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- Stars like Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr., and Scarlett Johansson have brought in billions at the global box office.
- The highest-grossing actors all starred in at least one major franchise.
- See which actor is No. 1 on the list.
The actors who make the most money at the worldwide box office all have one thing in common: longevity.
Actors like Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. have reinvented themselves over the decades, morphing from self-serious actors to major box office draws. Others like Scarlett Johansson and Zoe Saldaña may not have been working quite as long as Cruise and Downey Jr., but have systematically navigated their careers to land leading roles in box-office goliaths.
But whether they’re attached to Marvel hits, doing death-defying stunts on impossible missions, battling dinosaurs, or driving cars fast (furiously), these actors have cracked the code of what audiences want — and they have the box office stats to prove it.
Here are the all-time top 10 highest-grossing actors at the worldwide box office, according to figures from The Numbers.
10. Chris Evans — $11.42 billion
As Captain America, Evans is attached to some of the biggest box office earners of all time, including 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time at the worldwide box office with over $2.7 billion.
Since then, he’s shown up in box office hits like “Free Guy” (just a quick cameo, but it still counts) and 2024’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
9. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson — $11.44 billion
Since going Hollywood in the early 2000s after a sensational pro wrestling career at the WWE, Johnson has gradually built up his box office tally. But the ticket sales got as big as his biceps when he joined the “Fast and Furious” franchise with 2011’s “Fast Five.”
Along with helping “Fast” entries like 2015’s “Furious 7” and 2017’s “The Fate of the Furious” each earn over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, he’s also scored other big hits like the “Moana” and “Jumanji” franchises.
8. Vin Diesel — $11.9 billion
As the star in all 10 movies in the “Fast” franchise, Vin Diesel is a major part of its over $7 billion take.
Diesel has also scored big as the voice of Groot in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.
7. Chris Hemsworth — $12.1 billion
As the face of the Thor franchise, Hemsworth has helped it earn close to $3 billion at the worldwide box office. As a member of “The Avengers” franchise, he’s also been a part of the close to $8 billion those movies have grossed.
Most recently, he starred in the hit “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
6. Tom Cruise — $12.6 billion
Regarded as one of the last true movie stars, Cruise was topping box office charts long before most on this list had their first screen credit.
Now in his 60s, Cruise is proving he’s still got it as the latest (and perhaps final) “Mission: Impossible” movie, “The Final Reckoning,” is going strong in theaters, earning half a billion dollars worldwide. That adds to its already impressive tally of close to $5 billion for the eight-movie franchise.
There’s also talk of a third “Top Gun” movie after the franchise was revived in 2020 with “Top Gun: Maverick,” which brought in $1.4 billion.
5. Chris Pratt — $14.1 billion
Who knew the jokester from “Parks and Recreation” would become such a huge box office draw?
From playing Star-Lord in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies (and several other Marvel releases), a lovable Lego figure in the “The Lego Movie” franchise, the hero in the “Jurassic World” movies, and the voice of Mario in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” Pratt’s hard work has paid off.
4. Zoe Saldaña — $14.2 billion
This recent Oscar winner has been on a box office hot streak for years.
Between playing Uhura in the “Star Trek” franchise, Gamora in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, and Neytiri in the epic “Avatar” films, Saldaña’s role choices have been impeccable.
3. Robert Downey Jr. — $14.3 billion
Believe it or not, there was a time when Hollywood wanted nothing to do with Robert Downey Jr.
In the early 2000s, Downey Jr.’s years of drug use and brushes with the law caught up with him. After spending a year at a court-ordered drug-treatment facility, he was broke and virtually unhireable.
Then he got the offer that led to his comeback: the titular role in 2008’s “Iron Man.”
With that, Downey Jr. became the face of the lucrative Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has grossed over $31 billion worldwide to date.
After ending his run as Iron Man with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, he’s returning to the MCU as the villain Doctor Doom for the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.”
2. Samuel L. Jackson — $14.6 billion
If there has ever been a blueprint for success in the modern-day movie business, it would be Sam Jackson’s filmography.
From “Star Wars” to the MCU to Pixar’s hit “The Incredibles,” the actor has been a staple of box-office sensations for decades — and let’s not forget all the memorable roles he’s played in movies from Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino.
This is why he was No. 1 on this list for so many years, until…
1. Scarlett Johansson — $14.8 billion
As the face of the latest hit movie in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which took in over $300 million worldwide over Fourth of July weekend, Johansson has surpassed Jackson to become the highest-grossing actor of all time.
Since showing up as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in 2010’s “Iron Man 2,” Johansson has upped her box office game.
Along with being a fixture in the MCU as a member of The Avengers, she also found big box office dollars starring in movies like “The Jungle Book” and “Sing.”
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