George Clooney’s Top 10 Highest-Grossing Movies

If you rank the top-grossing movies from the last thirty years, you’ll see a lot of George Clooney’s movies on the list. He has been in some of the most popular and successful films since the 1990s, including Ocean’s Eleven, Syriana, The Perfect Storm, and Up in the Air.

There are quite a few of George Clooney’s movies that made over $100 million but did not make the Top 10 list. For instance, his 2014 film Monuments Men, which he also directed, made $156.7 million. Additionally, there was Burn After Reading from Ethan and Joel Coen as well, which grossed $161 million worldwide.

Needless to say, there have also been some flops from time to time. In any case, here are the top 10 George Clooney movies that have performed the best at the box office, as of 2022.

10. Up in the Air ($167 million)

Taking the tenth spot in the list of top-grossing George Clooney movies is Up in the Air. This 2009 comedy-drama had Clooney playing the role of Ryan Bingham, whose job is to go all over the country firing people. Although it’s at the bottom of our list, the gross earnings are quite impressive, especially since the movie only had a budget of $25 million. It also earned Clooney one of his three Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

9. The Descendants ($177.2 million)

The Descendants comes in next and like the previous movie, it was a low-budget production. They only spent $20 million on the film but it ended up grossing a whopping $177.2 million at the international box office. It is also critically acclaimed as well and got Clooney another Best Actor nomination from the Oscars.

In 2011, Clooney also did the lower-grossing The Ides of March. While it didn’t perform as well, making only $76.3 million, it did get him yet another Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

8. Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over ($197 million)

Yet another relatively low-budget production was the 2003 movie, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. The film only had a budget of $38 million, but this spy adventure film made over $197 million in international ticket sales. It was the third film in the Spy Kids movie franchise.

7. Tomorrowland ($209 million)

Tomorrowland is a sci-fi flick where Clooney co-stars with Hugh Laurie and Britt Robertson. The Disney film received mixed reviews from audiences and critics. Nevertheless, it did perform well at the box office, earning over $208 million.

6. Batman & Robin ($238 million)

Any Batman movie is sure to draw in audiences and with Clooney at the helm, Batman and Robin definitely brought the crowds. Unfortunately, the film wasn’t well-received by critics or fans. However, thankfully for the film, the commercial success of the movie did not mirror the critics’ reviews. It was also not considered to be one of Clooney’s best acting performances.

5. Ocean’s Thirteen ($311.7 million)

The third movie in the epic Ocean’s Trilogy was Ocean’s Thirteen, and it is also the third in rank according to gross earnings. But $311.7 million is not something to be ashamed of. In his final reprisal of the Danny Ocean role, Clooney reunites with most of the original cast members as they try to execute one final heist.

4. The Perfect Storm ($329 million)

This disaster drama film is based on the book by Sebastian Junger. In 2000, Clooney joined Mark Wahlberg and Diane Lane, to star in the film. The film’s budget was a sizable $120 million, but it was well-spent considering the movie made a respectable $329 million at the worldwide box office.

It was also during the same year that Clooney played Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother, Where Art Thou? This film did not fare as well as The Perfect Storm, but it did win him the Golden Globe Best Actor Award for that year. And it’s also become a classic among his fans.

3. Ocean’s Twelve ($363 million)

The combined forces of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and the other Hollywood superstars from the earlier film once again drove this sequel to massive box office earnings. The big names, which also include Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones, did help rack up the box office numbers. The budget for this film was $110 million, and it made $363 million worldwide.

2. Ocean’s Eleven ($450.7 million)

The first movie of the Ocean’s franchise holds the highest record in terms of gross earnings. Starring as Danny Ocean for the first time, Clooney delivered an amazing performance, along with the rest of the star-studded cast. The movie was actually based on a Rat Pack movie from the 1960s. And the excellent storyline paired the perfect casting was the right recipe for success. The movie ended up earning more than $450 million globally.

1. Gravity ($723.4 million)

Taking the number one spot in the highest-grossing George Clooney movies list is 2013’s Gravity. Opposite Sandra Bullock, Clooney stars in this sci-fi action film about two astronauts in space on a mission desperately gone awry. The film did not just make a massive amount at the box office, but it was also lauded by critics for numerous acting and technical achievements.

Other Notable George Clooney Films

From Dusk till Dawn of 1996 was one of the biggest early successes for Clooney. It won him the Best Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards and Best Lead Actor at the Saturn Awards. That movie made $25.8 million, which pales in comparison to his top films.

In 1998, Clooney starred in Out of Sight as the bank robber Jack Foley, opposite Jennifer Lopez who played the role of Marshal Karen Sisco. The movie was based on an Elmore Leonard novel of the same title, and was directed by Steven Soderbergh. It got a number of nods from the critics, but it saw average commercial success with a gross of $77.7 million.

In 2002, Clooney played Jim Byrd in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Three years later, he directed and wrote the screenplay for the film Good Night and Good Luck. Although it only earned $54.6 at the box office, it did earn him two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.

In 2008, shortly after the completion of the Ocean’s Trilogy, Clooney once again collaborated with Brad Pitt. This time, it was in the comedy crime drama Burn after Reading directed by the Coen Brothers which earned over $163.7 million. A year later, Clooney lent his voice to Mr. Fox in the animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox. It was the second time that Clooney did voice acting, after playing a role for South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut in 1999.

George Clooney is still very active in acting, directing, and producing. With his new projects that are underway, it won’t be a surprise if there are new titles added to the list of top-grossing George Clooney movies sometime soon!