$15 Billion at the Box Office: Measuring how big a star is can be a most tricky. But most of the people agree it’s about how well they can attract audiences to the theatre — and that usually shows in box office earnings. So, it makes sense to think that the biggest stars make the most money at the box office.
However, with more ensemble films, big franchises, and shared movie universes becoming popular, that idea has changed. In fact, the world’s highest-grossing actor today is someone else who has never had a solo hit in their career.
The Highest-Grossing Actor in the World
As of July 7, Scarlett Johansson is an officially the highest-grossing actor of all time. The 40-year-old actress has starred in 52 films as a lead or co-lead, and together, those movies have made nearly $15 billion at the global box office.
She has now passed with her Marvel co-star Samuel L. Jackson, whose 66 lead roles have earned around $14.8 billion. Right behind them is another level of Marvel actor, Robert Downey Jr., with $14.3 billion from 65 films.
A big part of Scarlett’s success comes from her seven appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), especially the four Avengers films, which alone have made over $7 billion.
$15 Billion at the Box Office: What pushed her ahead of Sam Jackson recently was her role in Jurassic World: Rebirth. The movie had a massive opening weekend, earning $322 million worldwide — enough to put Scarlett at the very top.
Interestingly, Scarlett Johansson has never had a big box office hit on her own. Most of her success has come from the working in a team-based films like the Marvel movies or with other main actors, like in Jurassic World.
Big Stars Scarlett Has Surpassed
Thanks to the huge success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which has made over $32 billion globally), most of the top 10 highest-earning actors are Marvel stars. These include:
- Chris Evans
- Chris Hemsworth
- Vin Diesel
- Chris Pratt
- Bradley Cooper
Zoe Saldana is in 4th place because she starred in both the Marvel and Avatar movies (together earning over $5 billion).
The only actor in the top 10 not from Marvel is Tom Cruise, who ranks 6th, with $13.3 billion from 29 leading roles.