2018's highest grossing actors

Written by:
August 9, 2018
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2018's highest grossing actors

It's no longer far-fetched to say that Hollywood has become an industry dominated by franchises and existing properties rather than star power. Media franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe hold tremendous sway over audiences—enough to transform a loveable goofball like Chris Pratt into a bonafide action hunk overnight. Yet for all his meteoric ascent, Pratt’s box office influence doesn’t fully extend beyond the reach of the MCU. Take his role in 2016’s “Passengers,” for instance. The film was his first big standalone role after joining the MCU and boasted another major star: Jennifer Lawrence. Yet the film, which cost upwards of $125 million to make, struggled to break even.

The upside of this trend is that it’s paved the way for seasoned character actors and newcomers alike to join the A-list. The Numbers ranks the highest grossing actors and actresses each year based on the domestic box office performances of films they’ve appeared in since 2016. The top film each year is worth a Star Score of 100—the second is 99, the third is 98, and so forth. Actors accumulate points for each film they appeared in over the period.

Stacker used the data from The Numbers to compile the 50 highest grossing Actors of 2018 (so far). We’ve compiled a list of highest-grossing actresses on a separate list. The goal is to reward an actor for a run of successful films rather than one gigantic hit in a flood of flops. But even with the adjusted rankings, this list is, unsurprisingly, dominated by card-carrying members of the Marvel Extended Universe. If you want to make money in Hollywood, the trade-off might be facing down Thanos.     

RELATED: 2018's highest grossing actresses (so far)

#50. James McAvoy

Star score: 162

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 1.0

James McAvoy was well-known for his award-winning performances in “Last King of Scotland” and “Atonement,” but his profile rose further in 2011, when he first starred as a young Charles Xavier in “X-Men: First Class.” He reprised the role in 2016’s “X-men: Apocalypse,” before moving on to films like “Split” and “Atomic Blonde.” He’s set to return to his role in X-Men next year, and even made a cameo as Professor X in this year’s “Deadpool 2.”

#49. Jeff Goldblum

Star score: 167

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 3.5

Few actors garner more love than Jeff Goldblum. The smart, strange, sexy thespian has been working since the mid-70s, and shows no sign of slowing down. Goldblum has recently appeared in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Thor: Ragnarok.” Even at 66, he’s found a cross-generational appeal: his likeness has spawned several popular memes.

#48. Benicio del Toro

Star score: 168

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 7.5

Widely considered to be one of the best character actors of his generation, Benicio del Toro has been working steadily since the mid-90s when he appeared in Bryan Singer’s neo-noir film “The Usual Suspects.” Over the last few years he’s found work in many big-budget sequels, including “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Sicario: Day of the Soldado.”

#47. Ike Barinholtz

Star score: 169

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 5.5

Ike Barinholtz made his name with some inspired and quirky performances in much-loved niche comedies. Barinholtz played Russian pitching prospect/DJ Ivan Dochenko on “Eastbound & Down” and Morgan Tookers on “The Mindy Project”—stealing the scene in both shows. This year, he got a chance to star in the raunchy comedy “Blockers,” which performed well at the box office.

#46. Josh Gad

Star score: 169

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 5.5

Triple-threat Josh Gad has been working steadily since the early 2000s, but it was his performance as Olaf in “Frozen” that served as his breakout role. While Gad has many films coming later this year, it’s his role in “Beauty and the Beast” from the end of 2017 that gets him on this list—the live-action Disney remake netted $504 million at the U.S. box office alone.

#45. Michael Peña

Star score: 171

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 3.3

Although he rarely receives top-billing, Michael Peña is a work horse—he’s appeared in more than a dozen films since 2016. “Ant-Man” was Peña’s entry into the lucrative Marvel Extended Universe, and this year, he’s already appeared in “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “12 Strong,” “A Wrinkle in Time” and the Netflix original sci-fi film “Extinction.”

#44. Ryan Gosling

Star score: 171

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 1.3

Ryan Gosling has the distinction of being the first person born in the 1980s to be nominated for an Oscar for 2006’s “Half Nelson." The success of “Blade Runner 2029" and “La La Land” landed him a spot in the rankings, and his star only continues to burn brighter—he’s set to portray astronaut Neil Armstrong later this year in Damien Chazelle’s “First Man.”

