So who are the most popular actors, male and female, and on what criteria are they measured? Certainly critics have a say in what constitutes a ‘great’ film, which relies on the story-line and the performances of the cast, and therefore stars in those movies may be acclaimed, and most likely nominated for any number of awards, often around the world, although the language in which the film is made obviously has some bearing in this regard. So do directors choose the stars of their films to play specific types of character, or because of their appeal to audiences?
On this latter score, one major factor is how popular the actors/actresses are with audiences, that is, how many people actually go to see the stars, and how much do they pay, what are the takings at the box office? Are audiences attracted by the stars, or by the story-line, the plot?
What attributes make a popular star – certainly physical attraction, men or women, although only two females appear in the list below, which MAY suggest that more women are in the audiences; however, relatively few films are produced with the female lead as THE star. Surely acting ability has to shine through in the long run, but then stars can ultimately accept or reject offers to appear in any particular film – perhaps they can assess when a film is suitable for them, and/or the likelihood of the film being popular or not. Still, there are numerous stories of stars refusing roles which subsequently made someone else into a star, or of being awarded a golden raspberry for a poor performance, or for appearing in a poor film.
Below is a ‘top 25’ list, which identifies stars who have accumulatively brought in the most at the box office from films in which they have starred. Your knowledge of films will tell you whether the star was the attraction, or the quality of the film itself (or perhaps both) which can include a continuing story line, for example ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. Total figures are for the US and in billions of $US, the averages in millions of US$.
Please enjoy, and comment if you wish.
25. Cate Blanchett
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Years active: 1989-2016
Number of films: 39
Box-office total: $2,802.6; Average: $71.9
Highest-earning film: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
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24. Orlando Bloom
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Years active: 1994-2016
Number of films: 17
Box-office total: $2,815.8; Average: $165.6
Highest-earning film: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006)
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23. Ben Stiller
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Years active: 1980-2016
Number of films: 37
Box-office total: $2,827; Average: $76.4
Highest-earning film: “Meet the Fockers” (2004)
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22. Stanley Tucci
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Years active: 1982-2016;
Number of films: 49
Box-office total: $2,842; Average: $58.0
Highest-earning film: “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013)
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21. Will Smith
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Years active: 1985-2016
Number of films: 23
Box-office total: $2,848.9; Average: $123.9
Highest-earning film: “Independence Day” (1996)
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20. Andy Serkis
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Years active: 1989-2016
Number of films: 23
Box-office total: $2,889.8; Average: $125.7
Highest-earning film: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)
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19. Liam Neeson
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Years active: 1976-2016
Number of films: 62
Box-office total: $2,941.8; Average: $47.4
Highest-earning film: “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999)
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18. Matt Damon
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Years active: 1988-2016
Number of films: 38
Box-office total: $2,951.1; Average: $77.7
Highest-earning film: “The Martian” (2015)
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17. Cameron Diaz
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Years active: 1988-2016
Number of films: 34
Box-office total: $3,031.7; Average: $ 89.2
Highest-earning film: “Shrek 2” (2004)
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16. Robert De Niro
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Years active: 1962-2016
Number of films: 78
Box-office total: $3,077.3; Average: $39.5
Highest-earning film: “Meet the Fockers” (2004)
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15. Ian McKellen
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Years active: 1959-2016
Number of films: 31
Box-office total: $3,150.4; Average: $101.6
Highest-earning film: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
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14. Anthony Daniels
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Years active: 1976-2016
Number of films: 7
Box-office total: $3,162.1; Average: $451.8
Highest-earning film: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)
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13. Stellan Skarsgård
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Years active: 1968-2016
Number of films: 42
Box-office total: $3,171.9; Average: $75.5
Highest-earning film: “The Avengers” (2012)
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12. Bruce Willis
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Years active: 1980-2016
Number of films: 60
Box-office total: $3,189.4; Average: $53.2
Highest-earning film: “Sixth Sense” (1999)
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11. Robin Williams
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Years active: 1976-2014
Number of films: 49
Box-office total: $3,279.3; Average: $66.9
Highest-earning film: “Night at the Museum” (2006)
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10. Gary Oldman
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Years active: 1979-2016
Number of films: 38
Box-office total: $3,285.6; Average: $86.6
Highest-earning film: “The Dark Knight” (2008)
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9. Michael Caine
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Years active: 1950-2016
Number of films: 57
Box-office total: $3,286.4; Average: $57.7
Highest-earning film: “The Dark Knight” (2008)
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8. Johnny Depp
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Years active: 1984-2016
Number of films: 44
Box-office total: $3,291.6; Average: $74.8
Highest-earning film: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006)
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7. Robert Downey Jr
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Years active: 1979-2016
Number of films: 52
Box-office total: $3,539.3; Average: $68.1
Highest-earning film: “The Avengers” (2012)
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6. Tom Cruise
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Years active: 1980-2016
Number of films: 36
Box-office total: $3,587.2; Average: $99.6
Highest-earning film: “War of the Worlds” (2005)
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5. Eddie Murphy
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Years active: 1980-2016
Number of films: 38
Box-office total: $3,810.4; Average: $100.3
Highest-earning film: “Shrek 2” (2004)
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4. Tom Hanks
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Years active: 1978-2016
Number of films: 44
Box-office total: $4,336.5; Average: $98.6
Highest-earning film: “Toy Story 3” (2010)
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3. Morgan Freeman
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Years active: 1964-2016
Number of films: 59
Box-office total: $4,377.8; Average: $74.2
Highest-earning film: “”The Dark Knight” (2008)
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2. Samuel L. Jackson
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Years active: 1972-2016
Number of films: 68
Box-office total: $4,646.8; Average: $68.3
Highest-earning film: “The Avengers” (2012)
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1. Harrison Ford
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Years active: 1966-2016
Number of films: 41
Box-office total: $4,870.9; Average: $118.8 million
Highest-earning film: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)
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The post Best at the Box Office! The Top 25 appeared first on Net Worth Post.
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