Megamind.

God that movie sucked.

That's the premise of the film though, the villain finally wins (Brad did the voice of Metro Man) and gets bored because he has no one to stop him.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

Drew Barrymore didn't receive "top billing" in Scream, as evidenced by the poster. I don't think Cranston got top billing in Godzilla either.

The most infamous and blatantly exploitive example of this phenomenon would probably be:

"Almost starring Bela Lugosi"

 

[ZehDon]

I saw this, nodded in acknowledgement of Cranston, and left the thread. Then I thought about it for a second, and came back to say: bravo.

 

[Frog-fu]

RDJ in Chef. He was barely in it at all and I think they used his name as top billing to generate publicity in all the trailers.

 

[noquarter]

This one is perfect

He is in the movie for literally the first 15 minutes and doesn't really do a whole lot

Have to agree with this, expected a lot more action than I received, especially since Russell plays more of a nerd than a bad ass, if I recall correctly. Movie pissed me off.

 

[Shuggananas]

Jessica Alba in Machete Kills
I was kinda surprised

 

[Dawg]

does this count

 

[JMDSO]

She has a brief cameo.

 

[RoryDropkick]

does this count

What is that?

 

[ThLunarian]

I don't know if he got top billing, but Alec Baldwin had a single scene in Glengarry Glen Ross, and it's the most iconic scene in the movie.

https://youtu.be/Q4PE2hSqVnk

 

[Kinyou]

Spoiler: Guy Pearce did not play the kid.

At that point they could have thrown Charlize Theron on there as well.

 

[Currygan]

What is that?

Tropic Thunder

 

[Corpekata]

Some real questionable ideas of "top billing" in this thread.

 

[gabbo]

does this count

No, because he wasn't given top billing. His character just blew up after

 

[EGM1966]

Marlon Brando in Superman a The Movie. Long film and he's barely in it but gets essentially top billing IIRC. His pay was huge - and if adjusted for inflation would likely remain huge today. Least he was pretty solid in the role.

Steven Segal in Executive Decision is a solid runner up.

I struggle to count Barrymore in Scream as that was deliberate misdirection that worked perfectly in the context of the film.

 

[JDSN]

Some real questionable ideas of "top billing" in this thread.

Yup, Some questionable ideas of what límited screetime in a two hour movie is.

 

[SJRB]

Spoiler: Guy Pearce did not play the kid.

I had no idea Guy Pearce was even in this movie. What the hell?

 

[OctoMan]

Sam Jackson in Deep Blue Sea.

Spoiler

"A fuckin Shark ate me!"

That was my first thought.

 

[Slayven]

Sort of a different example but - Jackie Chan has a super brief cameo appearance as an ambulance driver in Vampire Effect. For the US release, they put him front-and-center on the DVD and photoshopped out the steering wheel to make it look like he's mid-punch.

Honestly, kudos to them, that's some creative bullshitting.

beat me too it, he was in there for 30 seconds maybe

 

[EGM1966]

I had no idea Guy Pearce was even in this movie. What the hell?

It's a real small role. TBH the kid should have been second billed but marketing execs just love shoving a bigger "name" in a more prominent position if they can.