Why wasn't Tom Selleck more successful in the movies?

Magnum P.I. was a bit of the problem he had to turn down Indiana Jones, because he wanted to be loyal to Magnum P.I. and the saddest thing was he could of done both, but Harrison Ford was good but I also wish I could see the Tom Selleck version.

Because he wasn't a lunatic leftist.

Why do network TV actors have such a hard time transitioning to feature films?

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-network-TV-actors-have-such-a-hard-time-transitioning-to-feature-films/answer/Jon-Mixon-1

Some actors remain in television too long - This may have been what killed Tom Selleck’s career in feature films. In the early 1980s, Tom Selleck made several high profile films which should have been successes given his fame on television in the role of Magnum P.I. However, Lassiter, High Road to China and Runaway were all critical and commercial failures. While he did better later with the horrible Three & Men and a Baby franchise, he was never able to break out his television “trap” and even today he is starring in Blue Bloods, a police drama on CBS. Had Selleck received the Indiana Jones role for which he was set to undertake until his Magnum commitment blocked it, it’s possible that he would now be a senior statesman among Hollywood actors. He didn’t and he isn’t.

That is a good question.

Bruce Will made the move from Moonlighting successfully why not Selleck?

Maybe because one of Willis first ventures into the BIG screen was a smash hit...I am talking of course about Die Hard.

One of Mr. Selleck's first ventures was a sub-par Sci Fi movie about robotic spiders that shoots lasers. This might have effected his access to good scripts.

There's something lightweight about Selleck's persona, and I mean that as a compliment. There's something sweet and cheerful about him in just about every role, it's his most endearing quality, he's the guy who lightens the mood even when things are grim. He's funny and sexy in a fun way and and effortlessly charming, an actor who's perfect for light comedy, farce, romances with happy endings, and of course, witty TV shows.

It was just his bad luck that his big break came at a time when the movie industry wanted unsmiling Action Heroes, and they weren't making movies that fit his talents.

His looks had simply gone out of style. That manly man look just wasn't in fashion any longer. It's a trip watching old shows and movies from that era cause it's filled with them, and nobody on tv looks that way anymore unless they're playing the grizzled police captain or something. Which is the exact role he's currently holding down.

Same goes for the ladies. That old classic glamorous woman is never seen any longer and i'm sure it costed quite a number of them their careers as well.

Why wasn't Tom Selleck more successful in the movies?

https://www.quora.com/Why-wasnt-Tom-Selleck-more-successful-in-the-movies/answer/Jon-Mixon-1

Multiple reasons, including:

1. Bad film choices - Lassiter, High Road To China, and Runaway (his biggest three films during his time on Magnum PI) are unique in that all suck pretty bad. Selleck chose terrible roles in terrible films and that damaged his career as a film actor.

2. He’s not a Shakespearean - While Selleck can convey drama when he needs to, he’s never been a stage actor and that seems to have hurt his progression as a film actor.

3. He was “too old” at the height of the action hero craze - Selleck was entering his fifties during the 1990s when action films in Hollywood were at their peak. Had he done a Die Hard or Terminator-style of film it’s possible that he could have rivaled the major stars of that era. However, he was aging out of those roles and so he missed a major opportunity to become a bigger star.

4. He never sharpened his comedic skills - Selleck can do comedy; however, he never seems to have honed those skills to their fullest potential. A funny Selleck might have become an even bigger star, especially if he had teamed with an Eddie Murphy, a Robin Williams, or even an early Adam Sandler.

5. 1990–1997 - With the sole exception of Quigley Down Under (which was stolen by the appearance of a then-hot Alan Rickman as the antagonist) every film that he made during this time period is awful. Whether this was because they were cash grabs or because he just didn’t read the scripts carefully is unknown, What is known is that they are both terrible and forgettable.

Tom Selleck is an exceptional television performer who never became a movie star for a host of reasons, including the ones above.