The highest grossing actors of all time, ranked
There’s a new name atop the list of the highest grossing actors of all time. Any guesses?
By Cayle Reid
DON’T LET DWINDLING box office returns and society’s mass migration to streaming platforms fool you, making movies is still big business, and the mouth-watering amounts some actors have grossed proves it.
For most of the 21st century, top performers at the box office have broken the billion-dollar mark in returns. And while the grosses may not be as high today as what they were a decade ago, big-budget blockbusters are still raking in the billions – in no small part because of the bankability of their leads.
There are some actors who simply command a high gross. Just about every Tom Cruise film rakes in more than $100 million, while every Avengers instalment, with their star-studded casts, is also a surefire hit. One thing that will become clear as you read through this list is that when it comes to making money, franchises are still king. Starring in a film that grosses around $1 billion is great, but to become one of the highest grossing actors of all time, you’ll need subsequent instalments to really run the numbers up. Spoiler: nine of the top ten are involved in the MCU, to some extent.
So, who is the new highest grossing actor of all time? Scroll on to find out.
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Who are the highest grossing actors of all time?
10. Bradley Cooper
Total gross: $17.22 billion
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame
Bradley Cooper has perhaps the most varied résumé of any actor on this list. In addition to appearing in the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy films as Rocket the racoon, Cooper has also contributed to the box office success of the Hangover trilogy, America Sniper, A Star is Born and American Hustle.
9. Chris Hemsworth
Total gross: $18.43 billion
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame
Most of Chris Hemsworth’s success at the box office has come from his role as Thor in the MCU. He has also lent his talents to Snow White and the Huntsman, Rush, Furiosa, Ghostbusters, and Men in Black: International. While Hemsworth’s films have faced varied critical success, most of them share one thing: they’re commercial juggernauts.
8. Vin Diesel
Total gross: $18.5 billion
Highest grossing film: Furious 7
He’s most well known for his leading role in the Fast and Furious franchise, but you can’t forget Vin Diesel’s crucial role in the MCU: Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. After sacrificing himself in the first film, Groot is reborn as a baby twig, who lacks the ability to speak – except for repeating the mantra “I am Groot”. As a result, Diesel’s role in the franchise is minimal beyond the first film, but he is still credited as a voice actor and therefore is lumped in with every Avengers and GoTG film’s box office performance.
7. Chris Evans
Total gross: $18.56 billion
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame
As the oldest member of the Avengers team, Chris Evans’ Captain America appears in most of the MCU’s earlier films and every Avengers film. That accounts for most of his box office gross. Evans’ best performing non-superhero film was the Ryan Reynolds-led Free Guy, and we had to double check whether he was even really in that – assuredly he does indeed have a cameo appearance.
6. Tom Cruise
Total gross: $20.53 billion
Highest grossing film: Top Gun: Maverick
The only actor on this list who has never appeared in an MCU film, Tom Cruise is the closest thing we have to a guarantor of box office success. Most of his total gross comes from the Mission: Impossible franchise (which is now up to eight films), but his highest grossing film is Top Gun: Maverick. War of the Worlds, The Mummy, Oblivion, Rain Man and The Last Samurai round out his impressive career of blockbusters.
5. Chris Pratt
Total gross: $21.7 billion
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame
The list of successful Chris Pratt-led franchises goes on: Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy, The LEGO Movie, Super Mario Bros . . . and let’s not forget he also features in the two most recent Avengers films. Who knew Pratt would become one of Hollywood’s most commercially viable leading men?
4. Zoe Saldaña
Total gross: $21.88 billion
Highest grossing film: Avatar
Zoe Saldaña has been painted a different colour in two of the most successful film franchises of all time: Avatar and Avengers. Those sets of films account for most of her gross, with her next most successful film being Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – which, if we’re being completely honest, we forgot she was in. Saldaña’s role in the rebooted Star Trek trilogy also add to the pile, as does The Terminal and Elio. Clearly, Saldaña has an eye for a blockbuster.
3. Robert Downey Jr
Total gross: $22.02 billion
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame
For many years, Robert Downey Jr. was the centrepiece of the MCU, so it should come as no surprise that he’s among the highest grossing actors of all time. The reason he isn’t higher is because this list is ultimately a numbers game in more ways than one. While RDJ has contributed to a handful of blockbusters, his average gross is the lowest of any actor on this list because, outside of the MCU, Oppenheimer and Sherlock Holmes, he has been a part of a fair few box office flops.
2. Samuel L. Jackson
Total gross: $22.76 billion
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame
For a guy who only broke out at the age of 45, for his role in 1994’s Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson sure has been a dependable marker of box office success. After Pulp Fiction came roles in Die Hard: With a Vengeance, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, The Incredibles and eventually, a recurring role as Nick Fury in just about every MCU film. And let’s not forget that he had smaller roles in Coming to America and Jurassic Park before his big break. It’s easy to see why, until recently, Jackson was the highest grossing actor of all time.
1. Scarlett Johansson
Total gross: $22.94 billion
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame
In the wake of Jurassic World: Rebirth smashing the box office to bits with opening week earnings of $489 million, Scarlett Johansson has become the highest grossing actor of all time. Johansson is the best example of how attaching yourself to a franchise can rocket you up this list. She’s appeared in every Avengers film and a handful of other MCU releases, while appearances in Jurassic World: Rebirth, Lucy, Sing and The Jungle Book give her the edge over her closest competitors.
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