#43. Forest Whitaker

Star score: 172

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 5.0

This Academy Award-winning actor has enjoyed a storied career spanning decades of film and television. He’s recently held roles in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“Black Panther”) and the Star Wars Universe (“Rogue One”). But Whitaker’s real passion project is his production house, Significant, which he’s used as a launching pad for a new generation of black directors, including Ryan Coogler, Rick Famuyiwa, and most recently, Boots Riley.

#42. Hugh Jackman

Star score: 173

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 1.0

Hugh Jackman’s most critically acclaimed performance as Wolverine was also his last. Last year’s “Logan” was a huge success at the box office, and a fitting end to a character Jackman has played for 17 years. It’ll be exciting to see what Jackman does next. His appearance in last year’s hit “The Greatest Showman” seems to hint at more musical theater in his future.

#41. Tom Hiddleston

Star score: 174

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 1.5

Tom Hiddleston’s educational pedigree is no joke—he’s a graduate of Eton College and the University of Cambridge. It was at Cambridge where he got his big break, when an agent caught his performance in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” He has most recently appeared in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Thor: Raganarok.”

#40. John Boyega

Star score: 176

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 3.0

John Boyega burst onto the mainstream with his appearance in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and has ridden that newfound stardom to some bold, if sometimes questionable choices. Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit” seemed like a perfect career choice, but the film flopped, disliked by critics. Boyega’s leading role in the second installment of the “Pacific Rim” franchise also seemed well-chosen, but the sequel never quite lived up to the original. Boyega is set to reprise his role as Finn in 2019’s yet-untitled Episode IX.

#39. Karl Urban

Star score: 178

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 6.5

Karl Urban got his start portraying Éomer in “Lord of the Rings,” but his more recent breakthrough role was as Bones in the “Star Trek” films. Urban has been in one film so far in 2018 (the forgettable “Bent”), but makes the list for his roles in “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Pete’s Dragon,” and “Star Trek: Beyond.”

#38. Andy Serkis

Star score: 179

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 4.5

As Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings,” Andy Serkis helped define the art of the motion-capture performance. In 2017, Serkis appeared in the third “Planet of the Apes” film and also in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” as Supreme Leader Snoke. In 2018, he delivered a more traditional acting performance in “Black Panther.” Next year, Serkis will make his directorial debut with “Mowgli.”

#37. Ezra Miller

Star score: 180

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 3.5

Ezra Miller is a young actor with a lot of promise—his breakout came when he starred in the adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” He made his way to this list by starring in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” and as The Flash in the DC Comic films. In 2017, he appeared in “Justice League” and later this year, he’ll reprise his role as Credence Barebone in the “Fantastic Beasts” sequel.

#36. Michael Fassbender

Star score: 181

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 1.3

Michael Fassbender will always be linked to indie director Steve McQueen, who brought him to prominence with his films “Hunger,” “Shame” and finally, “12 Years a Slave.” Around the same time, Fassbender took on a blockbuster role by playing a compelling, multi-faceted Magneto in the X-Men films. He’s put in admirable performances in Ridley Scott’s two newest entries in the “Alien” franchise. Next year, he’ll reprise his role as Magneto in “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.”

#35. Daniel Kaluuya

Star score: 186

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 5.0

Daniel Kaluuya has been on quite a run. Many people were introduced to Kaluuya in the haunting “Black Mirror” episode “15 Million Merits”, but it was his starring role in “Get Out” that announced him as a force to be reckoned with. This year, he appeared in the wildly popular “Black Panther” and he’ll be featured in Steve McQueen’s “Widows” later in 2018.

#34. Benedict Wong

Star score: 187

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 13.5

After playing Kublai Khan in the Netflix series “Marco Polo,” Benedict Wong delivered a fine performance alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in 2016's  “Doctor Strange." He made it onto the highest grossing list by appearing in both “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Annihilation.”

#33. Benedict Cumberbatch

Star score: 187

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 3.5

Benedict Cumberbatch was perfectly suited for the role of Sherlock Holmes, which helped launch him into superstardom. Since then, he’s mastered the role of the cantankerous genius, which he’s played again and again (see: “Doctor Strange,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” “The Imitation Game,” and others). His most recent project, the mini-series “Patrick Melrose,” saw the actor take a darker riff on his usual style.  

