Apex Mountain
When did a career peak? 3,283 actors and directors on one Everest-scale mountain. 29,029 ft is the summit.
Feet are the engine's estimate, not box office. ▲ is a hand-set Oracle ruling; +/- is engine vs Oracle, in feet.
1
A second consecutive Best Actor, then Apollo 13 and Toy Story by choice. Big built the launch pad.
Philadelphia ’93 → Sleepless in Seattle ’93 → Forrest Gump ’94 → Toy Story ’95 → Apollo 13 ’95
2
The highest-grossing film ever made, at twenty-three, with almost no career underneath it. The Wolf of Wall Street is the plateau.
Romeo + Juliet ’96 → Marvin's Room ’96 → Titanic ’97 → The Man in the Iron Mask ’98 → Celebrity ’98
3
A $600m spectacle opened worldwide on his name alone. His 1996, when Jerry Maguire and Mission: Impossible made him a star-producer, is the year the lattice actually wants.
The Last Samurai ’03 → Collateral ’04 → War of the Worlds ’05 → Mission: Impossible III ’06 → Lions for Lambs ’07
4
The current model puts The Empire Strikes Back (1980) highest; this call is under review.
Apocalypse Now ’79 → More American Graffiti ’79 → The Empire Strikes Back ’80 → Raiders of the Lost Ark ’81 → Blade Runner ’82
5
The current model puts Avengers: Endgame (2019) highest; this call is under review.
Spider-Man: Homecoming ’17 → Avengers: Infinity War ’18 → Avengers: Endgame ’19 → Dolittle ’20 → Oppenheimer ’23
6
Best Picture and Best Director for a film he also starred in, clear of The Bodyguard.
Bull Durham ’88 → Field of Dreams ’89 → Dances with Wolves ’90 → Revenge ’90 → JFK ’91
7
The most expensive film ever made, built entirely around him. Twins proved the range, T2 proved the price.
Total Recall ’90 → Kindergarten Cop ’90 → Terminator 2: Judgment … ’91 → Christmas in Connecticut ’92 → Last Action Hero ’93
8
The current model puts Batman (1989) highest; this call is under review.
Ironweed ’87 → Broadcast News ’87 → Batman ’89 → The Two Jakes ’90 → A Few Good Men ’92
9
The current model puts Titanic (1997) highest; this call is under review.
Jude ’96 → Hamlet ’96 → Titanic ’97 → Holy Smoke ’99 → Hideous Kinky ’99
10
Turned a theme-park ride into a franchise on a performance the studio wanted cut. Dead Man's Chest grossed more.
Charlie and the Chocola… ’05 → Corpse Bride ’05 → Pirates of the Caribbea… ’06 → Sweeney Todd: The Demon… ’07 → Pirates of the Caribbea… ’07
11
The current model puts Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) highest; this call is under review.
The Secret War of Harry… ’68 → Rachel, Rachel ’68 → Butch Cassidy and the S… ’69 → Winning ’69 → WUSA ’70
12
Ninety minutes alone on screen and $720m worldwide. The Blind Side won her the Oscar.
All About Steve ’09 → Extremely Loud & Incred… ’11 → Gravity ’13 → The Heat ’13 → Our Brand Is Crisis ’15
13
A year after The Godfather, the film that proved the range was his and not Coppola's.
Serpico ’73 → Scarecrow ’73 → The Godfather Part II ’74 → Dog Day Afternoon ’75 → Bobby Deerfield ’77
14
The highest-grossing comedy ever made at the time, and he improvised most of it. Stripes was the audition.
Stripes ’81 → Tootsie ’82 → Ghostbusters ’84 → The Razor's Edge ’84 → Nothing Lasts Forever ’84
15
The current model puts Pretty Woman (1990) highest; this call is under review.
Satisfaction ’88 → Steel Magnolias ’89 → Pretty Woman ’90 → Flatliners ’90 → Sleeping with the Enemy ’91
16
Awards-driven summit, edging Brokeback Mountain.
Candy ’06 → I'm Not There ’07 → The Dark Knight ’08 → The Imaginarium of Doct… ’09
17
Awards-driven summit, edging Apocalypse Now.
Burn! ’69 → The Night of the Follow… ’69 → The Godfather ’72 → Last Tango in Paris ’72 → The Nightcomers ’72
18
The first R-rated film past a billion dollars, and Best Actor with it. Walk the Line was the earlier peak.
The Sisters Brothers ’18 → Mary Magdalene ’18 → Joker ’19 → C'mon C'mon ’21 → Napoleon ’23
19
Two sequels shot back to back on the strength of the first. The Matrix is the better film.
