Scarlett Johansson named biggest box office draw

LOS ANGELES, USA – Scarlett Johansson has been named the top grossing movie star of 2016 by Forbes magazine after appearing in films that amassed $1.2 billion in global ticket sales.

The Tony Award-winning American actress starred in the Marvel blockbuster Captain America: Civil War the year’s biggest box office hit, which made $1.15 billion worldwide. 

Johansson, 32, edged ahead of co-stars Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr – who tied for second place – because she also appeared in the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, which raked in $63.2 million.

It has been a lucrative year for Johansson, a perennial A-list darling who was named the world’s third highest paid actress by Forbes in August, with annual earnings of $25 million.

Atop that list was Jennifer Lawrence, whose 2016 films X-Men: Apocalypse and Passengers nevertheless did not perform well enough to earn her a place among the top grossing stars.

Britain’s Felicity Jones appeared on the box office list for the first time, making ninth place with total takings for her films at $805 million.

With roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, mystery thriller Inferno and children’s fantasy A Monster Calls, she was the only star in the top 10 not to rely heavily on movies based on comics.

The annual Forbes list, released late Tuesday, is compiled using data from Box Office Mojo.

Only top-billed performances are counted and Forbes does not take into account animated movies such as Disney’s The Jungle Book, the fourth biggest release of 2016, which grossed $967 million and also starred Johansson.  

The top 10 highest grossing actors in the world in 2016:

• Scarlett Johansson – $1.2 billion
• Chris Evans – $1.15 billion
• Robert Downey Jr – $1.15 billion
• Margot Robbie – $1.1 billion
• Amy Adams – $1.04 billion 
• Ben Affleck – $1.02 billion
• Henry Cavill – $870 million
• Ryan Reynolds – $820 million
• Felicity Jones – $805 million
• Will Smith – $775 million

– Rappler.com