Few would disagree with the statement that Leonardo DiCaprio is among the most iconic actors of the modern era. Since the start of his film career in the early 1990s,DiCapriohas appeared in a wide variety of movies, never failing to stun audiences with his dedication, range, and natural charisma. His performances have earned DiCaprio an astounding six Academy Award nominations, including a win for his work inThe Revenant. Critics are bound to keep an eye out whenever a new project has his name attached.
Of course, DiCaprio’s performances are often a hit with audiences as well as with critics.Over the years, many of his films have achieved staggering numbers at the box office, with some even ranking among thehighest-grossing movies of all time. DiCaprio may be among the highest-paid actors in the world, but what he brings to each project often proves to be a worthy investment. While time will only tell whether his next films will make the cut, DiCaprio’s ten highest-grossing movies of all time are incredibly impressive.
The Departed
Cast
The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, depicts the tense interplay between the police and the Irish Mafia in South Boston. As an undercover officer infiltrates the criminal underworld, a syndicate informant rises within the police force, culminating in a high-stakes struggle to uncover the dual moles within their ranks.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsesehave collaborated many times over the years on multiple highly successful projects. In 2006,The Departedbecame the third movie to combine DiCaprio’s acting talents with Scorsese’s directing skills. Loosely inspired by a true story, this gripping crime thriller tells the story of a Boston police officer who goes undercover to infiltrate a criminal organization, not realizing that one of the criminals is undercover within the police force at the same time. DiCaprio stars as Billy Costigan, the officer whose mission grows more dangerous than he expected.
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On a budget of approximately $90 million,The Departedmanaged to rake in about $291.5 million in total. Although this figure is quite impressive,The Departedis actually only the third highest-grossing collaboration between DiCaprio and Scorsese. While it did manage to outperform both of their previous projects together, the film merely proved to be an indicator of the even greater success yet to come for their partnership.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley. Set in 1959, Shutter Island follows two U.S. Marshalls - Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) as they are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital specializing in psychiatric care.
Of all thepsychological thrillers of the 21st century, few have managed to be quite as mind-boggling asShutter Island.This captivating feature served as another collaboration between DiCaprio and Scorsese, showing off how the duo’s talents can combine to form a deeply puzzling mystery story. The film stars DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal sent to investigate the mysterious events unfolding at an island-based psychiatric facility, only to discover that something much darker may be lurking below the surface.
Despite this, the film proved to be a major success at the box office, earning approximately $295 million, and securing the ninth spot on the list of DiCaprio’s highest-grossing movies.
Even though it cost roughly $80 million to make,Shutter Islandactually had the lowest budget of any feature-length Scorsese film to star DiCaprio.Despite this, the film proved to be a major success at the box office, earning approximately $295 million, and securing the ninth spot on the list of DiCaprio’s highest-grossing movies. With a stellar lead performance and a deeply thought-provoking story, it came as no major surprise thatShutter Islandwas such a hit.
Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 biographical crime film directed by Steven Spielberg. It’s based on the true story of real-life con artist Frank Abagnale Jr., who successfully impersonated an airline pilot, doctor, and lawyer. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the lead role and Tom Hanks co-stars as FBI Agent Carl Hanratty.
In 2002, DiCaprio got to collaborate with legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg to make a bold new project.TitledCatch Me if You Can, the film was inspired by the mesmerizing life of Frank Abagnale Jr., a young man who reportedly made millions of dollars through various schemes, consistently evading the FBI by posing as a pilot, a doctor, and more. Portraying Abagnale was no easy feat for the young DiCaprio, as he had to seamlessly blend elements of comedy and drama, while also staying true to the real-life figure that inspired the role.
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Catch Me if You Cancurrently stands as the eighth highest-grossing movie in DiCaprio’s filmography, having earned over $352 million at the box office.Because the film was directed by Spielberg and starred not only DiCaprio but Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken as well, it was no major shock that audiences flocked to the theater to see it.Catch Me if You Canmay not have been the single highest-grossing movie for the director or the lead actor, but it was a massive success nonetheless.
