WILLING TO SAY NO NOW

A high-ranking studio executive who declined to be named, said, "I think we're more willing to say 'no' now. ... We're finding the more we pay, the less our profit margin is and the less people appreciate the risk that we're taking."

Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose credits include the Disney blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," agreed that the demand for talent had become a kind of buyer's market.

"I think the studios are certainly being much more conscious of the bottom line, and they're being much more careful on how they structure their gross deals," he told Reuters. "They just are tightening the screws as far as what's good business for them and the (movie) community."

Nevertheless, the biggest stars, like Cruise and Tom Hanks, remain in demand, Bruckheimer said.

"If you want Tom Hanks for a picture, he's got a price. You either want him for the picture and pay his price, or you go to somebody else," he said, adding that mid-level performers are the ones who get squeezed.

In one high-profile example of Hollywood executives losing patience with their stars, the head of a major film production company sent a letter to actress Lindsay Lohan saying she was acting like "a spoiled child" on the set of "Georgia Rules."

Film historian David Thomson said he thought Cruise was having career troubles based on his age and the loss of his boyish screen charm.

And with Cruise gone, Viacom could sign younger stars at a cheaper rate, he said.

"The crucial thing was that 'Mission: Impossible III" did significantly worse than the first two films in the series. I think Paramount judged that as a sign of Cruise's waning appeal."