The Playlist has a new article up, in which they break down the female actresses who have the biggest box office heat, while at the same time wondering if any of them are reliable in the “bums in seats” department.

The Potential: It’s amazing to believe that Natalie Portman’s been around for nearly twenty years, but thanks to “Star Wars” and “V For Vendetta,” she’s long since made clear that she’s more than just a teen star.

The Pros: Portman had an excellent late 2010/early 2011, with the surprise smash status of “Black Swan” (which also won her an Oscar), plus the overperformance of “No Strings Attached” and the resounding success of superhero pic “Thor,” in which she was the biggest star. Pregnancy has prevented her from jumping on anything else, but she’s got lots of potentials, from Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor” to the next Wachowskis movie.

The Cons: Outside of “Star Wars,” Portman had actually had very few hits for much of her career — even “V For Vendetta” only made about $70 million in the U.S. And for all the success of her recent run, she couldn’t stop “Your Highness” from flopping in a massive way. We’re still a year or so from seeing her next film, so whether her box office drawing power lasts remains very much in question.

Natalie is certainly a star but to really be the kind of old school draw you need to really become known for one thing that people like. As the article points out, people like Angelina Jolie kicking ass but throw her into a drama and they’re not interested.

Natalie seems to be too willfully experimental to ever fall into that kind or rinse and repeat cycle. Personally, I think that’s for the best. What about you?