Brendan Fraser’s Star Power: His Top 10 Box Office Hits, Ranked

Explore Brendan Fraser’s Top 10 highest-grossing films, from The Mummy franchise to Journey to the Center of the Earth, George of the Jungle, and his modern prestige comeback. A full breakdown of Fraser’s eclectic career —

Rental Family 2025 (Searchlight Pictures)

Few movie stars have a career arc as winding, emotional, and frankly inspiring as Brendan Fraser. With the release of his new film Rental Family — a warm, funny, human story about a struggling actor in Japan who earns money by playing roles in people’s real lives — the spotlight feels firmly back on Fraser. And honestly, it’s where it always should have been.

Fraser has spent more than 30 years in Hollywood, experiencing seismic highs, punishing lows, and a comeback so triumphant it earned him an Oscar. Through it all, he’s proven himself a performer of sincerity, vulnerability, physical commitment, and surprising range. So for this week’s Star Power column, I’m breaking down his career through the lens of the box office.

Here are Brendan Fraser’s ten highest-grossing films, what they meant for his career, and why this actor’s journey is still one of the most fascinating in modern film history.

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Brendan Fraser’s Top 10 Box Office Performers

1. The Mummy Returns (2001) — $435 Million

Universal doubled down on the pulp-adventure charm of the first film and audiences showed up in massive numbers. Fraser cemented himself as a bankable action star here — doing real stunt work, real comedy, and real emotion. This was the peak of his blockbuster era, an A-list moment delivered with effortless charisma.

2. The Mummy (1999) — $422 Million

The one that started it all. Fraser’s performance as Rick O’Connell remains one of the most likable adventure-hero turns of the ’90s. It’s Indiana Jones energy blended with screwball charm, and Fraser became a global star almost overnight. The movie’s enormous international success shaped the rest of his early career.

3. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) — $405.8 Million

Even without Rachel Weisz, the Mummy brand was still strong. Fraser returned with his usual gusto, though the wear and tear of years of physical roles was starting to show behind the scenes. This marked the end of the franchise — and the end of Fraser’s first Hollywood chapter.

4. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) — $244.2 Million

One of the earliest mainstream RealD 3D hits, the movie succeeded thanks to Fraser’s earnest, kid-friendly star power. Though critics were mixed, families loved it, and Fraser once again delivered a crowd-pleasing hit built on pure goodwill.

5. George of the Jungle (1997) — $174.4 Million

A wild, joyful, weirdly tender comedy that required Fraser to be not only funny but extremely physically committed. His sincerity is what sells it. This was the first real sign that he could open a movie all by himself — and his first smash after years of more dramatic work.

6. Crash (2004) $98.4 Million

Though the film’s reputation has ‘crashed’ since it won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2004, there is still no denying the film’s wild success. That success was due to an absolutely stacked cast that includes Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Thandiwe Newton, Sandra Bullock, and our guy, Brendan Fraser as Bullock’s henpecked hubby. Crash is arguably the worst Best Picture winner in Academy history but it was successful and that’s enough to make it a winner for Brendan Fraser in terms of his star power.

7. Bedazzled (2000) — $90.3 Million

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the list. This remake of the 1967 comedy showcases Fraser’s comedic range more than almost anything else — he plays multiple personas, each sillier than the last. The film quietly became a modest hit and has since grown a devoted cult following.

8. Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) — $65 Million

A flop at release, now something of a fascinating relic. Fraser’s commitment to playing opposite animated characters is admirable, and Joe Dante’s direction has its fans. The movie’s financial failure hurt Fraser’s career at the time, but it’s aged into a quirky footnote rather than a cautionary tale.

9. Inkheart (2008) — $62 Million

Another family fantasy film that never quite caught on, Inkheart arrived in the crowded late-2000s YA wave. Fraser is perfectly cast as a man who can “read characters to life,” but the movie struggled to stand out. A minor performer, but an important piece of Fraser’s transitional period.

10. The Whale (2022) — $57.6 Million

A $3 million indie that became a global cultural conversation. Darren Aronofsky’s drama resurrected Fraser’s career and earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. The box office might be small compared to his blockbusters, but the impact is immeasurable — this is the moment the world remembered how much they loved him.

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Graphic mixed up Crash and Killers of the Flower Moon (My Bad)

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Brendan Fraser, Box Office, Movie Stars, Star Power, The Mummy, Film History, Hollywood, Acting, Film Analysis, Rental Family, Movies, Reelscope, 1990s Movies, 2000s Movies, The Whale, Cinema