Who’s Owning the 2025 Box Office? Hollywood’s New Power Rankings
Receipts, not hype, decide 2025’s rising Hollywood stars. This year’s breakouts didn’t just open movies—they filled seats, with Emma Myers turning a pixel-born game adaptation into a global juggernaut and a new wave of headliners reshaping the box office.
2025 picked winners the old-fashioned way: tickets sold. Some actors steered billion-dollar franchises without crashing them; others took swings on original material and still packed theaters. The common thread is simple — presence. Here is the class of 2025, ranked by box office, with what they did right and why it matters. And yes, this year felt like the start of a changing of the guard.
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10. Hailee Steinfeld — Sinners ($368M worldwide)
Steinfeld closed the year by saying no to safety nets and yes to an R-rated original. 'Sinners' is a 1932 Mississippi-set slow-burn that asks you to live in dread instead of jump scares. Ryan Coogler keeps the camera patient; Steinfeld responds with a restrained, quietly unnerving performance. Critics loved it, audiences showed up, and $368M for a new genre play is not luck — it is trust.Film: Sinners | Director: Ryan Coogler | Lead cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell | Release: April 18, 2025 | Budget: $90-100M | Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | Worldwide: $368M | Streaming: HBO Max, Hulu
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9. Florence Pugh — Thunderbolts* ($382M worldwide)
Marvel needed a stabilizer more than a showboat, and Pugh did exactly that as Yelena Belova. 'Thunderbolts*' was not an MCU peak financially, but it held together because she plays weary, funny, and morally conflicted without going broad. Sometimes star power does not inflate a number — it prevents a slide.Film: Thunderbolts* | Director: Jake Schreier | Lead cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour | Release: 2025 | Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | Worldwide: $382M
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8. Pedro Pascal — Fantastic Four: First Steps ($521.9M worldwide)
Pascal does not reinvent Reed Richards; he humanizes him. Calm authority, a little warmth, and space for everyone else to shine. Despite a bruising summer schedule, 'First Steps' still crossed $521.9M, which tells you the ensemble worked — and he quietly set the tone.Film: Fantastic Four: First Steps | Director: Matt Shakman | Lead cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn | Release: July 25, 2025 | Rotten Tomatoes: 86% | Worldwide: $521.9M
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7. Joseph Quinn — Fantastic Four + Warfare ($555.5M combined)
The range play worked. 'Fantastic Four' gave Quinn the blockbuster footprint; 'Warfare' (A24) gave him grit. The war drama leans on real-time testimony and discomfort, and Quinn blends in instead of grandstanding. Add $33.6M from 'Warfare' to Marvel's $521.9M and he quietly clears $550M on the year.Films: Fantastic Four: First Steps; Warfare | Directors: Matt Shakman; Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland | Releases: July 25, 2025; April 11, 2025 | Worldwide: $521.9M + $33.6M = $555.5M
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6. David Corenswet — Superman ($616.8M worldwide)
Corenswet picks sincerity over snark, and it pays. James Gunn's reboot aims for clarity and hope, and audiences were more than ready for that version of the character. The result: $616.8M globally and a Superman that feels new without losing the core.Film: Superman | Director: James Gunn | Lead cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult | Release: July 11, 2025 | Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | Worldwide: $616.8M
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5. Damson Idris — F1 ($631.5M worldwide)
Sharing the frame with Brad Pitt is not exactly beginner mode, but Idris keeps it tight and grounded. Joseph Kosinski builds a sleek, prestige spectacle and Idris never gets swallowed by it. One of Apple Studios biggest theatrical wins to date, and a serious big-movie calling card for him.Film: F1 | Director: Joseph Kosinski | Lead cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris | Release: June 27, 2025 | Rotten Tomatoes: 82% | Worldwide: $631.5M
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4. Mason Thames — How to Train Your Dragon ($636M worldwide)
Live-action remakes get side-eye by default. Thames avoids cosplay-with-a-budget and goes for sincerity, which is why this landed with families and fans. Dean DeBlois returns to steer the ship, Nico Parker co-stars, and the movie becomes the franchise's top earner at $636M. That is how you inherit a beloved brand without getting crushed by it.Film: How to Train Your Dragon | Director: Dean DeBlois | Release: June 13, 2025 | Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | Worldwide: $636M
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3. Julia Garner — Fantastic Four + Weapons ($790M combined)
Two lanes, both effective. 'Fantastic Four' delivers scale; 'Weapons' (a psychological horror) delivers awards buzz. Garner does precision, not volume, and ends the year with roughly $790M in combined box office and real momentum with critics.Films: Fantastic Four: First Steps; Weapons | Releases: July 25, 2025; August 8, 2025 | Combined worldwide: $790M | Streaming: Weapons on HBO Max
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2. Jonathan Bailey — Jurassic World: Rebirth ($868M worldwide)
The franchise was wobbling. Bailey steadies it by playing conviction instead of cliches, and Gareth Edwards gives the dinos their scale back. Audiences pushed it to $868M despite a split critical response, which tells you brand health is back. Not flashy — effective.Film: Jurassic World: Rebirth | Director: Gareth Edwards | Release: 2025 | Rotten Tomatoes: 50% | Worldwide: $868M | Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV
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1. Emma Myers — A Minecraft Movie ($958M worldwide)
By the numbers, nobody had a bigger 2025. 'A Minecraft Movie' rockets to $958M and plants itself among the top video game adaptations ever. Jared Hess keeps it playful without getting cutesy, and Myers gives the thing a heartbeat that connects kids and parents. Near a billion, and not by accident.Film: A Minecraft Movie | Director: Jared Hess | Release: 2025 | Budget: $150M | Rotten Tomatoes: 48% | Worldwide: $958M | Streaming: HBO Max
The takeaway: audiences chose these people, not algorithms. Some did it with hopeful cape stories, some with prestige spectacle, some with original nightmares. Who climbs in 2026, who dips, and who comes out of nowhere? Hit the comments and make your case.