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a 2013 drama romance film based on the book of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The movie is one of many adaptations of the iconic 1925 novel, this time starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. The film received a polarizing reception upon release but won two Oscars at the 2014 Academy Awards.
In 2013, seventeen years afterRomeo + Juliet, DiCaprio reunited with director Baz Luhrmann for a modern adaptation of another literary classic. This time, Luhrmann turned to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel,The Great Gatsby. Set in New York during the Roaring Twenties, the story follows the chaotic events of one summer as a wealthy, extravagant man (Jay Gatsby) desperately attempts to rekindle a romance he had experienced years before, ultimately coming face-to-face with the disastrous consequences of clinging to the past. The responsibility of portraying Gatsby fell to none other than DiCaprio himself.
The Great Gatsbyreceived very mixed reviews, especially compared to the usual amount of praise received by DiCaprio’s movies.
Many felt that the film focused too heavily on its brash, splashy style, sacrificing some vital aspects of the original story in the process.Regardless of the underwhelming reviews, the film did become a financial success.The Great Gatsbyearned approximately $353.7 million at the box office, making it the seventh high-grossing film in DiCaprio’s repertoire.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, which takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood. The two lead characters are Rick Dalton, the former star of a western TV series, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth. Both struggle to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore, but Rick soon realizes he’s the next-door neighbor of the infamous Sharon Tate.
Moviesdirected by Quentin Tarantinooften make quite a splash, both with critics and at the box office, and the acclaimed director’s latest feature is no different.Released in 2019,Once Upon a Time… in Hollywoodportrays an alternate version of 1960s Hollywood, following a fading Western TV star named Rick Dalton as he navigates the new chapter of his life alongside his stunt double/best friend, Cliff Booth. DiCaprio takes the lead as Rick, a role that earned him his sixth Academy Award nomination.
With an estimated budget of $90 million,Once Upon a Time… in Hollywoodis Tarantino’s second most expensive film to date. The project did prove to be a worthwhile investment, however, as it managed to accumulate over $392 million at the box office, in addition to earning ten Oscar nominations (and two wins).The film currently holds the number seven spot on the ranking of DiCaprio’s highest-grossing movies, although another Tarantino film is even higher up.
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street, released in 2013, is a biographical crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese. The film follows New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, as he becomes embroiled in a high-stakes securities fraud case involving Wall Street corruption and organized crime connections.
The 2013 biographical feature,The Wolf of Wall Street, is not only the highest-grossing collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio but the single highest-grossing project of the director’s illustrious career.The film is based on the life of controversial stockbroker Jordan Belfort, following his meteoric rise to massive wealth, as well as his corruption and ultimate downfall.DiCaprio earned his fourth Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Belfort, giving captivating levels of depth to the larger-than-life individual.
Scorsese spared no expense when bringing Belfort’s story to life on the big screen, with the film having a hefty nine-figure budget. Even with this massive budget, the film turned a sizable profit, surpassing $400 million at the box office.The Wolf of Wall Streetis one of only five DiCaprio films to achieve this impressive feat. BetweenThe Wolf of Wall StreetandThe Great Gatsby, 2013 was certainly a very successful year for the actor.
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained follows Jamie Foxx’s Django, a Black slave who is freed before becoming a bounty hunter. After meeting German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schultz, Django sets off to free his wife from the cruel and charismatic plantation owner Calvin Candie. Christophe Waltz stars alongside Foxx, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington rounding out the cast of Tarantino’s revisionist Spaghetti Western.
DiCaprio’s first appearance in a Tarantino movie turned quite a few heads. The appearance came in the 2012 feature,Django Unchained, which follows a former slave who befriends a German bounty hunter while embarking on a dangerous mission to reunite with his wife. The film placed DiCaprio in a villainous role, something rather rare for the acclaimed actor. DiCaprio portrayed Calvin Candie, the vile owner of the plantation where Django’s wife, Broomhilda, was being held as a slave.
