There is no doubt thatScarlett Johanssonhas been a big, bright spot for women in Hollywood for quite some time now. Not only is she a well respected, award worthy actress, but she has also been one of very few females at the front and center of the superhero movie revolution, with her portrayal asBlack Widowin the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her part in those movies has now made her the new queen of the box office.
Box Office Mojo recently updated their list of the highest grossing actors and actresses of all time, and because of the massive success ofCaptain America: Civil War,Scarlett Johanssoncame out on top. To date, her movies have grossed more than $3.3 billion at the domesticbox officealone. Her nearest competition isCameron Diaz, who has a major boost thanks to her voice work in theShrekfranchise.
Johanssonis number ten overall on the list, with nine other very notable and huge box office draws that just so happen to be guys ahead of her in therankings. Her MCU co-starSamuel L. Jacksonwas in the number one spot for a period of time, but thanks to the tremendous success ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens,Harrison Fordis at the top of the heap.Jacksonremains close though, with less than $200 million separating him fromFord’s staggering $4.871 billion domestic gross. Even thoughThe Legend of Tarzanisn’t looking like it will pull in huge bucks, it could be enough to putJacksonback in the top spot.
There may still be a fairly large pay gap between men and women in Hollywood, butJohansson’s recent success is helping to prove that women can be just as big of a box office draw as men can. She starred inLucyin 2014 and in a somewhat under the radar fashion, led that movie to a very impressive $463 million worldwide take. Despite some controversy, she will also be taking on the lead role in the upcomingGhost in the Shelllive-action adaptation, and Marvel has stated that they are “committed” to doing a Black Widow solo movie at some point. Which is something fans have been wanting for a long time now.
Johanssonhas been acting ever since she was a kid, but really came into her own in the early 2000s, starring in movies likeLost in TranslationandThe Man Who Wasn’t There. Outside of her more recent turn as a big timeaction moviestar, she has also done a very solid amount of critically acclaimed, award worthy work in movies likeHer,Under The SkinandThe Prestige. WithScarlett Johanssonslated to appear in both of the upcomingAvengers: Infinity Warmovies and a handful of other big projects over the next few years, she could very well climb a lot higher on the all-time list.