Hardball ’01 → Sweet November ’01 → The Matrix Reloaded ’03 → The Matrix Revolutions ’03 → Something's Gotta Give ’03
20
A $1.3bn film in which the villain is the argument. Creed III he also directed.
Creed ’15 → Fantastic Four ’15 → Black Panther ’18 → Creed II ’18 → Fahrenheit 451 ’18
21
Awards-driven summit, edging Taken.
Leap of Faith ’92 → Husbands and Wives ’92 → Schindler's List ’93 → Ethan Frome ’93 → Nell ’94
22
The current model puts Gladiator (2000) highest; this call is under review.
The Insider ’99 → Mystery, Alaska ’99 → Gladiator ’00 → Proof of Life ’00 → A Beautiful Mind ’01
23
The current model puts The Sting (1973) highest; this call is under review.
The Candidate ’72 → The Hot Rock ’72 → The Sting ’73 → The Way We Were ’73 → The Great Gatsby ’74
24
The biggest comedy star alive with the biggest comedy of the year, edging Dead Poets Society.
Toys ’92 → FernGully: The Last Rai… ’92 → Mrs. Doubtfire ’93 → Being Human ’94 → Jumanji ’95
25
The current model puts The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) highest; this call is under review.
X-Men: Days of Future P… ’14 → Serena ’14 → The Hunger Games: Mocki… ’15 → Joy ’15 → Passengers ’16
26
Awards-driven summit, edging The Truman Show.
China Moon ’94 → Milk Money ’94 → Apollo 13 ’95 → Nixon ’95 → Just Cause ’95
27
The current model puts Beverly Hills Cop (1984) highest; this call is under review.
48 Hrs. ’82 → Trading Places ’83 → Beverly Hills Cop ’84 → Best Defense ’84 → The Golden Child ’86
28
Awards-driven summit, edging The Godfather.
The Betsy ’78 → Invasion of the Body Sn… ’78 → Apocalypse Now ’79 → The Great Santini ’79 → True Confessions ’81
29
The current model puts Pulp Fiction (1994) highest; this call is under review.
Jurassic Park ’93 → True Romance ’93 → Pulp Fiction ’94 → Fresh ’94 → Against the Wall ’94
30
The current model puts Se7en (1995) highest; this call is under review.
Unforgiven ’92 → The Shawshank Redemption ’94 → Se7en ’95 → Outbreak ’95 → Moll Flanders ’96
31
The year the biggest comedy star alive proved he could hold a straight film, edging The Mask.
The Cable Guy ’96 → Liar Liar ’97 → The Truman Show ’98 → Simon Birch ’98 → Man on the Moon ’99
32
The current model puts Air (2023) highest; this call is under review.
No Sudden Move ’21 → Thor: Love and Thunder ’22 → Air ’23 → Oppenheimer ’23 → The Instigators ’24
33
Best Picture, and a musical that ran on her, just past Bridget Jones's Diary.
Me, Myself & Irene ’00 → Bridget Jones's Diary ’01 → Chicago ’02 → White Oleander ’02 → Cold Mountain ’03
34
Six Oscars and very nearly Best Picture, past Drive, which built the persona.
The Big Short ’15 → Lost River ’15 → La La Land ’16 → The Nice Guys ’16 → Blade Runner 2049 ’17
35
The current model puts Grease (1978) highest; this call is under review.
Carrie ’76 → Saturday Night Fever ’77 → Grease ’78 → Urban Cowboy ’80 → Blow Out ’81
36
The current model puts La La Land (2016) highest; this call is under review.
Irrational Man ’15 → Aloha ’15 → La La Land ’16 → Popstar: Never Stop Nev… ’16 → Battle of the Sexes ’17
37
A $670m ghost story with no action beat in it, well clear of Die Hard.
Mercury Rising ’98 → The Siege ’98 → The Sixth Sense ’99 → The Story of Us ’99 → Breakfast of Champions ’99
38
The current model puts Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) highest; this call is under review.
Marathon Man ’76 → Straight Time ’78 → Kramer vs. Kramer ’79 → Agatha ’79 → Tootsie ’82
39
The current model puts Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) highest; this call is under review.
Julia ’77 → The Deer Hunter ’78 → Kramer vs. Kramer ’79 → The Seduction of Joe Ty… ’79 → Manhattan ’79
40
An R-rated superhero film he spent eleven years forcing into production, and it took $780m. The sequels are bigger and easier.
