SLIDESHOW: Taylor Kitsch Does Cult Hits Shirtless

If Disney's John Carter, which opens Friday, earns back its more than $250 million budget, it will not easily be classified as a "cult hit" — a rarified, evasive category frequently synonymous with "underappreciated." A win for John Carter will mean enormous mainstream success, especially for the film's titular star, Taylor Kitsch.

Kitsch, whose name also coincidentally refers to art objects that straddle the line between poor taste and knowing appreciation, has something going for him that not a lot of Hollywood hearthrob types do. Aside from an enviable six pack and a smoldering stare, Kitsch has bred himself a loyal following over the years, most notably by playing Tim Riggins on NBC's Friday Night Lights — a TV cult hit if there ever was one.

And when you delve deeper into Kitsch's oeuvre (snakes on planes, male witches, a Cajun X-man), a trend emerges. Kitsch has long been trustworthy when it comes to playing characters who are either comically strange themselves, or who suddenly emerge in bizarre (or bizarrely banal) settings. John Carter of Mars? Makes a certain kind of kitschy sense.

And if not, our slideshow might explain things better. Check it out here.