Yahoo! Movies recently compared the film careers of Hollywood golden couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and they came to the conclusion that, although it was a close race, Brad Pitt comes out on top when it comes to success on film. The stats that were compared included number of feature films, total domestic box office gross, highest grossing film worldwide, most recent film gross, and awards won. Even though Angelina Jolie has the highest grossing film, a higher gross in her most recent movie, and more awards, Yahoo! declared Brad the winner. Which got me thinking, how would other Hollywood couples compare? Here you have the top ten successful celebrity couples, and which spouse wins the success war.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
The rule here will be that the couple has to be together right now, no going back to find classic couples of decades past. And since we’re comparing film careers, they both have to be actors.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
We’ll start with Tom Cruise’s stats. He has 32 feature films, his total domestic box office gross is $3.1 billion, and his highest grossing film worldwide is “War of the Worlds”, which brought in $591.7 million. His most recent film was “Tropic Thunder”, which grossed $109.9 million in the US. However, his role in that movie was a mere cameo, and if you look at the previous film, “Lions for Lambs”, that grossed only $15 million in the US. Cruise has been nominated for 3 Oscars, though he’s never won, and he’s got 3 Golden Globes on the mantle and 3 more nominations.
This might not be the fairest comparison considering Tom’s superstar status and the headstart he’s had considering the age difference and Katie’s stint on “Dawson’s Creek”. But for her part, Katie Holmes has appeared in 15 feature films, her total domestic box office gross is $411.5 million, but over half of that comes from “Batman Begins”, which gives Katie her highest grossing film worldwide at $371.85 million. Her most recent film was “Mad Money”, which brought in $20.6 million in the US. Katie has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe, and she doesn’t have any movies in the works at the moment, while Tom has two (”Valkyrie” and “Men”).
Based on the comparisons, Tom Cruise is the more successful half of this celebrity couple. His films bring in much more, and he’s got the awards to prove it.
See the rest of the top ten successful celebrity couples below.
Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson
Let’s start with Ryan Reynolds. The television funnyman has appeared in 21 feature films (although 7 of those don’t even register when looking for box office stats). His total domestic box office gross is $301 million with his highest grossing film worldwide at $108 million for “The Amityville Horror”. His most recent movie is listed as “Fireflies in the Garden”, but it’s one of those not registering, so we’ll go back one to “Definitely, Maybe”, which brought in $32 million in the US. Ryan has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe. Looks like Scarlett might have this one, so let’s see the stats.
Scarlett Johansson has been acting since she was 10, so she’s got quite a bit of headway on Ryan. She has appeared in 27 feature films, only one of which didn’t register when looking for the stats. Her total domestic box office gross is $603 million, while her highest grossing film worldwide, “The Horse Whisperer”, earned $186.8 million. Her most recent movie was “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, which grossed $21.8 million in the US. She has never been nominated for an Oscar or Golden Globe either.
I think Woody Allen’s love for Scarlett gives her an edge that Ryan can never match. Therefore, I’m naming her the more successful half of this celebrity couple.
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore
Most of you are probably thinking that this one isn’t even a competition. I mean, come on, Demi Moore has 20 years of acting on Ashton Kutcher. But running through the numbers might change things. Ashton has appeared in only 15 feature films, but their financial success is pretty surprising. Those films have a total domestic box office gross of $681.4 million. Ashton’s highest grossing film worldwide is “What Happen’s in Vegas”, which earned $219 million. This is also his most recent movie, earning $80 million in the US. Ashton has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe.
For her part, Demi Moore has appeared in 32 feature films, which have a total domestic box office gross of $1.2 billion. Her highest grossing film worldwide is “Ghost”, which earned $505.7 million. Her most recent film is “Mr. Brooks”, bringing in $28.5 million in the US. She has two Golden Globe nominations.
Just based on the numbers, you have to give the win to Demi Moore. However, Ashton puts up quite a fight, even in his limited experience.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
The race between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner might be the closest one we’ve seen yet. Ben has appeared in 33 feature films and has a total domestic box office gross of $1.35 billion. His highest grossing film worldwide is “Pearl Harbor”, which earned $449 million. His most recent film was “Smokin’ Aces”, which brought in $35.7 million in the US. Ben has one Oscar and one Golden Globe on the mantle, and he has been nominated for one more Golden Globe. Ben has three more films in the works, all of which look to be box office hits.
On the other hand, Jennifer Garner has only appeared in 15 feature films. However, in just that number, she’s managed to bring in a total domestic box office gross of $834.6 million. Her highest grossing film worldwide is the same as Ben’s, “Pearl Harbor”, earning $449 million. Her most recent film was “Juno”, which made $143.4 million in the US. Jennifer has won one Golden Globe and has 3 more nominations. She has four films in the works, and at least three of them smell of success.
