After all, Bruckheimer has two more films coming up this year: August's female-driven "Coyote Ugly," about a young woman trying to make it as a singer, and September's "Remember the Titans," which he took a pay cut to make. "Titans" stars Denzel Washington as a football coach dealing with racial strife.

Next year comes his $135 million adventure "Pearl Harbour." To get that one filmed, the mega-producer whose films, videos and soundtracks have topped $11 billion worldwide said he will not get paid one cent unless the film turns a profit.

"I've got to bet on myself and I've got to bet on the upside. ... The upside is to give a studio a little in the beginning of a movie because I'm going to make (money) in the end if it's good," he said in an interview.

"I did a similar thing with 'Titans,' so did Denzel, because we really felt it was an important movie," he added. "It's a small idea, but the upside could be great because it's a big adventure, which is what I know how to do."

OK, so maybe Bruckheimer is not so much mellowing as he is taking a similar tack to other top-flight Hollywood filmmakers who, in recent years, have traded a portion of their multimillion-dollar fees for a percentage of a film's ticket sales in order to get their movies made.

Truth be told, it is doubtful he is hurting for cash. But with the three films set for release this year, a TV show called "C.S.I." about a group of crime-busting forensic experts on CBS's fall schedule, and an Internet venture all occupying his time, the producer said he is as busy as ever.

Critics, generally speaking, do not like Bruckheimer films. Their formula is pretty simple. He puts a marquee star into a movie with spectacular special effects and marries them with enough of an emotional story to keep audiences attentive.

Judging by ticket sales, moviegoers like the result. "Armageddon," starring Bruce Willis as a space ranger who lands on an asteroid and plants a nuclear bomb to blow it to bits and save Planet Earth, tallied over $560 million in global ticket sales. Other recent Bruckheimer action flicks, "The Rock," reached $350 million and "Con Air" topped $230 million.

"Gone in 60 Seconds" follows the proven Bruckheimer formula pairing Oscar-winners Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie as car thieves who, with their crew, must steal 50 cars in one night to keep Cage's brother from being killed.

"Coyote Ugly," however, may remind viewers of "Flashdance," which set fashion trends for a couple of years and made a star out of then-unknown Jennifer Beals, who in the movie danced her way out of a dead-end job in a Pittsburgh steel mill.

(Agencies via Xinhua)