"What major star has emerged in the past five years?"

Aside from Channing Tatum — who weathered a bunch of flops before scoring with “The Vow,” “21 Jump Street” and “Magic Mike” — the answer just might be none. Rather than an A-list, it might be better to think of a “hot list,” in the words of one mega-agent: “That’s what it is — the guys you hope will last because nobody’s shown they can do that just yet.”…

In some ways, Tatum defies the rules that have become de rigueur for most actors aspiring to join this quicksilver new A-list: First, make sure you have critical credibility, either through an art house hit or an Oscar nomination; then link yourself to a franchise; and finally, prove your movies can deliver in the overseas market, which now attracts 69 percent of the overall box office.

Lawrence has done all of that, getting an Oscar nomination for the tiny film that propelled her to fame, “Winter’s Bone.” She then boosted her standing with “X-Men: First Class” and finally defined herself as a fully fledged star in “The Hunger Games,” which has earned $684 million worldwide. The $10 million or so she’ll make for the sequel is 20 times the $500,000 she got paid upfront for Games– a figure that has become a benchmark for actors taking the lead in launching most non- Marvel franchises.