Career Advice
His team overestimated his leading man status and considering the facts, that was clearly an honest mistake : he IS a sexiest man alive-esque heartthrob with major franchise presence (Thor, Avengers) who is also widely considered a talented actor ("Rush" reviews), not to mention he is a likeable, scandal-free family man, as well, seemingly beloved by all in the industry.
And yet for a compelling, acclaimed studio release, "Rush" did not do well, "Blackhat" and "In the Heart of the Sea" were DOA and unless international numbers exceed expectations (Japan could surprise), so is "The Huntsman". So the question remains : why can't he sell a movie ?
Simple : he is trying to sell big-budget original films and that's something even the biggest (former) Box Office stars can't really pull off anymore : Tom Cruise does well with his MI franchise but even he is struggling with big-budget originals (Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, Knight and Day), Will Smith has been on a losing streak since Hancock (2008) and even Tom Hanks couldn't save a big-budget original (Cloud Atlas), a type of film he could have probably turned into a huge hit only a decade earlier. The only actor who can still sell big-budget originals without breaking a sweat, is Leonardo DiCaprio. Period.
That's why the Hemsworth team shouldn't be overreaching and try to do something that with one exception, not even the legendary big guns can do anymore and should just take a page out of the "new A-list playbook" :
1. KEEP THE BUDGET IN CHECK
Do NOT risk a big budget and just go for something small but interesting. After Jake Gyllenhaal was burnt by his attempt at tentpole greatness (Prince of Persia), he scored - still as a headliner - solid hits with low-to-midrange budgets (Love and Other Drugs, Source Code, End of Watch, Prisoners, Nightcrawler, Southpaw). With a right hook, Hemsworth could deliver 10-15M opening weekends and if the budget is kept in check (from 5M to 40M tops), then that number would be actually enough. That's how the best of his generation who also can't sell big-budget originals, still stay A-list AND acclaimed : Gosling's Drive (15M budget), Gyllenhaal's Nightcrawler (9M budget), Fassbender's Shame (6M budget). Memorable critical darlings that may not have delivered HUGE numbers but thanks to their low budgets, they never had to deliver huge numbers to begin with to be considered (minor) hits. That's the concept - and the type of films - the Hemsworth team should look into. I know, small budget means small(er) salary and smaller commission, if that's a concern, just ask for backend then if you all delivered, you all get your fair share. If you didn't, then why would you deserve to get more than what you had already gotten ?
2. LOOK AT ZEITGEIST-Y BOOK SENSATIONS
No, I don't mean s-fests like Fifty Shades of Grey BUT critically well-received smash hits should be fair play : he could have been perfect for The Martian (Oscar nod for Damon), Gone Girl (Affleck's chance to work with Fincher), or as Scott in The Girl on the Train. Latter is bound to be a big hit and he could have had a meaty, memorable supporting role in it. Sure, no headlining gig nor would it have brought in a leading man paycheck (and a hefty commission for the agents), but it would have been a solid career move and playing a devastated, broken man could have helped him break away from this "perfect hero protagonist" box he has been in for a while now.
3. SUPPORTING FLASHY ENSEMBLES USUALLY WORKS OUT
Even if you are only a relatively small part of a big ensemble, if the film turns out to be good/great, that's another good thing on your resume. It's not like Ryan Gosling (The Big Short), Benedict Cumberbatch (12 Years a Slave), Tom Hiddleston (War Horse), Gordon-Levitt (Lincoln), Chris Pratt (Zero Dark Thirty), Jean Dujardin (The Wolf of Wall Street) had a lot to do nor are they necessarily the ones you remember when thinking of the films in question but nonetheless, thanks to those (more often than not small) supporting parts, they ended up in prestigious BP nominees/winners. Hemsworth's resume could use some prestige like this.
