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Post-MCU Box Office Triumph
Just within a span of four short years after her official exit from the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlett Johansson has achieved something outstanding that she has made a significant ramp-up in worldwide box office. As a result, the feat simply crowns her the queen of the industry’s money-makers. To be exact, the Academy Award nominee has gone past not only one but two of her respected peers in the Marvel gang and thus, the clear winner of the leading actor who has earned the highest at the global box office in Hollywood.
In essence, the main cause of this momentous leap has been her role as the main star in the newly released movie dinosaur World Rebirth. In fact, a sequel to the beloved 1993 classic of Steven Spielberg, its wide opening released the first six days resulted in a whopping $318 million flow-in from different parts of the world’s box office at large.
Surpassing Marvel Legends
On the other hand, data meticulously collected by The Numbers from industry reports shows that the considerable success of her latest big movie has dramatically pushed Johansson from her previous rank of three to the top position. By that reason, the climb, which is so indicative of her newfound star status, has made her leave behind not only Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. – two of the characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe who have acted alongside her for a long time – but also her new position as the best-selling actor in the film history!
Significantly, Samuel L. Jackson was present for a long time. His lifetime career box office gross, covering all the movies in which he is the main character or one of the prominent members of the ensemble cast, has been quite staggering – the total has reached the amount of $14.6 billion. Moreover, Robert Downey Jr. was Jackson’s follower with a not much smaller amount since he has come off with $14.3 billion from his brilliant career.
Efficiency Milestone Achieved
However, Johansson now reigns definitively as the undisputed champion following her recent on-screen encounter with prehistoric creatures within Jurassic World Rebirth. Her refreshed total career box office earnings have soared to an astounding $14.8 billion. Perhaps even more impressive than the sheer dollar amount itself is the undeniable efficiency demonstrated throughout her journey to this summit. Johansson successfully managed to surpass both iconic actors while having appeared in a considerably smaller number of feature films. Specifically, her monumental total stems from participation in merely 36 distinct films. The particular figure is a striking discrepancy when juxtaposed with Samuel L. Jackson’s 71 major film releases’ extensive filmography and Robert Downey Jr.’s 45 significant film appearances that make up his substantial body of work. This remarkable achievement underscores her exceptional ability to select and headline projects generating extraordinary audience turnout worldwide.
MCU Earnings Foundation
Furthermore, a significant part of Scarlett Johansson’s money-spinning box office income is derived from her long-standing role as Natasha Romanoff, otherwise known as Black Widow, in Marvel Cinematic Universe–a role that has genuinely become iconic. Basically, this also comprises colossal receipts from many successful ensemble films, such as Avengers: Endgame, which raised “$2.7 billion” globally, and Avengers: Infinity War, which was not far behind with a total of “$2 billion”, followed by the original The Avengers, making $1.5 billion, Avengers: Age of Ultron, which got “$1.4 billion”, Captain America: Civil War, that made “$1.1 billion”, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which brought in $714 million, and her introductory MCU appearance in Iron Man 2, which accumulated “$621 million”.
However, she definitely incurred a big loss with 2021’s Black Widow spin-off movie, because the film was released near the start of the pandemic, and put several commercial restrictions on it. Eventually, the release which, in the pre-pandemic period, was greatly anticipated, reached the lowest record “$379 million”, only a small fraction of the total it was supposed to achieve despite the fan base.
Significant Non-Marvel Contributions
Moreover, apart from her outstanding Marvel superhero outputs, Scarlett Johansson’s undeniable appeal of starring in other film genres has made her a box office draw. These successful non-MCU movies can be primarily mentioned as the live-action adaptation The Jungle Book with a visual masterpiece that got the global box office number of $951 million. Another success story is the animated musical Sing that brought in $631 million and the fascinating high-concept sci-fi roller film Lucy which came out with an outstanding $457 million in the global film market. All these projects in their diversity no less than underline her enormous talent, her consistent engagement with a wide range of issues and her being on par with the top genre should the story or form of presentation be of another kind.
Rebirth Character and Narrative Role
At her most recent appearance in the Jurassic World Rebirth, Johansson amazingly asserts the personality of Zora Bennett, who epitomizes a tough, resourceful, and knowledgeable mercenary operative. Step by step, Zora’s character is approached by Martin Krebs, the actor whom Rupert Friend embodies as a lawyer of major pharmaceuticals. In a timely follow-up, she will guide the clinical paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis, whose role is played by Jonathan Bailey, to undertake a very risky operation. By the end of the day, they are to penetrate a super-secure spot belonging to the ones who built Jurassic Park quietly and take the authentic dinosaur DNA samples before smoldering new bonds for ancient encounters.
Decade-Long Passion Realized
Importantly, Johansson has long maintained a deeply personal, passionate connection to the foundational Jurassic Park film franchise. She openly shared that she actively campaigned for over ten consecutive years, persistently pitching herself for any potential role within a Jurassic Park sequel or spinoff project. Her enthusiasm knew no bounds, leading to an ecstatic reaction when she finally secured her coveted position in Rebirth. Reflecting on this achievement last year upon the film’s announcement, Johansson expressed: “I’ve been relentlessly trying to enter this legendary franchise through any conceivable avenue for well over a decade.”
She elaborated humorously and earnestly, stating, “I practically pleaded, ‘I’ll die immediately in the opening sequence! I can get devoured by any creature! I’ll even handle craft services!’ I possessed absolute willingness to undertake any task for this opportunity. The reality that it ultimately materialized precisely this way, at this specific moment, still feels utterly unbelievable. I genuinely cannot believe my luck.”
Foundational Cinematic Experience
In addition, she also brought forth again how deep the original 1993 classic was personal for her by saying: “This is still one of the very first films I can vividly remember seeing in a theater environment as a young viewer, and that first watching has stayed with me with incredible vividness. It was entirely life-changing. It not only revolutionized but also totally demolished my conceptions of what cinema could achieve. Words truly fail to capture the magnitude of my excitement now, decades later, stepping into this universe that shaped my childhood imagination.” This honest statement is a powerful reminder of the deep personal impact that the project has had outside of its purely financial worth.
Classified as the most longed-for global release, Jurassic World Rebirth is already in all cinemas worldwide, allowing viewers to actually watch Johansson’s performance in this enthralling film together with all its dinosaur characters.
