Cuba Gooding, Jr., The King of Redbox -- A Study in Movie Posters

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | January 10, 2011

Standing in line at the grocery store yesterday (following proper grocery story etiquette), I noticed among the Redbox selections was a movie called Ticking Clock, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. And I thought, “That’s where he’s been!”

But when I returned home and checked iMDB, I learned that Ticking Clock was only a tiny fraction of the truth. In fact, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is probably one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood right now. The difference between Gooding and Nic Cage, however, is that, while Cage continues to release moves on 3,000 screens, Cuba Gooding, Jr. has become something of the King of Redbox.

Since 2007, Cuba Gooding, Jr. has made 10 movies. You’ve probably never heard of a single one of them. I haven’t, even though along the way his co-stars have included Harvey Keitel, Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, Taryn Manning, Henry Rollins, Jason London, Lance Reddick, Ally Sheedy, Nicki Blonsky, and Ray Liotta, among many, many other recognizable names. My conclusion: There’s an entire universe of movies that most of us have no fucking clue about. And the King of that Universe is Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr., whose face on a movie poster is apparently enough to sway enough individuals to rent his movies and keep his career afloat.

My mind? Kind of blown.

And if you don’t believe me, check this out: The movie posters/DVD covers for the last 10 movies that Cuba Gooding, Jr. has made.

How many have you heard of?

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