Scarlett Johansson Breaks Box Office Records, Crowned Highest-Grossing Actor In Hollywood
Scarlett Johansson just went Jurassic and straight into the Hollywood history books. Thanks to her latest blockbuster, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Scarlett, 40, is now officially the highest-grossing actor of all time at the box office, according to data from The Numbers. And yes, that includes every superhero, Jedi, and wizard you can think of.
Before now, the record belonged to her Marvel co-star Samuel L. Jackson. Robert Downey Jr. held second place. But with the release of Jurassic World: Rebirth on July 2, which has already roared to a global $322.6 million in just six days, Scarlett leapt from third place to the top of the list. Samuel, 76, now holds second, and Robert, 60, has dropped to third.
What makes her record even more impressive? Scarlett achieved this massive haul with just 36 films, compared to Samuel’s 71 and Robert’s 45. Her four biggest hits are all from the Avengers franchise, but now she’s stomping her way through box office history on the back of some very large prehistoric creatures.
In Jurassic World: Rebirth, Scarlett plays an ex-military operative navigating an abandoned dinosaur facility tied to the original Jurassic Park. The action-packed movie was directed by Gareth Edwards, written by Jurassic Park veteran David Koepp, and produced by none other than Steven Spielberg. It also stars Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein, and of course, a bunch of CGI dinosaurs with very real bite.
Scarlett told PEOPLE that leading a Jurassic film felt “surreal.” As a childhood fan of the original, she hopes the new movie sparks the same awe she felt when she first saw Jurassic Park as a 10-year-old. “And I hope that there are other 10-year-olds that have the same experience that I did when I saw the first Jurassic in theaters, where they can just be completely carried away for two hours. It makes you dream,” she stated.
But the dinosaurs aren’t the only thing keeping Scarlett’s star on fire. Earlier this year, she starred in Wes Anderson’s quirky mystery The Phoenician Scheme as Cousin Hilda. She’s also stepping behind the camera for her directorial debut Eleanor the Great, which premiered at Cannes in May and stars June Squibb.