#32. Mads Mikkelsen

Star score: 188

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 5.0

Mads Mikkelsen, with his handsome, slightly intimidating look, entered the mainstream with his role as Le Chiffre in “Casino Royale.” Mikkelsen seems born to play bad guys, and he’s fantastic as the villain in “Doctor Strange.” But he also managed to play a hero in “Rogue One.” Those two hit films are what landed Mikkelsen on this list.

#31. Ben Mendelsohn

Star score: 191

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 3.0

Ben Mendelsohn had long been a character actor in Hollywood, but his performance as the troubled older brother on “Bloodline” demonstrated his star power to the world. Since that breakout, Mendelsohn has appeared in “Rogue One,” “Darkest Hour, and Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One.” Later this year, he’ll portray the Sheriff of Nottingham in the new “Robin Hood” film.

#30. Denzel Washington

Star score: 192

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 1.0

Denzel Washington needs no introduction. The veteran actor has received nine Academy Award nominations throughout the course of his career, and from those nominations he’s taken home two statues. He most recently stared in the big-screen adaptation of August Wilson’s play “Fences.” Acting runs in the family—his son, John David Washington, stars in the new Spike Lee film “BlacKkKlansman,” which premieres August 10.

#29. Tom Holland

Star score: 194

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 4.5

People were excited when Marvel took control of the “Spider-Man” franchise and finally cast a Peter Parker who looked like he was still in high school. Tom Holland, who so perfectly embodies the boyish aspects of the youngest Avenger, made this list by starring in 2017's “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The film grossed $335 million in the United States. “Avengers: Infinity War,” in 2018, grossed $677 million.

#28. Sebastian Stan

Star score: 197

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 8.5

Sebastian Stan stole moviegoers’ hearts when he showed up as Bucky Barnes in “Captain America,” and broke those same hearts when he became the Winter Soldier in the sequel. In 2017 he had roles in “Logan Lucky” and the award-winning “I, Tonya.” Stan rounds out his spot on this list with his role in “Avengers: Infinity War” and a cameo in “Black Panther.”

#27. Don Cheadle

Star score: 197

Number of movies recently starred in: 2

Average billing: 6.5

Don Cheadle was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in “Hotel Rwanda.” For others, he’ll always be most associated with Buck Swope, the cowboy porn star of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights.” Cheadle makes this list because of his place in the Marvel Extended Universe—he replaced Terrence Howard as Lt. Col. James Rhodes (i.e. War Machine) starting with 2010’s “Iron Man 2.” This past April, he appeared in “Avengers: Infinity War” and later this year, he’ll star in a Showtime comedy series produced by Seth Rogen.

#26. Chris Evans

Star score: 205

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 2.0

It’s hard to calibrate the degree to which Chris Evans’ life changed when he was cast as Steve Rogers in “Captain America.” At the time, he was probably-best known for his role in Fox’s botched “Fantastic Four” attempt. And then, suddenly, Evans was one of Hollywood’s Chrises and a bonafide star. Evans has expressed mixed feelings about his place in the Marvel Universe, but that’s the reason he’s so high on this list. Last year, he starred in the indie drama “Gifted” and turned in a scene-stealing cameo in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” This year, he starred in “Avengers: Infinity War.”  

#25. Samuel L. Jackson

Star score: 207

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 4.3

It seems worth noting that Samuel L. Jackson is 69 years old. The legendary actor, who rose to stardom in “Pulp Fiction” at the age of 45, shows no signs of slowing down. The man known for “being in everything” was already in two of the biggest movies of 2018: “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Incredibles 2”—there’s no doubt his 70th year will be full of hits as well.

#24. Johnny Depp

Star score: 214

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 2.3

Johnny Depp built a reputation on his ability to disappear into a role, but despite rumored financial troubles and difficulty on-set, it appears he won’t be disappearing from the public eye. He made this list for a starring role in “Sherlock Gnomes,” yet another “Pirates of the Caribbean” film and the surprisingly lucrative “Murder on the Orient Express.”

#23. Mark Wahlberg

Star score: 219

Number of movies recently starred in: 5

Average billing: 1.6

Almost three decades after he shed his shirt for the “Good Vibrations” music video, Mark Wahlberg has transformed himself into one of the most marketable action stars of his generation. Last year, Wahlberg starred in “Transformers: The Last Knight” ($130 million at the US box office), the comedy “Daddy’s Home 2” (which earned $104 million) and the biopic “All the Money in the World.” Later this month, he’ll appear in action film “Mile 22.”

