Kurt Russellhas been a Hollywood fan-favorite ever since hisearly days with the House of Mouse. But it wasn’t just Disney that’s given Russell his roles, as he’s since gone on to embrace films of every genre and for every demographic. Not all of them have been financial hits, but quite a few have, and the films covered here are his highest-grossing to date.
But, make note that only films in which Russell was the leading performer, the co-lead, or had a hefty supporting performance were considered for inclusion. So there are no cameos on this list, like inForrest Gump(where he voiced Elvis) andF9: The Fast Saga, where his Mr. Nobody had a very brief two-scene appearance. All specific financial information accumulated viaBox Office Mojo.
10Tequila Sunrise (1988) — $275.4 Million
Robert Towne’sTequila Sunrisecame equipped with three major stars at the height of their popularity, and neither Russell, Mel Gibson or Michelle Pfeiffer let the viewer down. The narrative follows Russell’s famous detective, Nick, as he faces run-ins with his best friend, Mac, who just so happens to be a criminal trying to reform. It’s a cat-and-mouse game, one with a love triangle to boot, and the three leads make it all entertaining, even if it’s a movie that doesn’t go anywhere better movies hadn’t already gone before.
Was the Trifecta of Russell, Gibson, and Pfeiffer Enough to Make Tequila Sunrise a Hit?
In 1988 dollars,Tequila Sunrisecost $23 million and raked in over $100 million worldwide. Inflation puts those figures at about $60 million and $275 million, making Towne’s film a respectable financial success even if most viewers did forget it as soon as they left the theater. It was certainly a film whose success hinged on star power, and good thing forTequila Sunriseit got three players at the height of their careers. Not to mention, Russell was built to play a hard-boiled detective, and audiences must have recognized that.
Rent Tequila Sunrise on Prime Video
9Poseidon (2006) — $277.3 Million
Wolfgang Petersen’s mega-budget adaptation of the 1969 novelThe Poseidon Adventurefaced a far different fiscal fate than the 1972 film of the same name.Poseidonstars Russell as firefighter Robert Ramsey, who is just one of the many aboard the cruise vessel when it flips over in the middle of the sea.
Did Poseidon Sink?
Just becausePoseidonis one of Russell’s highest-grossing films doesn’t mean it’s one of his biggest successes… or even a success at all. In fact, it’s his biggest bomb. With a gargantuan $160 million price tag (it’s clear Warner Bros. had a lot of faith in it’s performance), the movie would have needed to clear about $480 million worldwide to reach profitability. It didn’t come close, earning only $60 million domestically and a further $121 million overseas. That said, putting Russell in what amounts to Gene Hackman’s role from the original wasn’t a bad start towards profitability — it’s just too bad the budget was far too high to make that possible.
Stream Poseidon on Hulu
8Tango & Cash (1989) — $298.7 Million
Tango & Cash
The star-studdedTango & Cashpairs Russell with Sylvester Stallone as detectives framed for murder and the results are… mixed. The film had many issues behind the scenes, particularly as far as the director’s chair was concerned, and that’s readily apparent while watching it.
One of the final movies to be released during the 1980s,Tango & Cashwas an odd choice to come out with during the holiday season (it doesn’t have the lightest of tones, in spite of being a buddy-cop comedy). And, yet, it managed to pull in just over $120 million on a budget less than half that, making it a box office success, if only a marginal one. The fact that it was able to do so is a testament to where Russell and Stallone’s star power was at that point in time, and how much appeal there was in seeing them have fun and shoot guns.
Rent Tango & Cash on Amazon
7Backdraft (1991) — $344.3 Million
One ofRon Howard’s more successful films of the ’90s,Backdraftfeatures a star-laden cast, involving set pieces, and a solid twist. The crux of the narrative focuses on the relationship between the McCaffrey brothers, Stephen (Russell) and Brian (William Baldwin), as they face different forms of grief over the loss of their father (also Russell). And, now, there’s a serial arsonist with apparently deep knowledge of the firefighting field.
Did Backdraft Set the Box Office On Fire?
Given the complexity ofBackdraft’s action sequences and set design (not to mention the price tags associated with the all-star cast list), it’s surprising it only cost $40 million in 1991 dollars, AKA about $90 million in early 2020s cash. And the investment was certainly worth it, as the film raked in $152.4 million worldwide (about $345 million, adjusted for inflation). But, would it have done so if the movie wasjustexciting set pieces without a mixture of compelling family drama (and area where Russell excels just as well as in action)? Almost certainly not.
Stream Backdraft on Netflix
6Vanilla Sky (2001) — $353.6 Million
In Cameron Crowe’sVanilla Sky, Tom Cruise portrays a magazine publisher who, after his fling takes her own life, begins to look back on his choices and overall mentality. Naturally, he doesn’t like what he sees, and Russell’s Dr. Curtis McCabe is there to help him process his feelings.
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Was the Sky the Limit for Vanilla Sky?
Not many dramas from the early aughts carried a price tag of $68 million, but the high-conceptVanilla Skydid and, for that, investors were rewarded with over $200 million worldwide. In short, it was a hit, but had the movie been more accessible, it’s not hard to imagine it reaching even more viewers at the time. Yet it’s a testament to Tom Cruise’s star power (Russell has a decently-sized role, but Cruise is the only one on the poster) thatVanilla Skydid as well as it did.