This truly is a tough one. Although Ben has $1.35 billion to Jennifer’s $834.6 million, he’s had more than double the films to get there. Jennifer’s latest film brought in 4 times as much as Ben’s latest. Some might disagree here, but based on future outlook, I’m giving this one to Jennifer.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
Justin Timberlake only just started his acting career, having focused on music prior to landing a role in “Longshot” in 2000. Since then, he has appeared in 9 feature films, which have earned a total domestic box office gross of $384 million. It should be noted, however, that “Shrek the Third” brought in $322.7 of this. “Shrek the Third” is also the highest grossing film worldwide for Justin, earning $798.9 million. His most recent film is “The Love Guru”, which earned $32.2 million in the US. He has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe.
Jessica Biel has appeared in 18 feature films, which have earned a total domestic box office gross of $449.8 million. Her highest grossing film worldwide is “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”, which brought in $186 million. Jessica has three films listed after that, but I’ve never heard of them, and none of them register when looking for the box office stats. So, we’ll have to use “Chuck and Larry” when looking at her most recent, which earned $120 million in the US. She has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe.
This one would be closer if 84% of Justin’s box office revenue hadn’t come from one film, which was animated on top of it. Jessica gets the win.
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor
When I added Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s names to this list, I didn’t realize how many films these people had been in. It’s almost unbelievable. Ben Stiller has appeared in 46 feature films (47 if you count “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”, which releases next weekend). He has a total domestic box office gross of just over $2 billion. The highest grossing film worldwide is “Night at the Museum”, which earned $574 million. His most recent film was “Tropic Thunder”, bringing in $109.9 million in the US. Ben has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe.
For her part, Christine Taylor has appeared in 21 feature films, which have a total domestic box office gross of $489 million. Her highest grossing film worldwide is “Tropic Thunder”, which brought in $170 million. This is also her most recent film, alongside Ben, which earned $109.9 million in the US. Christine has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe.
Based on sheer volume alone, Ben Stiller wins this one. 47 feature films!?! You can’t beat that.
Josh Brolin and Diane Lane
This is an interesting comparison because Josh Brolin, though he’s been in the business since the ’80s (”The Goonies” being his first movie), didn’t really hit the big time until recently. He has appeared in 26 feature films, which have a total domestic box office gross of $483 million. His highest grossing film worldwide is “American Gangster”, which made $265 million. His most recent movie is “W.”, which is still in theaters, but so far it has made $14.99 million in the US. He has never been nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe, but I’m guessing he gets a nod for “W.”.
Diane Lane’s career has been more consistent, and it started almost ten years before Josh’s. She has appeared in 39 feature films, with a 40th, “Killshot”, releasing in January 2009. She has a total domestic box office gross of $717 million. Her highest grossing film worldwide is “The Perfect Storm”, which made $328.7 million. Her most recent film is “Nights in Rodanthe”, which earned $39 million in the US. Diane has been nominated for an Oscar for her role in “Unfaithful”, and nominated for two Golden Globes.
Based on Diane’s consistency and box office numbers, she gets the win for now. However, if we do this comparison again in 5 years, things could change.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon
Jake Gyllenhaal has appeared in 18 featured films, which have earned $573.9 million in total domestic box office gross. His highest grossing film worldwide is “The Day After Tomorrow”, which earned $542.7 million. His most recent film performed much lower than expected, only bringing in $9.7 million in the US. That film was “Rendition”, co-starring Reese Witherspoon, whose stats appear to be comparable. Jake was nominated for an Oscar for his role in “Brokeback Mountain”.
Reese Witherspoon has appeared in 24 feature films, earning a total domestic box office gross of $731.6 million. Her highest grossing film worldwide is “Walk the Line”, which brought in $186.4 million. Again, her most recent film was “Rendition”, earning $9.7 million in the US. Reese has won one Oscar and one Golden Globe, and she has been nominated for two additional Golden Globes.
This is a really close call. Reese has more feature films and a higher total box office gross, but Jake can bring in the cash on an individual movie. Both have been acknowledged for their acting abilities, although Reese is the only one whose brought home the statue. I think the Oscar is the tie-breaker, so I’m giving this one to Reese.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones
Michael Douglas has got a couple decades on Catherine Zeta-Jones, so she’s got some catching up to do. Michael has appeared in 34 feature films, which have earned a total domestic box office gross of $1.38 billion. His highest grossing film worldwide is “Basic Instinct”, which earned $352.9 million. His stats look great, until you get to his most recent movie. “King of California” only brought in $268,000 in the US. But he makes up for that in the awards category. Michael has won two Oscars and two Golden Globes, and he’s received nominations for five more Golden Globes.
For her part, Catherine Zeta-Jones has appeared in 18 feature films, which have earned a total domestic box office gross of $1 billion. Her highest grossing film worldwide is “Ocean’s Twelve”, which made $362.7 million. She is in a similar situation with Michael in that her most recent film, “Death Defying Acts”, only earned about $6,000 in the US. She has won an Oscar and been nominated for two Golden Globes.
I didn’t think it would turn out like this, but Catherine Zeta-Jones wins this race. In just over half the number of films, she has earned $1 billion in the US, and she’s got the Oscar to back up her acting chops. And I see much more coming from Catherine in the next decade.
Stats found at Box Office Mojo.
Photos: WENN