#22. Vin Diesel

Star score: 226

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 9.3

Part of the fun of Vin Diesel—whether living a quarter mile at a time, using extreme sports to fight crime or singing Rihanna—was that he seemed to take the idea Vin Diesel very seriously. This has made his unexpected entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe so delightfully strange and fun. Diesel plays Groot, a sentient tree branch with a limited vocabulary, in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. In 2017, Diesel starred in a mix of blockbusters and flops: “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” earned a disappointing $44 million, while “Fate of the Furious” pulled in $226 million and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” made a mind-blowing $389 million.  

#21. T.J. Miller

Star score: 226

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 4.3

After leaving HBO’s “Silicon Valley” in 2017, Miller found some success in the excessively weird “Emoji Movie” and then much more in 2018. Miller appeared in the “Deadpool” sequel (which earned $318 million) and in Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” ($137 million). But Miller has been accused of abuse and of sexual assault, and has been in a tailspin over the last two years. It remains to be seen if he'll continue to land marquee roles like the ones he had this year.  

#20. Zac Efron

Star score: 226

Number of movies recently starred in: 5

Average billing: 1.8

The Disney Channel original movie star showed his comic chops in the 2014 Seth Rogen film “Neighbors.” Efron appeared in three comedies in 2016: a “Neighbors” sequel, “Dirty Grandpa” and “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.” Those films, along with an impressive 2017 during which he starred in “Baywatch” ($58 million) and appeared in “The Disaster Artist” ($21 million) and “The Greatest Showman” ($175 million) are why he makes this list.

#19. Tom Cruise

Star score: 231

Number of movies recently starred in: 4

Average billing: 1.0

Most people slow down as they get older, but as the legendary Tom Cruise (allegedly) ages into his 56th year, he seems to be speeding up. In 2016, Cruise starred in the “Jack Reacher” sequel ($59 million). In 2017, he appeared in the disappointing reboot of “The Mummy” ($80 million) and the surprisingly well-received “American Made” ($51 million). But it was just last month, with the release of the newest installment of “Mission: Impossible,” that Cruise truly cemented himself into the hearts and minds of audiences (and financiers). The film made $61 million in its opening weekend.

#18. Mark Ruffalo

Star score: 245

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 4.3

Whenever this era of Marvel domination ends, probably decades from now, those of us still kicking will look back at the generation of leading men sucked up by this vortex. When trying to tell the tale, none will be harder to explain than how Mark Ruffalo became the Incredible Hulk. “Was he a bodybuilder, like Lou Ferrigno?” our hypothetical ancestors will ask. “No,” we’ll say. Ruffalo was in the “Now You See Me” sequel in 2016 ($65 million), “Thor: Ragnarok” in 2017 ($315 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($678 million) this year.   

#17. Kevin Hart

Star score: 245

Number of movies recently starred in: 4

Average billing: 2.0

Kevin Hart is a truly hilarious man, but the main thing he has going for him is that he works harder than you might imagine. Hart has been in dozens of movies and TV series over the last few years, all while selling out stadiums on his comedy tours. But none of his films were more of a surprise hit with audiences (and critics) than “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which made an astounding $404 million at the box office. A sequel, due out in 2019, is already in pre-production.

#16. Ben Affleck

Star score: 249

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 1.3

Our nation’s saddest #VapeDad has found himself in the same whirlpool that has caught up the entire DC Entertainment wing of Warner Bros. How do you turn off the faucet of terrible films when they’re so profitable? Oscar-winner Ben Affleck started his uninspiring run as Batman in the offensively bad and horrifyingly lucrative “Batman vs. Superman” (27% on Rotten Tomatoes; $330 million) and followed up with 2017’s incrementally-better-yet-still-terrifyingly-profitable “Justice League” (40% on Rotten Tomatoes; $229 million). In 2016, Affleck was also in “The Accountant,” which did surprisingly well, and “Live by Night” which was a disastrous flop.

