Egypt Daily News – Scarlett Johansson has officially become the highest-grossing lead actor in global box office history, surpassing longtime Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) colleagues Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. This milestone comes on the heels of her latest film, Jurassic World: Rebirth, which has delivered a strong box office debut.
The new installment in the Jurassic World franchise opened to $318 million globally in its first six days, making it the second-highest grossing film of 2025 so far, trailing only the Chinese animated feature Ne Zha 2. In Rebirth, Johansson assumes the lead role from Chris Pratt, portraying Zora Bennett, a former military operative sent on a high-stakes mission to a remote island still inhabited by dinosaurs.
According to data compiled by The Numbers, Johansson’s total career gross in lead or lead ensemble roles now exceeds $14.8 billion. A significant portion of that figure over $8.7 billion comes from her portrayal of Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, in the MCU, particularly in Iron Man 2, Captain America: Civil War, and four Avengers films. Additional contributions include her voice performance as Ash the porcupine in the Sing animated films.
Johansson’s new box office record pushes Samuel L. Jackson to second place, whose lead-role total stands at approximately $14.6 billion, including animated projects like Pixar’s Incredibles series. Robert Downey Jr. ranks third with $14.2 billion in lead roles, around $11.8 billion of which stems from his performances as Tony Stark/Iron Man in nine MCU films. Notably, his Academy Award-winning supporting role in Oppenheimer, which grossed $976 million, is not counted toward this total.
Of the top five highest-grossing lead actors listed by The Numbers, only Tom Hanks has not appeared in a Marvel film. The others Johansson, Jackson, Downey Jr., and Chris Pratt, owe much of their commercial success to the MCU.
Downey Jr. may have a chance to retake the top spot in December 2026 with the release of Avengers: Doomsday, depending on whether his rumored role as Doctor Doom is classified as a lead ensemble part. However, Johansson has previously indicated that her time in the MCU is over, making a potential return in future installments such as Avengers: Secret Wars unlikely unless Marvel opts for a multiverse storyline to resurrect her character.
