Mel Gibson still hot!
Thought Mel’s career would flounder? Well, you may have been wrong... At least that is what this new survey suggests.
Mel Gibson may be suffering one of the worst media scandals of his career, but a new poll shows it is having a relatively small impact on the movie star's box office appeal.
In a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll released, more than three quarters of American’s said they would not be affected by audiotapes of phone calls, widely reported to be Mel ranting at his estranged ex-girlfriend, when deciding whether to see one of the Oscar winner's films.
Asked if they were less likely to buy a ticket for a Mel movie after hearing the tapes posted on the Internet, 76 percent of Americans -- including 80 percent of men and 72 percent of women -- picked , "No, no effect."
It’s not the first time…
Mel, whose movies include "Braveheart" and "The Passion of the Christ," has in the past been embroiled in other scandals including making anti-Semitic comments to a California police officer in 2006.
In the now infamous tapes of calls between he and former girlfriend and Russian-born model Oksana Grigorieva, a voice said to be Mel's rants and curses during an argument dealing with their baby daughter.
The tapes, which were posted in July at Radaronline.com, made headlines worldwide and since then, film industry pundits have wondered what the long-term fallout would be on Mel's movie career and box office appeal.
He has two movies that have wrapped production, "The Beaver" and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation." His most recent "Edge of Darkness," which landed in theatres this past January, failed to ignite much of a spark at box offices.
The poll, which is posted at VF.com, is a monthly measure of U.S. attitudes on topics including culture, lifestyle, current events, and politics. The CBS News interviewing facility conducted a random sample of 847 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone.
How do you feel about this survey? Would you still watch movies featuring Mel Gibson, regardless of his damaged public image?