#15. Simon Pegg

Star score: 254

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 3.3

Simon Pegg can play well against everyone from Tom Cruise to Margot Robbie to Neil deGrasse Tyson (in the form of a prehistoric weasel). Pegg has found his way into three of Hollywood's biggest franchises: “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” and “Mission: Impossible, ” all produced by J.J. Abrams. Already this year, Pegg has appeared in “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” “Ready Player One” and “Terminal.”

#14. Idris Elba

Star score: 260

Number of movies recently starred in: 5

Average billing: 3.2

The ridiculously handsome Brit came to the attention of most Americans when he played one of the great TV characters in history: “The Wire’s” Stringer Bell. In recent years, Idris Elba has become a bonafide movie star, appearing in “Molly’s Game” ($29 million), “The Mountain Between Us” ($30 million), “Thor: Ragnarok” ($315 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($648 million). He’s very likely on the shortlist to play the next James Bond, as well. To paraphrase Stringer Bell, when we say we’re ready, you best believe it.

#13. Dave Bautista

Star score: 262

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 8.3

The former WWE star looks like he’d make a perfect villain—or at least a good henchman. But Dave Bautista has become best-known for his role as Drax, the hilarious, loveable, goofy member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Aside from the Marvel mega hits, Bautista also appeared in “Blade Runner 2049” ($92 million) and the less-successful “Hotel Artemis,” “Bushwick”  and “Escape Plan II” over the last two years.

#12. Henry Cavill

Star score: 262

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 3.3

Henry Cavill looks born to play the part of Superman; unfortunately for him, the character may be impossible to play (or at least to hang an interesting film upon). But Cavill has continued to show up for each of the DC Universe films, most recently starring in “Justice League” in 2017. One of the many negative stories about that film centered around the uncanny quality of Cavill’s upper lip, which had to be CGI’d out in reshoots. He’d grown a mustache for “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” in which he plays a fantastic villain.  

#11. Jeremy Renner

Star score: 269

Number of movies recently starred in: 4

Average billing: 4.3

For Jeremy Renner, this whole acting thing is just a side project; a cash flow for his real passion: house-flipping. After back-to-back Oscar nominations for “The Hurt Locker” and “The Town,” Renner found his way into the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, the “Bourne” franchise and the Marvel Extended Universe. This year, Renner was in the surprisingly popular comedy “Tag” ($54 million), and will appear in the animated film “Arctic Justice” later this fall.

#10. Ryan Reynolds

Star score: 270

Number of movies recently starred in: 4

Average billing: 1.5

After a rough first attempt at playing a superhero in the 2011’s “Green Lantern,” Ryan Reynolds hit gold his second time around as the rude, fast-talking, R-rated hero of “Deadpool” ($363 million). In the two years since, Reynolds starred alongside Samuel L. Jackson in “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” ($75 million), “Life” ($30 million) and most impressively, “Deadpool 2” ($318 million). In strange and wonderful news, Reynolds will voice Detective Pikachu in an animated film coming next year.

#9. Josh Brolin

Star score: 275

Number of movies recently starred in: 4

Average billing: 6.5

Best-known for “The Goonies,” “Milk” and “No Country for Old Men,” Brolin has since used his gruff good looks to portray a whole lot of gruff leading men and one big purple nihilist. This last year’s been busy for Brolin, who starred in the Netflix original “The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” ($49 million), “Deadpool 2” ($318 million) and as Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity War” ($648 million). In the near future, he’ll star alongside Jessica Chastain in the George Jones/Tammy Wynette biopic “George and Tammy.”

#8. Woody Harrelson

Star score: 276

Number of movies recently starred in: 4

Average billing: 2.3

Woody Harrelson could have stopped acting in 1992 after “White Men Can’t Jump” and been a legend; instead he just kept on going to become one of the greats. Harrelson has appeared in some of the biggest franchises (“Hunger Games,” “Star Wars,” “Planet of the Apes”) while peppering in interesting smaller roles and one of the strongest performances ever on television (“True Detective”). These last two years, Harrelson starred in many films, most notably the award-winning “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.” Later this year, he’ll appear in the Tom Hardy comic book movie “Venom.”

