Predicting 2017’s Highest Grossing Actor

2017 is a gigantic year for movies. The release schedule is packed with tentpole films: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Justice League, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Fate of the Furious, and Kong: Skull Island to name a few.

With several actors crossing over between several of the gigantic franchise films, they have an advantage when it comes to the competition for title of highest grossing actor in 2017. Fortunately for a few of them, the cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi is absent from most of the big movies coming out across the year, so their advantage of being featured in the biggest movie of the year won’t help them top actors appearing in a trio of blockbusters.

On the following slides, we will take a look at the candidates for highest grossing actors in 2017.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has become the biggest movie star on the planet. His movies have yet to find failure at the box office.

With the trio of films on his schedule, Johnson has a big chance at being 2017’s highest grossing actor — a title he held for the year of 2015 before passing it to Scarlett Johansson for 2016.

All of Johnson’s movies in 2017 are big, known titles: Jumanji (with box office darling Kevin Hart), Baywatch, and The Fate of the Furious. The only sure fire hit of the bunch is the eighth instalment to the Fast & Furious franchise but Jumanji and Baywatch have the right pieces in place to boost Johnson to the top ranks for 2017’s box office stars.

A cameo appearance in another blockbuster, like the one Johnson did for Jem & The Holograms, would solidify Johnson’s chances. If he were to appear in Justice League for an earlier-than-expected debut as Black Adam then all bets are on the Great One.

Gal Gadot

Speaking of Justice League, Gal Gadot is guaranteed to be in two major blockbuster films in 2017 with the DC ensemble flick being one of them. 

Gadot, who debuted as Diana Prince in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, is bringing the first heroine-titled film between both DC and Marvel to the big screen. Wonder Woman will be a huge draw to movie theaters followed only by an even bigger event film in Justice League. 

If the two films can piece together numbers to the likes of Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, Gadot has a shot at claiming the title — assumbing her Justice League co-stars won’t be making any appearances in her June 2017 film.

Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel is only appearing in franchise films in 2017, two of which are sequels to gigantic films.

Already in theaters, Diesel reprised his role at Xander Cage in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage for a self-produced sequel to his 2001 movie. The movie hasn’t been posting gangbuster numbers so far but his next two films are sure to be hits: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Fate of the Furious.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is one of the year’s most anticipated films, following up the surprise hit of Guardians of the Galaxy and leading the team to a team-up with the Avengers. 

The Fate of the Furious follows up Furious 7, which broke records in its 2015 release, posting $1.5 billion worldwide in its theatrical run.

Vin Diesel is a top contender for the title.

Benicio del Toro

Benicio del Toro nabbed himself a role in the year’s biggest film with Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The film is going to haul in dollars at the box office equivalent to but likely greater than those of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was a monster already. 

It is unclear whether or not Del Toro will be reprising his role from Guardians of the Galaxy in the movie’s sequel, however. If he does pop up as the collector in either Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 or Thor: Raganrok, which takes place in the cosmos of the Marvel universe, Del Toro has a shot at the title with just two films combining for the most box office dollars.