For many years,Scarlett Johanssonhas been one of the most acclaimed actors in Hollywood.Scarlett Johansson’s best moviesincludeMarriage Story,Asteroid City, and the many Marvel Cinematic Universe films she has appeared in. Now, following the release ofJurassic World Rebirth, she has accomplished a box office feat that was likely unimaginable early in her career.
Even thoughreviews forJurassic World Rebirthhave been quite underwhelming, it has been a major box office success. As of this writing, the newest film in the long-running franchise has grossed $322 million at the worldwide box office (viaBox Office Mojo).Jurassic World Rebirth’simpressive opening weekend performance hasmade Scarlett Johansson the highest-grossing actor of all time.
Currently, all of her movies combined have earned over $15.6 billion worldwide. To accomplish this feat, Johansson passed fellow actress Zoe Saldaña and actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. This is obviously an incredible accomplishment, solet’s take a look at how Johansson became the highest-grossing movie star of all time.
Johansson Was An Acclaimed Up-And-Coming Actor In The Early 2000s
Johansson started acting at the age of nine and appeared in several projects as a child performer. While she received acclaim for some of her earlier film roles,her first true breakout was Sofia Coppola’sLost in Translation, in which she shared the screen with Bill Murray.
Lost in Translationgrossed an impressive $118 million at the worldwide box office and paved the way for Johansson to star in several critically acclaimed movies in the early 2000s. In addition to Coppola’s movie,Johansson also starred in critical and box office successes likeThe PrestigeandVicky Cristina Barcelonain the early 2000s, years before she joined the MCU.
During this time,Johansson also appeared in more commercial films like Michael Bay’sThe Islandand voiced Princess Mindy inThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, which certainly helped the actress establish herself as a box office draw. However, everything obviously changed for Johansson when she appeared as Black Widow inIron Man 2.
Playing Black Widow Completely Changed Scarlett Johansson’s Box Office Appeal
The MCU Is The Most Successful Movie Franchise Of All Time
Johansson becoming the highest-grossing movie star of all time is largely due to the fact that she joined the MCU very early. Even thoughthe MCU was already building towardsThe Avengersby the time Johansson came onboard, nobody could have predicted just how big the superhero franchise would become.
Black Widowwasn’t a massive box office success since it was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its $379 million haul still helped Johansson become the highest-grossing movie star of all time.
From 2010 to 2021, Johansson starred as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in nineMCU movies. She made her debut inIron Man 2and also starred in twoCaptain Americafilms, but most notably played an integral role in everyAvengersmovie. All of these films were very successful, butAvengers: Endgame, in particular, is the second highest-grossing movie of all time.
Even though her character died inAvengers:Endgame,Johansson also received a standalone superhero movie in 2021. Unfortunately,Black Widowwasn’t a massive box office success since it was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its $379 million haul still helped Johansson become the highest-grossing movie star of all time.
Black Widow Fame Helped Scarlett Johansson Headline Other Successful Box Office Hits
The MCU Created Many Opportunities For Johansson
Without her MCU stardom, it’s highly likely that Johansson’s other movies during this era of her career wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. After proving that she was an amazing action star inIron Man 2andThe Avengers,Johansson got the chance to headline her very own action movie, 2014’sLucy.
Even thoughLucywas not based on anything, and was therefore not a popular IP, the film managed to gross a spectacular $469 million at the box office. Moreso than many other movies in her career,Lucyproved that Johansson was a bonafide movie star that studios could feel safe betting on. Therefore,Lucyand her ongoing MCU films during this time led to countless opportunities for the actress.
Throughout the 2010s and 2020s,Johansson has lended her voice to theSingmovies, the live-actionJungle Bookadaptation, and has also collaborated with several acclaimed directors, such as Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Therefore, it’s clear that Johansson has created a wildly successful career for herself after earning worldwide recognition.
Jurassic World Rebirth Was A Smart Box Office Bet For Scarlett Johansson
Jurassic World Is Johansson’s Newest Franchise
Since Black Widow was Johansson’s last MCU movie, it was time for a new era in her career. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the actress to join another successful franchise. InJurassic World Rebirth,Johansson plays Zora Bennett, a covert operation expert who leads a mission to an island overrun with dangerous dinosaurs.
Even though the last fewJurassic Worldmovieshave been disliked by audiences and critics, the franchise seems to be unkillable at the box office.The previous threeJurassic Worldmovies all made over $1 billion at the box office, and based on its opening weekend haul, it seems likely thatRebirthwill also achieve this feat.
Because of the success of the previous movies,joining the cast ofJurassic World Rebirthmade perfect sense for Johansson. It’s great to see the actress in more auteur-driven films, but after her time in the MCU, there’s nothing quite like watching Johansson in major blockbusters. Therefore, afterJurassic World Rebirthpushed her to be the highest-grossing movie star in the world, I can’t wait to see whatScarlett Johanssondoes next.
