It’s official! Hollywood’s highest-grossing actor is now the fan-favourite actor known for beloved characters like ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth.’ Scarlett Johansson is now the highest-grossing actor of all time! In a post that has notoriously always belonged to men, with her latest release, ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth,’ she is now the reigning queen of this highly coveted title! In a post-COVID world, where cinemas are still recovering from losses, the title of ‘highest-grossing’ is highly sought after. Cinemas are still struggling with getting audiences in for the latest releases, but with Scarlett Johansson’s string of successes, one would imagine that movie theatres haven’t taken a hit at all!
A star is born
Johansson made her acting debut in a number of films and TV shows when she was only nine years old! She had several critically acclaimed parts under her belt before her blockbuster performance in Lost in Translation, directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Bill Murray, came. It would be remiss not to recognise Scarlett Johansson's indisputable comedic chops, as well as her obvious aptitude as a serious performer. After her breakthrough role in Lost in Translation, which earned $118 million worldwide, Scarlett Johansson went on to act in a string of highly praised films in the early 2000s. In the early 2000s, before joining the MCU, Johansson appeared in critically acclaimed and commercially successful films such as The Prestige and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, in addition to Coppola's film. During this period, Johansson was also a regular in commercial films such as Michael Bay's The Island and provided her voice for Princess Mindy in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, all of which contributed to her rise to stardom. But when Johansson played Black Widow in Iron Man 2, it was clear that everything had changed for her.
Black Widow—playing a role of a lifetime!
Joining the MCU from the very beginning was a major factor in Johansson becoming the highest-grossing movie actress of all time. Johansson joined Marvel Cinematic Universe that was already gearing up for The Avengers, but no one could have foreseen the franchise's meteoric rise to superstardom. Even though Black Widow's debut coincided with the COVID-19 epidemic, the film nonetheless managed to earn $379 million, propelling Scarlett Johansson to the position of highest-grossing movie actress of all time. As Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Johansson appeared in nine Marvel Cinematic Universe films between 2010 and 2021. Although she debuted in Iron Man 2 and went on to feature in two Captain America films, her most significant contribution was undoubtedly her involvement in each Avengers film. Although each of these films was financially successful, Avengers: Endgame stands alone as the second-highest-grossing film of all time.
Despite the fact that her character was killed off in Avengers: Endgame, Johansson was still given her superhero film in 2021. Even though Black Widow's debut coincided with the COVID-19 epidemic, the film's $379 million total was enough to propel Scarlett Johansson to the position of highest-grossing movie actress of all time. It is quite probable that Johansson's previous films during this period of her career would not have achieved the same level of success had she not been a Marvel Cinematic Universe star. Lucy, which was released in 2014, was Johansson's turn to feature in her action film after she proved herself to be an incredible action actress in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.
The film's $469 million haul was impressive considering Lucy had no source material and was therefore not a popular intellectual property. Lucy was the film that established Scarlett Johansson as a legitimate Hollywood star, and studios were wise to gamble on her. The actress's prolific MCU film career during that period, which included Lucy, provided numerous opportunities.
Jurassic World: Rebirth—smashes new records at the box office!
Among Johansson's many projects in the past and present decades are the live-action Jungle Book adaptation, the Sing films, and her collaborations with renowned filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Thus, it is evident that Johansson has achieved phenomenal success in her career following her rise to global renown. Thankfully, the actress was able to go on board with another hit series rapidly. Played by Scarlett Johansson, Zora Bennett is a secret agent who heads a mission to a dinosaur-infested island in Jurassic World Rebirth. Despite mostly negative reviews, Jurassic World: Rebirth has done quite well at the box office. Jurassic World Rebirth's box office receipts amount to $322 million in the opening weekend alone, making this a blockbuster within 3 days of its release!
Glass ceilings have been broken, so have box office records, and Scarlett Johansson still has many ways to go! An Oscar-nominated actor, a producer, and a successful entrepreneur—we reckon there’s so much more to come for this living legend! Till then, the numbers have spoken!