Jennifer Aniston Sells Magazines. Can She Still Sell Movie Tickets?

And earlier this month, she was on the cover of Vogue where she talked about her divorce from Pitt: "Whoever said everything has to be forever, that's setting your hopes too high. It's too much pressure." And she talked about Angelina Jolie: "That stuff about how she couldn't wait to get to work every day? That was really uncool." And she talked about life as a target for tabloid photographers: "Today you're basically going to see me go into my office and you're going to see me come out of my office. Eventually this picture's going to buy you what? Lunch?"

After a while, all this reportage begins to sound less like confession and more like recitation. But it's understandable; three years after her divorce was finalized the magazine racks at every grocery line still feature side-by-side shots of Aniston and Jolie. And for her to actually start speaking openly about her relationships past and present is a change from how close to the vest she has been with personal details over the past few years. Still, these sorts of articles may sell magazines, but do they sell movie tickets?

It has been 2 1/2 years since the last film starring Jennifer Aniston hit screens. That movie, "The Break-Up," co-starred her one-time boyfriend Vince Vaughn and opened in first place at the box office. But since then, her only acting roles have been guest appearances on Courteney Cox Arquette's show "Dirt" in 2007 and on "30 Rock" last month.

She needs a big box-office smash if she is going to re-establish herself as a real movie star and not just a headline. The most financially successful movie of her career is "Bruce Almighty," which grossed $243 million, but that was sold solely as a Jim Carrey vehicle. In fact, all her top films paired her with a male comedy star, like Ben Stiller in "Along Came Polly."

This means the pressure is on for her next movie, "Marley & Me" to perform well. It seems to have all the elements: a comic costar with a strong track record; a mixture of laughs and emotion; the requisite media blitz. But it comes in the middle of a packed holiday schedule. The movie will be competing against Adam Sandler's kid-friendly "Bedtime Stories," the comic book thriller "The Spirit," and Tom Cruise's WWII flick "Valkyrie." Not to mention, the Golden Globe nominated "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," starring, of course, Brad Pitt.

Still, a little over a month later, Aniston will hit screens again in "He's Just Not That Into You." Inspired by the popular dating advice book -- which was itself inspired by an episode of "Sex and the City" -- it's a high-profile romantic comedy opening the weekend before Valentine's Day. Again, on the surface it should be a sure-fire success. But the movie was delayed from its original release date last summer, which is often a bad sign. Plus, Aniston shares the screen with other big-name stars like Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson, so even if the film is a hit, she won't be the deciding factor in making it so.

Looking ahead for Jennifer Aniston, she has the independent comedy "Management" costarring Steve Zahn and a drama with Aaron Eckhart called "Traveling." Neither of which are the types of movies she's had much financial success with in the past. This past week she signed to do a romantic comedy with "300" star Gerard Butler, where he plays a bounty hunter chasing down her, his bail-skipping ex-wife. It seems more like the type of film that has worked for her in the past, though the director, Andy Tennant ("Hitch," "Fool's Gold"), tends to be hit-or-miss.

For Aniston to have any real career longevity, she needs to stop focusing on telling the public how she's feeling. Not about her past relationships, not about her current one, and certainly not about the people who follow her with cameras all day. All we really need from her is a reason why we should still care. It's great to see that she's happy, in shape, and moving forward. What we have to see is what it is she's going towards, and why we should wait around until she gets there.

Watch the Trailer for 'Marley & Me'

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