Self/less ’15 → Mississippi Grind ’15 → Deadpool ’16 → Criminal ’16 → The Hitman's Bodyguard ’17
41
The current model puts Dune: Part Two (2024) highest; this call is under review.
Entergalactic ’22 → Wonka ’23 → Dune: Part Two ’24 → A Complete Unknown ’24 → Marty Supreme ’25
42
The current model puts Unforgiven (1992) highest; this call is under review.
Company Business ’91 → Class Action ’91 → Unforgiven ’92 → Geronimo: An American L… ’93 → The Firm ’93
43
The darker half of her 1977, the year Annie Hall won her Best Actress. Baby Boom is the later peak.
Love and Death ’75 → Harry and Walter Go to … ’76 → Annie Hall ’77 → Looking for Mr. Goodbar ’77 → Interiors ’78
44
The current model puts Braveheart (1995) highest; this call is under review.
The Man Without a Face ’93 → Maverick ’94 → Braveheart ’95 → Pocahontas ’95 → Casper ’95
45
A $300m monster picture at his most bankable, which is not the same as his best. Logan is the film that closed seventeen years in one role.
Eddie the Eagle ’16 → X-Men: Apocalypse ’16 → Logan ’17 → The Greatest Showman ’17 → The Front Runner ’18
46
One of three landmark films he released in 1967, the year he was the biggest draw in America. In the Heat of the Night won Best Picture.
The Greatest Story Ever… ’65 → Duel at Diablo ’66 → In the Heat of the Night ’67 → To Sir, with Love ’67 → Guess Who's Coming to D… ’67
47
The current model puts Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019) highest; this call is under review.
Deadpool 2 ’18 → Once Upon a Deadpool ’18 → Once Upon a Time... in … ’19 → Ad Astra ’19 → Bullet Train ’22
48
A year after Dallas Buyers Club won him the Oscar, Nolan built a $700m film around him.
Mud ’13 → The Wolf of Wall Street ’13 → Interstellar ’14 → Free State of Jones ’16 → Gold ’16
49
The current model puts The Revenant (2015) highest; this call is under review.
The Drop ’14 → Locke ’14 → The Revenant ’15 → Mad Max: Fury Road ’15 → Legend ’15
50
His biggest commercial hit with Scorsese. Raging Bull is the greater film and the smaller opening.
Bang the Drum Slowly ’73 → The Godfather Part II ’74 → Taxi Driver ’76 → 1900 ’76 → The Last Tycoon ’76
51
Awards-driven summit, edging Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Margot at the Wedding ’07 → Walk Hard: The Dewey Co… ’07 → Kung Fu Panda ’08 → Be Kind Rewind ’08 → Tropic Thunder ’08
52
Awards-driven summit, edging The Usual Suspects.
The Negotiator ’98 → Hurlyburly ’98 → American Beauty ’99 → The Big Kahuna ’99 → Pay It Forward ’00
53
She produced it as well as starred in it, and it took $1.4bn. I, Tonya is where she proved she could.
Babylon ’22 → Amsterdam ’22 → Barbie ’23 → Asteroid City ’23 → A Big Bold Beautiful Jo… ’25
54
The current model puts A Star Is Born (2018) highest; this call is under review.
10 Cloverfield Lane ’16 → Guardians of the Galaxy… ’17 → A Star Is Born ’18 → The Mule ’18 → Avengers: Infinity War ’18
55
The current model puts Chinatown (1974) highest; this call is under review.
The Three Musketeers ’73 → Oklahoma Crude ’73 → Chinatown ’74 → The Towering Inferno ’74 → The Four Musketeers ’74
56
The current model puts The Hunt for Red October (1990) highest; this call is under review.
Indiana Jones and the L… ’89 → Family Business ’89 → The Hunt for Red October ’90 → The Russia House ’90 → Highlander II: The Quic… ’91
57
The current model puts Bullitt (1968) highest; this call is under review.
The Sand Pebbles ’66 → Nevada Smith ’66 → Bullitt ’68 → The Thomas Crown Affair ’68 → The Reivers ’69
58
Awards-driven summit, edging Schindler's List.
Quiz Show ’94 → Strange Days ’95 → The English Patient ’96 → Oscar and Lucinda ’97 → The Avengers ’98
59
Box-office summit, edging Enter the Dragon.
Marlowe ’69 → The Big Boss ’71 → Fist of Fury ’72 → The Way of the Dragon ’72 → Enter the Dragon ’73
60
Awards-driven summit, edging Basic Instinct.
The Specialist ’94 → Intersection ’94 → Casino ’95 → The Quick and the Dead ’95 → Diabolique ’96