Scarlett Johansson has set a new record with the success of Jurassic World Rebirth, surpassing her Avengers castmate Samuel L. Jackson as the top star in worldwide box office with nearly $15 billion for films in which she has a leading role.
Jurassic World Rebirth, Johannson’s first foray into the Jurassic Park franchise, was No. 1 at the box office this past weekend, devouring $318 billion in global box office — and adding to Johansson’s stunning lifetime earnings.
Her films have earned $14,851,079,186, which puts her at No. in The Numbers’ list of the Top 100 Stars in Leading Roles at the Worldwide Box Office. She edged ahead of Samuel L. Jackson, whose films have earned $14,605,054,357.
Both stars appeared together in numerous MCU films, incuding two of the most successful films of all time: 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which earned more than $2.7 billion globally, and 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, which earned more than $2 billion globally.
Both have chosen their franchise films wisely: Jackson also appeared in the very first Jurassic Park, back in 1993.
Both Johansson, 40, and Jackson, 76, have also taken time for considerably smaller scale movies: Johansson started the summer as part of the ensemble cast for Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, which so far as earned $35 million worldwide.
Keys to Scarlett Johansson’s Box Office Success
Notably, Johansson earned the top box office honor with a combination of leading live-action and voice acting roles. She has loaned her vocal talents to both animated hits like Sing (which earned $631 million) and Transformers One ($128 million) and Spike Jonze’s thoughtful drama Her ($48 million), in which she played a seemingly soothing AI companion.
She seems to have left behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, her most reliable source of hits, given that her character, secret agent-turned-Avenger Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, sacrificed herself to save half of humankind in Avengers: Endgame. She returned in the solo film Black Widow, set before Natasha’s death, and released in 2021 when the Covid lockdowns seriously dampened box office for a host of movies.
Johansson sued Disney, which released Black Widow, over its decision to release Black Widow simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+, but the parties soon resolved the dispute with a settlement.
Black Widow introduced Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Natasha’s adopted sister, who has since taken over the Widow tradition in this year’s Thunderbolts.
Of course, people don’t always really die in the MCU, and the announced return of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans to the franchise could mean hope that Natasha will return as well.
The New York City born actress’ box office achievement comes from decades of work that began when she was a child.
She first acted on stage off-Broadway, then made her film debut in the 1994 comedy North, released when she was 10. She next appeared in films including Manny & Lo, The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World before taking on adult characters starting with Sofia Coppola’s 2003 Lost in Translation, in which she starred opposite Bill Murray as a lonely newlywed accompanying her husband to Tokyo. The film won her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
Her box office success has been accompanied by wide awards recognition.
In 2019, the same year she appeared in Avengers: Endgame, she also received two Oscar nominations: One for Best Supporting Actress for Jojo Rabbit, and one for Best Actress for Marriage Story.
Main image: Scarlett Johansson stars in Jurassic World Rebirth. Universal