Priya Sharma
Johnny Depp has an incredible list of projects under his belt. With his feature debut in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, he continued to associate with several projects that brought him to prominence. By the end of the 1990s, he was shining in glory which eventually boosted his career since he got involved with some of the commercially successful projects in the 2000s.
With his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, he ultimately brought himself to the list of the world’s biggest stars. However, this franchise is not the only major project that got into the list of his highest-grossing movies. To a number of cinephile’s surprise, the list combined has earned a lot more than Tom Cruise’s iconic Mission: Impossible franchise.
Let’s take a look at his top 10 highest-grossing films whose box-office collection combined surged past Cruise’s action-flick franchise.
10) Murder on the Orient Express
Based on Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel of the same name, the 2017 film, Murder on the Orient Express grossed $352.8 million worldwide. While the movie received mixed reviews from critics, the cast and production were highly praised for their efforts. It featured an ensemble cast that revolves around Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot, a world-renowned detective, who investigates a murder on the train in the 1930s.
9) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Based on Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel of the same name, Warner Bros.’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was both a critical and commercial success, grossing a whopping $475 million worldwide. Released in 2005, it was highly praised for its dark tone, becoming director Tim Burton’s second-highest-grossing movie ever to this date.
8) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Released in 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the first installment in the Pirates franchise which grossed $654.3 million worldwide. The film was an immense hit with critics and audiences loving the project. Due to this very project, Johnny Depp gained global recognition with his quirky Jack Sparrow role.
7) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald grossed a whopping $654.8 million worldwide. Depp’s portrayal of Gellert Grindelwald was immensely praised but overall, the film received mixed response from critics and audience. Set in 1927, the movie revolves around Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander and Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore who attempt to stop the dark wizard, Grindelwald in addition to tackling hurdles in their world.
6) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
The fifth installment of the Pirates franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales grossed $795 million worldwide. Despite a good box-office success, the movie was unable to impress critics, receiving negative reviews. While its’ development started shortly after the release of its predecessor, On Stranger Tides, it faced several setbacks before eventually getting into theatres in 2017.
5) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
With a blockbuster grossing of $814 million, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was a critical success. Being the first film of the Harry Potter spin-off franchise, it performed incredibly well, bagging an Oscar for Best Costume Design. It is a huge win for the Wizarding World since the movie was the first to win an Academy Award among all films released in the franchise.
4) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
The 2007 released film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, ended up earning $961 worldwide in its theatrical run becoming Johnny Depp’s fourth highest-grossing film. It was the most expensive film ever made when in production as the budget racked up nearly $300 million. Nonetheless, it performed way better while facing negative remarks by critics due to its plot and runtime.
3) Alice in Wonderland
When exploring the list of his highest-grossing films, Alice in Wonderland is not to be skipped since Tim Burton’s directorial racked up a whopping $1.02 billion in the world box office. Just like their previous collaboration, this fantasy movie also used dark elements with the Donnie Brasco actor playing the role of Mad Hatter, the bitter mayor of Wonderland in the movie. Hatter joins Mia Wasikowska’s Alice Kingsleigh to restore the White Queen to her throne by fighting against the Red Queen.
2) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The Pirates franchise has a major role in Depp’s overall net worth with the fourth installment being his second-highest grossing movie. With an overall grossing of $1.04 billion, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides broke many box-office records receiving mixed to positive responses from the critics.
1) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The movie that tops the list is none other than the Pirates franchise’s second installment which collected $1.06 billion at its worldwide box-office. Just like the fourth one, it also attained many box-office accomplishments including the fastest film to surge past $1 billion worldwide, which was 63 days.
While Depp’s career plummeted due to his personal crisis when he got engaged in legal trouble with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, his movie earnings are way on par with Tom Cruise’s overall earnings in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible Franchise Box-Office Collection
Tom Cruise is well-reputed for bringing adrenaline rush in theatres thanks to his insane action sequences that can leave anyone awed. He continues to bring action-packed performances almost every year to keep giving us a rollercoaster ride to excitement. Recently, he reprised his Ethan Hunt role in the new addition to the Mission: Impossible franchise, Dead Reckoning Part One.
With this, the franchise’s overall box-office collection worldwide is $4.14 billion as per The Numbers. However, this earning is quite less than Depp’s highest-earning movies with a total of 4.71 billion.
Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will be made available on Blu-ray, and DVD on October 31.
Source: MovieWeb, The Numbers
