One of the highest-earning movie stars in America proudly resides in Massachusetts. Bringing in nearly $14 billion in box office revenue, Chris Evans is the biggest box office earner in the Bay State. His success comes mostly from his role as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Evans, born in Boston in 1981, and grew up in nearby Sudbury, has seen his movies generate nearly $14 billion at the worldwide box office. The data comes from a recent study by NetVoucherCode that analyzed the highest earning star in each state.
“There are some pretty big names on this list,” said John Stirzaker on behalf of the study, “but even we were stunned to learn how much they’ve made at the box office.”
When it comes to Evan’s success, a lot is due to his role as Captain America in the Marvel movies.
“One of the biggest shocks was how many of the stars that made the list were part of the Marvel franchise, totaling 28% for everyone included in each state,” Stirzaker adds.
“Marvel has always been a titan in the film industry, but their success has completely triumphed at the Box Office in the last decade.”
How Does Evans Compare?
On the back of his role as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Evans’ total worldwide box office earnings of $13.75 billion are good for fourth place. Not surprisingly, he falls just behind three of his Marvel co-stars.
In first place is Samuel L. Jackson, residing in Tennessee, with a total worldwide box office earnings of $27.7 billion. While Jackson is known for a career spanning six decades, Marvel fans best recognize him as Nick Fury.
In second is New York’s Robert Downey, Jr. Between his long-running career, including his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has earned $15.7 billion at the worldwide box office.
Next in third place is New Jersey’s Zoe Saldaña, featuring a worldwide box office earning of $14.66 billion. Saldaña first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Gamora in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Her role in Marvel movies isn’t done yet; she’s set to appear in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She also stars in Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water. This makes her the only actor to appear in three of the highest-grossing films of all time: Avengers: Endgame, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water
Examing Chris Evans’ Filmography
While Evans became Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, he had already been in the business for nearly 15 years. He is no stranger to comic book movies: he played Johnny Storm / Human Torch in 2005’s Fantastic Four and the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
He also played Lucas Lee in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. A role he's set to reprise – at least in voice – in the upcoming Netflix animated series.
He's dropped in to provide voices for an episode of Robot Chicken and voiced Casey in the 2007 animated TMNT film.
Since becoming Captain America, Evans has appeared in 11 Marvel movies, including uncredited cameos. His final Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance is the 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, which grossed $2.799 billion at the worldwide box office.
His most notable roles post-Marvel include Hugh “Ransom” Drysdale in the 2019 Rian Johnson murder-mystery Knives Out. He voiced Buzz Lightyear in 2022’s Lightyear from Disney and Pixar. He played a dastardly fiend in Netflix's The Gray Man, written and directed by the same team as the last two Avengers films.
Evans gets to further exercise his comedy chops in the rom-com turned spy thriller Ghosted, coming from Apple next month.
Evans has also appeared as himself in cameo form in several recent movies.
As the narrator for the documentary series America's Game: The Story of the 2014 New England Patriots and America's Game: 2016 Patriots, he got to represent his hometown of Boston. He also co-starred as himself, complete with a thick Boston accent, in a Super Bowl commercial for Hyundai alongside fellow Boston residents John Krasinski and Rachel Dratch, and David Ortiz.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.