Sixteen years ago, People magazine ran a cover story emblazoned with the headline “Whatever happened to … Julia Roberts.” These days, people are asking, “Whatever happened to Julia Roberts’ career?”

The 41-year-old actress has not headlined a hit since her Oscar-winning turn in 2000’s “Erin Brockovich.” Only her co-starring roles in the all-star “Ocean’s Eleven” remake and its sequel bring some luster to her recent filmography.

Her latest release, the Universal Pictures caper “Duplicity,” has earned just $32 million after 17 days. It took the studio’s new box office champ “Fast & Furious” about a day to reach that figure.

Roberts was last in theaters with 2007’s “Charlie Wilson’s War,” sharing top billing with fellow Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The wry political satire stalled at $67 million. Before that, she appeared in 2004’s “Closer,” which made $34 million. The year before, “Mona Lisa Smile” earned $64 million.

“While she’s appealing, she also is arguably a one-note actress,” said John Wilson, organizer of the annual Razzie Awards, which each year honor the worst in Hollywood movies. “The goofy laugh and the great big gum-revealing smile, there’s only so many times you can do that and still impress people.”

Wilson said “Duplicity” might have done better if Roberts had a bigger co-star than Clive Owen, a British actor with little appeal to North American moviegoers. And the storyline — about corporate double-crossing — is not exactly a laughing matter these days, he said. Critics liked the film, though.

Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said “Duplicity” caters to an older audience that does not rush out to movies on opening weekend, and it’s holding up decently. “It’ll be OK,” she said, declining to comment on Roberts’ star power.

Even as her sales slide, Hollywood loves throwing money at Roberts. She earned $15 million for “Duplicity,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, enough to land her the No. 2 spot on the trade publication’s 2008 list of highest-paid actresses behind Angelina Jolie.

But Roberts has never seemed to be a willing participant in the Hollywood power game. The stay-at-home mother of three pre-schoolers said last month she doesn’t have “the bug” to work, and good projects do not come along very often.

Late last century, ”America’s Sweetheart” could do no wrong. The Georgia native’s wide-eyed smile brought millions of fans to the theaters, and she enjoyed six consecutive $100 million hits when adjusted for ticket-price inflation. The best performer by that measure was 1999’s “Runaway Bride” with $215 million. “Erin Brockovich” made $167 million. Her 1990 breakthrough, “Pretty Woman,” is her all-time champ with $303 million, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

When that People issue came out, on Feb. 8, 1993, Roberts was “burned out by fame and broken romances,” and had not stepped in front of a camera in 18 months, the magazine said. She enjoyed a big hit later that year with “The Pelican Brief,” but did not hit her stride until “My Best Friend’s Wedding” in June 1997. If she follows a similar trajectory this time, look for a boffo comeback sometime in 2013, when the kids will be in school.