Stream Vanilla Sky on Paramount+
5Stargate (1994) — $408.2 Million
Roland Emmerich’sStargatemakes good use of James Spader and Kurt Russell, with the former perfectly cast as a scientist and the latter as a soldier. Together, they venture through a mysterious portal (a wormhole, really) that transports them to a distant planet chock-full of pyramids, a young alien posing as a king, and threats around every corner.
Was Stargate a Doorway to Profit?
Emmerich’s second big movie (afterUniversal Soldierbut beforeIndependence Day) was a big hit, and surprisingly, the only entry of the whole over-arching franchise to land on the big screen. With $199.6 million in profit against a budget of $55 million, the high-concept film could have done much worse. Perhaps that’s mostly due to the movie’s unique nature and exciting marketing materials, but there was also undoubtedly appeal for audiences when it came to both Russell and Spader. After all, audiences had already been pleased several times by movies with Russell in a tough-guy role.
Stream Stargate on fuboTV
4Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) — $454.4 Million
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
One of thebest entries on Margot Robbie’s filmography, Quentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time… in Hollywoodis an epic genre-blender with style to spare. While not quite Tarantino’s highest-grossing film (that’d beDjango Unchained),Once Upon a Time… in Hollywooddid extremely well. On one hand, with names like Tarantino, Robbie, Pitt, DiCaprio, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, and Al Pacino on the cast list and marketing materials, it’s not so surprising the movie was profitable even on a $96 million budget. But, on the other hand, it’s two hours and 40 minutes, takes place in the ’60s, and isn’t quite Tarantino’s most breezily rewatchable film.
Were the Profits for Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood as Impressive as its Cast List?
At the end of the day, the $377.6 million accumulated by Tarantino’s love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood is nothing short of a success story. And the very same could be said of the film itself, with Russell’s relatively brief appearance (considering the epic length) as hilariously beleaguered stunt coordinator Randy Miller easily standing as one of the highlights.
Stream Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood on Starz
3Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) — $1.1 Billion
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Set to the sonic backdrop of Awesome Mix 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the adventures of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Baby Groot as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics reappear.
Of all theMCU villains who need to returnin some capacity, Russell’s Ego the Living Planet fromGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2ranks fairly high. The narrative of this MCU sequel finds Guardian of the Galaxy Peter Quill learning about the paternal side of his parentage, and while things look good from the outset, the further he digs into his own past, the more surprises he finds.
Did Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Outgross the Original?
The originalGuardians of the Galaxywas the MCU’s biggest gamble up to that point, includingIron Manwith its half-written script, near-unhireable lead star, and (at the time) mostly unknown title hero. And, yet, even with a (MCU) standard yet hefty $170 million price tag,Guardiansone pulled in nearly $800 million worldwide. Then,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with a budget only $30 million higher than the first, raked in $863.8 million worldwide. So, in the end, they did comparably well, which is impressive considering how popular the first film was. And undoubtedly, one of the movie’s major appeals was the addition of Russell’s Ego the Living Planet — and just what surprises he had in store for Peter Quill.
Stream Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on Disney+
2The Fate of the Furious (2017) — $1.6 Billion
Fast and Furious 8
One of the weakerFast & Furiousfilms to date, with an overly-heavy plotline that falls flat more often than not,The Fate of the Furiousnonetheless crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. But, considering it’s not the fun filmFurious 7was, it’s not so surprisingFate’s fate was a little less lucrative. That said, it does bring back Russell’s shady government operative, Mr. Nobody, this time pairing him with Scott Eastwood’s Little Nobody. And, for all the film’s faults, Russell’s performance isn’t one of them, considering how obvious it is he’s having the time of his life.
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Did People Want to See More Mr. Nobody in Fate of the Furious?
With a budget $60 million higher thanFurious 7(truly baffling given the films' comparable scope, complexity of action sequences, and the former work’s difficult production),The Fate of the Furioushad a slightly higher bar to clear. And it did, but not to the extent of its predecessor. On a $250 million price tag, the eighthFastfilm generated a more-than-respectable $1.2 billion worldwide.
Stream Fate of the Furious on fuboTV
1Furious 7 (2015) — $1.97 Billion
Fast and Furious 7
Anotoriously difficult film to craftonce tragedy struck, it’s amazing that James Wan was able to turn out not only a coherent film, but one of the best in theFast & Furiousfranchise.Furious 7follows Dom Toretto and crew as they take on the vengeful brother of the previous film’s villain. But to take on Deckard Shaw, they’re going to have to find him, and that’s where Russell’s Mr. Nobody comes in — him and the God’s Eye.
Was Furious 7 the Highest-Grossing of its Franchise?
Even with incalculable difficulty reaching the big screens,Furious 7did well on them. On a hefty $190 million budget (buoyed via reshoots and the like), James Wan’s entry in theFast & Furioussaga raked in over $1.5 billion worldwide. Even if it just hit $1 billion, it would be rightly considered the franchise’s biggest hit. There’s no doubtFurious 7had a wider appeal than the films that came before or after, and while there were certainly quite a few people excited about Russell’s joining the IP, the vast majority of interest centered around the passing of Paul Walker.