4. PLAY AGAINST TYPE
This hero thing is great and all, and no doubt very lucrative for years to come, but that's precisely the reason why he could afford to something completely different. Marvel will continue to secure him worldwide exposure and big paychecks for the hero stuff, so in the meantime, he might as well play a baddie, an epic or at least memorable villain. It could be a serial killer in a small indie from a promising / acclaimed director, it could be a one-off franchise gig (Fast and Furious 9 or 10 ?), the important thing should be to have some kind of a departure from the role that made him famous. He can go back and forth but he should show for all to see that he CAN do something completely different, too. Would help with longevity.
5. CONSIDER TELEVISION, ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE DOING IT
I'm not suggesting that with his position in the business, he should sign on for a 7-year TV gig, but he should definitely look into what the world of TV films and mini-series could possibly offer : Drew Barrymore was taken seriously for the first time after her committed performance in an HBO film (Grey Gardens), after two glorious decades in film, Julianne Moore won her first high-profile awards for an HBO film, as well (Game Change), at the height of his career rebirth, McConaughey cemented his status as one of the best working actors with True Detective (one-season gig), Tom Hiddleston is killing it at the moment with The Night Manager (mini-series) and even movie stars more established than Hemsworth, are doing television nowadays (Matt Damon in Behind the Candelabra, Nicole Kidman & Reese Witherspoon in Big Little Lies etc.). Clearly they could have all stayed away from TV work and look how much good it did for their respective careers that they didn't. He shouldn't do it just for the heck of it, but if something good comes along (probably HBO), especially if it is a challenging role (Emmy/Golden Globe/SAG), then he should the very least consider it.
6. GO AFTER BIG DIRECTORS
He is a big franchise star so even if he can't sell a movie on his own, he could probably get an audition for anything. So why not quietly go after roles in films by the Scorseses, Finchers, Nolans, Spielbergs ? Actors NOT taken seriously enough, have all worked with these directors before (Cameron Diaz - Scorsese; Ben Affleck - Fincher; Harry Styles (!lol!) - Nolan, Shia LaBeouf - Spielberg), so why couldn't Hemsworth ?
7. SWITCH IT UP AND LOOK FOR FUN(NY)
He attempted it last year to lukewarm results (Vacation) and hopefully he will have better luck this year with "Ghostbusters" (though the big budget once again concerns me), but why not go for a comedy lead with a low-to-midrange budget ? He should wait for the right script, but if it comes along, it may just be the (thanks to budget check, small) risk worth taking.
8. CHALLENGE YOURSELF
He only needs one challenging af role in a film preferably directed by someone good/great, to be taken seriously. Jared Leto played a terminally ill trans woman (Oscar), Redmayne somehow managed to portray different stages of ALS convincingly (Oscar) and Charlize Theron pulled off an unattractive serial killer (Oscar). Before those roles, respectively they were widely considered to be "only" 1. rock star who doesn't act anymore 2. British pretty boy 3. blonde bombshell. Long story short : one role. That's all it takes. One.
9. TAKE INITIATIVE
He has Thor-money, he should just start a production company and hire smart, talented producers who could option worthy material for him. Clearly the stuff he had been offered in the old-fashioned way, is not working out, so he might as well try seeking out projects on his own. He may just succeed.
10. JUST THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Whether it's a villain role, an indie, a comedy, television, Netflix, he should just look for interesting, versatile roles and projects, try to work with unique voices, ask the agents what the likes of Sarah Polley, Dee Rees, Ryan Coogler, Jane Campion etc. are doing at the moment and MOST IMPORTANTLY, he should just NOT believe for a second that anything other than big-budget studio films is beneath him, because if anything is, it is the subpar, unnecessarily risky (expensive) material he has been given lately.
He is in a great position, he is not hurting for money (Marvel), he is not hurting for exposure (Marvel) meaning that other than his high-profile commitment (Marvel), he is completely and utterly free to do whatever the f he wants. And that's power. Freedom really is power. So he should just use it. Preferably, for good.