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Saturday September 27, 2014
What's the Highest-Grossing Denzel Washington Movie of All Time?
Via Box Office Mojo, here are the top five:
Rank | Movie | Lifetime Gross | Release |
1 | American Gangster | $130,164,645 | Nov '07 |
2 | Safe House | $126,373,434 | Feb '12 |
3 | Remember the Titans | $115,654,751 | Sept '00 |
4 | The Pelican Brief | $100,768,056 | Dec '93 |
5 | The Book of Eli | $94,835,059 | Jan '10 |
Is there someone as well-known as Denzel, with as long a career as Denzel, whose movies have never grossed more than $150 domestically?
George Clooney? “Gravity” ($274), “Ocean's Eleven” ($183), “The Perfect Storm” ($182).
Brad Pitt? “World War Z” ($202) “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” ($186) “Ocean's Eleven” ($183).
Leo? Right, “Titanic.”
Russell Crowe? Close. But “Gladiator” and “A Beautiful Mind” both topped $150.
How about Daniel Day-Lewis? Nope. “Lincoln” grossed $182.
The nearest example I could find is Matthew McConaughey, whose highest-grossing movie (“Wolf of Wall Street,” $116) isn't his, nor is his second-highest movie (“Magic Mike,” $113). Maybe a comparison is instructive. McConaughey made middling, forgettable rom-coms that grossed in the middling, forgettable range ($50 to $70 million) before shirking it recently to do good, serious work that doesn't make much money. Denzel started out doing a lot of good, serious work that didn't make much money, but he's shirked that recently to do middling, forgettable actioners that make middling, forgettable money ($60- $90 million). Well, he's reliable, I guess.
Here are his top 10, adjusted for inflation:
Rank | Movie | Adjusted Gross | Unadjusted Gross | Release |
1 | The Pelican Brief | $197,376,500 | $100,768,056 | Dec '93 |
2 | Remember the Titans | $174,704,700 | $115,654,751 | Sept '00 |
3 | Crimson Tide | $171,219,700 | $91,387,195 | May '95 |
4 | American Gangster | $154,120,800 | $130,164,645 | Nov '07 |
5 | Philadelphia | $151,009,600 | $77,446,440 | Dec '93 |
6 | Safe House | $129,960,400 | $126,373,434 | Feb '12 |
7 | Training Day | $110,344,500 | $76,631,907 | Oct '01 |
8 | Inside Man | $110,135,100 | $88,513,495 | March '06 |
9 | Courage Under Fire | $108,846,900 | $59,031,057 | July '96 |
10 | The Bone Collector | $106,428,800 | $66,518,655 | Nov '99 |
FURTHER READING:
Denzel, midflight.