Entertainment

Scarlett Johansson is now the highest-grossing lead actor

July 8, 2025 6:16 am

[Source: Entertainment Weekly]

Four years after exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlett Johansson has reached new heights at the global box office.

The Oscar-nominee has officially surpassed two of her fellow MCU stars and claimed the title of Hollywood’s highest-grossing lead actor, all thanks to her role in Jurassic World Rebirth. Just six days into its theatrical run, the latest sequel to Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic has earned a staggering $318 million at the global box office.

According to data from The Numbers, the success of her latest blockbuster has catapulted Johansson from third place to first, surpassing two of her longtime costars, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr.

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Jackson was the previous and longtime holder of the title, with ​​a lifetime career box office gross of $14.6 billion in films where he plays the lead or is a lead ensemble member. Downey trailed just behind with $14.3 billion. But now Johansson is the undisputed champ thanks to her recent tangle with prehistoric creatures: her total box office earnings sit at a whopping $14.8 billion.

More impressive is the fact that Johansson managed to surpass both stars with just 36 films, compared to Jackson’s 71 and Downey’s 45.

Many of Johansson’s highest-grossing titles come directly from her stint as the MCU’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, with films including Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion), Avengers: Infinity War ($2 billion), The Avengers ($1.5 billion), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1.4 billion), Captain America: Civil War ($1.1 billion), Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714 million), and Iron Man 2 ($621 million). Her solo outing, 2021’s Black Widow, made only $379 million, with a release hindered by the pandemic.

The actress has also starred in such lucrative titles as The Jungle Book ($951 million), Sing ($631 million), and Lucy ($457 million).

In her latest big-screen outing, Johansson stars as Zora Bennett, a mercenary hired by pharmaceutical rep Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) to join paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) on a mission to acquire dinosaur DNA from a facility owned by the creators of Jurassic Park.

A die-hard fan of the original film, Johansson previously shared that she’s been pitching herself for a role in a Jurassic Park movie for over a decade — and was ecstatic when she finally landed the gig.

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