For a captivating story and a bold performance from DiCaprio,Django Unchainedis an excellent option, particularly for fans of the Western genre.
Django Unchainedwent on to become the highest-grossing movie of Tarantino’s career, surpassingInglourious Basterdsto achieve the title.The film earned over $426 million, securing its spot as the fourth highest-grossing entry in DiCaprio’s filmography.He may not have been the star of the film, but his dedication to the abhorrent nature of the character certainly led him to steal any scene he was in. For a captivating story and a bold performance from DiCaprio,Django Unchainedis an excellent option, particularly for fans of the Western genre.
The Revenant
Inspired by the true events in the life of Hugh Glass, The Revenant is an action-drama movie that sees Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role. Betrayed and left for dead by one of the members of his hunting group, Glass finds himself contending with some of the harshest elements imaginable while tending to his deadly wounds, as his will to carry on and need for revenge push him to carry on in this gripping tale of survival.
Many fans of DiCaprio’s work knowThe Revenantas the film that finally allowed the oft-nominated actor to win an Academy Award.Based on an unbelievable true story, the film stars DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, an American frontiersman who embarks on a perilous journey fueled by vengeance after he is left for dead following a gruesome bear attack.The Revenantis currently the only collaboration between DiCaprio and writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, and Domhnall Gleeson also star.
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The Revenantis one of only three films in Dicaprio’s career to surpass half a billion dollars at the box office, raking in an astounding $533 million.The epic film was also a major hit with critics, earning twelve Academy Awards nominations, and winning in three categories (including Best Actor).The Revenantis truly an essential part of DiCaprio’s filmography, with one of the finest performances of the actor’s career, in addition to a compelling story and inspired direction.
Inception
Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, features a skilled thief who uses dream-sharing technology to steal corporate secrets. He is tasked with planting an idea into a CEO’s mind, while confronting his troubled past, which threatens the mission and his team.
Christopher Nolan’s movieshave a reputation for making their audiences have to think very deeply, and his 2010 feature,Inception, might be the most mind-boggling of them all.This unique twist on the heist genre follows a daring team of agents as they take a death-defying dive through multiple layers of a man’s mind, attempting to artificially implant an idea in his brain. DiCaprio leads the team as Dom Cobb, a professional thief with a dark, complex past that threatens to compromise the success of the mission.
Inceptionbecame a massive success with critics and audiences alike. The film would have had to earn a ton at the box office to turn a profit on its $160 million budget, but this proved to be no trouble, asInceptionbrought in a whopping $839 million. The clever, multilayered story, dazzling visual effects, and stellar performances all combined to create something audiences around the world were dying to see, and the film surely did not disappoint.
Titanic
Titanic, a made-for-TV miniseries directed by Robert Lieberman, aired on CBS in 1996. It dramatizes the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic through the experiences of various characters on board. The film features an original score by Lennie Niehaus and notably depicts the ship breaking in two.
Considering that the film currently stands as the fourth highest-grossing movie of all time, it comes as no surprise thatTitanicis the single highest-grossing movie of DiCaprio’s illustrious career.James Cameron’s epic 1997 film is one of the most recognizable movies in cinema history, renowned for its massive scale and timeless love story. The film highlights the tragic voyage of the Titanic in 1912, keeping the disastrous event grounded in the fictional romance between Jack (DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet).
Both in terms of audience response and critical reception,Titanicis among the most successful movies of all time. The film won an incredible eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, though this did not come as much of a surprise. Over the years, the film has accumulated a stunning $2.26 billion at the box office, holding the honor of being the highest-grossing film for many years, until it was eventually surpassed byAvatar, another film by Cameron. Even with such a successful career, it will be incredibly difficult for DiCaprio to ever repeat this level of box office success.
