Actors Who Hit #1 at the Box Office in Three Different Decades

Some stars manage to stay popular for a few years. A rare group keeps drawing crowds for an entire generation. Then there are the box office fixtures who reach number one in three different decades, proving staying power that stretches across changing trends and new audiences.

This list spotlights actors with films that topped the North American weekend box office in at least three separate decades. Each entry includes concrete examples from those spans of time so you can see exactly how their careers kept delivering first place results over the years.

Tom Cruise

In the 1980s he reached number one with titles such as ‘Top Gun’ in 1986 and ‘Rain Man’ in 1988. The 1990s added more first place finishes with ‘A Few Good Men’ in 1992 and ‘Mission Impossible’ in 1996.

He continued in the 2000s with ‘Minority Report’ in 2002 and ‘War of the Worlds’ in 2005, then led again in the 2010s with ‘Mission Impossible Fallout’ in 2018 and in the 2020s with ‘Top Gun Maverick’ in 2022.

Denzel Washington

He posted 1990s chart toppers with ‘The Pelican Brief’ in 1993 and ‘Crimson Tide’ in 1995. The 2000s brought number one weekends for ‘Remember the Titans’ in 2000 and ‘Training Day’ in 2001.

In the 2010s he led with ‘The Book of Eli’ in 2010 and ‘The Equalizer’ in 2014, and he returned to first place in the 2020s with ‘The Equalizer 3’ in 2023.

Tom Hanks

He hit first place in the 1980s with ‘Big’ in 1988 and ‘Turner and Hooch’ in 1989. The 1990s included number one runs for ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ in 1993 and ‘Forrest Gump’ in 1994.

He continued the streak in the 2000s with ‘Cast Away’ in 2000 and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ in 2006, added 2010s wins with ‘Toy Story 4’ in 2019, and returned to the top in the 2020s with ‘Elvis’ in 2022.

Keanu Reeves

He reached first place in the 1990s with ‘Speed’ in 1994 and ‘The Matrix’ in 1999. The 2000s added number one weekends for ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ in 2003 and ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ in 2008.

He topped again in the 2010s with ‘John Wick Chapter 2’ in 2017 and ‘John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum’ in 2019, then repeated in the 2020s with ‘John Wick Chapter 4’ in 2023.

Brad Pitt

He led the 1990s box office with ‘Interview with the Vampire’ in 1994 and ‘Seven’ in 1995. The 2000s brought number one results for ‘Troy’ in 2004 and ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ in 2005.

In the 2010s he returned with ‘Inglourious Basterds’ in 2009 reaching number one during its run and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ in 2019 opening on top, then added a 2020s first place with ‘Bullet Train’ in 2022.

Will Smith

He topped the 1990s with ‘Bad Boys’ in 1995, ‘Independence Day’ in 1996, and ‘Men in Black’ in 1997. The 2000s added ‘I Am Legend’ in 2007 and ‘Hancock’ in 2008 as number one openers.

He continued in the 2010s with ‘Suicide Squad’ in 2016 and ‘Aladdin’ in 2019, then stayed at the top in the 2020s with ‘Bad Boys for Life’ in 2020 and ‘Bad Boys Ride or Die’ in 2024.

Sandra Bullock

She secured 1990s number ones with ‘Speed’ in 1994 and ‘While You Were Sleeping’ in 1995. The 2000s included ‘The Proposal’ in 2009 and ‘The Blind Side’ in 2009 both reaching first place.

She added 2010s chart toppers with ‘Gravity’ in 2013 and ‘Ocean’s 8’ in 2018, then returned in the 2020s with ‘The Lost City’ in 2022 debuting at number one.

Harrison Ford

He led the 1970s with ‘Star Wars’ in 1977. The 1980s brought first place weekends for ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ in 1981 and ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ in 1984.

The 1990s included number ones for ‘The Fugitive’ in 1993 and ‘Air Force One’ in 1997. He extended that record with ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ in 2008, ‘Star Wars The Force Awakens’ in 2015, and ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ in 2023.

Eddie Murphy

He dominated the 1980s with ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ in 1984 and ‘Coming to America’ in 1988. In the 1990s he reached first place with ‘The Nutty Professor’ in 1996 and ‘Doctor Dolittle’ in 1998.

The 2000s kept him on top with ‘Shrek 2’ in 2004 and ‘Norbit’ in 2007, and he added further first place weekends in the 2010s with ‘Shrek Forever After’ in 2010.

Jim Carrey

He held number one in the 1990s with ‘The Mask’ in 1994, ‘Dumb and Dumber’ in 1994, and ‘Liar Liar’ in 1997. The 2000s included ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ in 2000 and ‘Bruce Almighty’ in 2003.

He added 2010s firsts with ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ in 2014, then returned to first place in the 2020s with ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ in 2020 and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ in 2022.

Liam Neeson

He reached first place in the 1990s with ‘Star Wars The Phantom Menace’ in 1999. The 2000s added a strong run with ‘Taken’ in 2009 topping weekends after its opening frame.

He continued to post number ones in the 2010s with ‘Taken 2’ in 2012 and ‘The Lego Movie’ in 2014 during its run, then did it again in the 2020s with ‘The Marksman’ in 2021.

Robert Downey Jr.

He appeared in a 1990s number one with ‘US Marshals’ in 1998 which debuted on top. The 2000s featured ‘Iron Man’ in 2008 and ‘Sherlock Holmes’ in 2009 both opening at number one.

He returned in the 2010s with ‘The Avengers’ in 2012 and ‘Avengers Endgame’ in 2019 taking first place, then added a 2020s number one with ‘Oppenheimer’ in 2023.

Julia Roberts

She topped the 1990s with ‘Pretty Woman’ in 1990 and ‘Runaway Bride’ in 1999. The 2000s included ‘Erin Brockovich’ in 2000 and ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ in 2001 both reaching number one.

She added a 2010s first place with ‘Valentine’s Day’ in 2010 and later weekends for that ensemble hit kept it at the top, extending her run across three decades.

Vin Diesel

He led the 2000s with ‘The Fast and the Furious’ in 2001 and ‘xXx’ in 2002 both opening at number one. The 2010s added ‘Fast Five’ in 2011 and ‘Furious 7’ in 2015 as top weekend earners.

He returned in the 2020s with ‘F9’ in 2021 debuting at number one and continued to anchor first place weekends for the series in later frames.

Dwayne Johnson

He claimed number one in the 2000s with ‘The Scorpion King’ in 2002 and ‘The Game Plan’ in 2007. The 2010s brought first place weekends for ‘San Andreas’ in 2015 and ‘Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle’ in 2017 among others.

He added a 2020s chart topper with ‘Black Adam’ in 2022 and continued to appear in releases that opened on top across that period.

Share your picks in the comments and tell us which stars you think will stretch their number one streaks into the next decade.