#7. Chris Pine

Star score: 285

Number of movies recently starred in: 5

Average billing: 2.8

For a time, it seemed like Chris Pine was so far down in the ranking of Hollywood Chrises that he might fall off the group. But then, Pine showed wonderful range in films like “Into the Woods” and “Hell or High Water.” These last three years, Pine has starred in some gigantic, largely well-received blockbusters: 2016’s “Star Trek: Beyond” ($159 million), 2017’s “Wonder Woman” ($413 million) and 2018’s less-loved “A Wrinkle in Time” ($100 million). Early next year, his TV mini-series “I Am the Night” will premiere on TNT.

#6. Paul Bettany

Star score: 292

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 8.0

That Paul Bettany, a British actor seemingly born to play hot snobbish friends and ascetic priests, starred in two of the biggest films of 2018 may seem odd. But so it goes in the era of the super blockbuster, where every actor worth his salt finds his way into a superhero movie sooner or later. Bettany played Vision in “Avengers: Infinity War” and Dryden Vos in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” In 2017, he played Ted Kaczynski in a TV mini-series, leaning heavier on his "destructive weirdo" skillset.

#5. Robert Downey, Jr.

Star score: 292

Number of movies recently starred in: 3

Average billing: 3.7

It’s impossible not to feel good for Robert Downey, Jr., who overcame addiction and became one of the biggest stars on the planet. But it’s also hard not to bemoan the cost of his success. He's one of the most fascinating actors of his generation, but in the last few years, all his on-screen time has been devoted to the Marvel Universe and “Sherlock Holmes.” He’s the fifth-highest grossing actor on this list, with appearances in the most recent “Spider-Man” and, of course, “Avengers: Infinity War.” Hopefully, one day he’ll get back to making movies that highlight his incredible range as an actor.

#4. Chadwick Boseman

Star score: 311

Number of movies they recently starred in: 4

Average billing: 6.0

The meme of Chadwick Boseman giving the dispirited Wakanda Forever salute is the perfect distillation of the psychic cost of the Marvel hype factory. Boseman, who, to be fair, explained the lackluster salute away, became one of the biggest stars on the planet as the wave of “Black Panther” ($700 million) swept the world this spring. But in the same way Robert Downey Jr.’s life changed in 2008, Boseman became instantly recognizable for just one thing. Boseman is a playwright and Oxford-educated actor—it’ll be fascinating to see what he does after T’Challa’s cinematic storyline ends.

#3. Chris Hemsworth

Star score: 370

Number of movies recently starred in: 5

Average billing: 2.4

People were wary of what exactly Chris Hemsworth could do (aside from look incredible on screen), but then the hunky Australian started to show some range. In the gender-flipped “Ghostbusters” reboot ($128 million), he stole the scene as a hilarious bimbo, proving he was funny. In “Thor: Ragnarok,” he took his comedy to the next level, starring in one of the best and most unlikely Marvel movies. This year, Hemsworth starred in “12 Strong” ($45 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($648 million).

#2. Chris Pratt

Star score: 432

Number of movies recently starred in: 5

Average billing: 5.0

It’s amazing that the pudgy goofball from “Parks and Recreation” has become one of the era’s biggest action stars. But Chris Pratt (who got in shape for “Guardians of the Galaxy”) was dubbed the next Harrison Ford after starring in “Guardians” and “Jurassic World” in back-to-back years. Over the last two years, Pratt has starred in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” ($390 million), “Avengers: Infinity War” ($678 million) and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” ($401 million). He may never eclipse the rugged charm of Han Solo, but Pratt can most definitely carry a blockbuster. In fact, Pratt has been rumored to possibly be in an upcoming “Indiana Jones” reboot.

#1. Dwayne Johnson

Star score: 479

Number of movies recently starred in: 6

Average billing: 1.2

No one works harder than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and no one sells tickets better than the former WWE star either. For a time, Johnson fandom was delivered with wink, but after he reinvigorated the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, showed off his comedic chops in “The Other Guys” and “Get Smart” and then just started showing up in every major hit, the joke turned serious. Over the last two years, Johnson has starred in [takes deep breath]: “The Fate of the Furious” ($226 million), “Baywatch” ($58 million), “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” ($405 million), “Rampage” ($99 million) and “Skyscraper” ($62 million). And those are just U.S. box office numbers. To understand the true power of The Rock, you must understand his appeal overseas: Johnson dominates the more-and-more essential Chinese movie market. Don’t expect him to leave the top spot of this list anytime soon.


 

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