In Hollywood, actress Meryl Streep isn’t just an icon. She’s pretty much an establishment on her own. Being the most Oscar-nominated actor of all time, Streep also happens to be one of the Oscar-winning actresses we would sort into Ravenclaw. After completing her studies at Vassar College and Yale, Streep pursued her acting dreams without hesitation. And today, after delivering various critically acclaimed performances, many believe Streep may be the best actress of her generation.
Meanwhile, it seems Streep also has a proven ability to turn films into box office hits. Just look at her 10 highest-earning films so far:
10 Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Aside from Streep, this 2004 film also features veteran actors such as Jude Law and Jim Carrey as the titular character. In the film, Streep plays Aunt Josephine who is a designated guardian of the orphaned Baudelaire children. At the end of its theatrical run, the film earned an estimated $212.96 million at the international box office. Meanwhile, if you can’t get enough of Lemony Snicket, you can always do reruns of the Netflix series Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, which stars Neil Patrick Harris.
9 Into The Woods
Into the Woods is a fantasy film that offers a rather modern take at several classic fairytales. In particular, those that feature leading female characters in distress. In this 2014 film, Cinderella (played by Anna Kendrick) lives in the same universe as Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford). Meanwhile, Streep portrayed the Witch, who also happens to be the main character of the story. In the end, the musical managed to haul in over $200 million, which is a lot considering the film’s production budget is an estimated $56.2 million.
8 Little Women
The 2019 film was a much-awaited remake directed by Greta Gerwig and one of the most interesting behind-the-scenes facts about this film is that Streep herself asked for a role in the film because she loved the books so much. In the end, she was cast as Aunt March. Gerwig even gushed about the veteran actress, telling Entertainment Weekly that Streep is “superfluous.”
Little Women opened to glowing reviews. It even received several Oscar nominations. Meanwhile, at the box office, it made more than $100 million in the domestic market and earned over $200 million worldwide.
7 It’s Complicated
It’s Complicated is a romantic comedy that puts Streep at the center of a love triangle involving an ex-husband and a potential new lover. In this lighter-hearted Nany Meyers story, Streep sees her character flirting and having some romantic rendezvous with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Meanwhile, the cast also includes John Krasinski and based on all the behind-the-scenes things we know from his films, Meyers let him go “off-script” on some of his lines. As for the box office, this ensemble film earned an estimated $224.6 million.
6 Artificial Intelligence
This 2001 sci-fi film tells the story of a robotic boy who wants to become human so that his foster mother would love him once more. Streep has a rather significant presence in the film. However, you would not be able to see her as she only voices the character of Blue Mecha.
Meanwhile, other actors tapped to lend their voice to this film include Ben Kingsley, Chris Rock, and the late Robin Williams. Throughout its theatrical run, the film earned over $78 million in the domestic market. Meanwhile, it raked in more than $235 million worldwide.
5 Out Of Africa
Out of Africa is one of the films we love to turn to when we want to admire the incredible transformation of Streep through the years. In the 1985 film, Streep stars as Karen Blixen, an aristocratic wife who later develops feelings for a hunter played by Robert Redford. While speaking with the Sun-Sentinel, Streep confessed that she developed a “huge crush” on her co-star, which made it easy to film a love story with him. In the end, Streep and Redford’s incredible onscreen chemistry resulted in a box office total of more than $258 million.
4 The Devil Wears Prada
In The Devil Wears Prada, we see Streep effortlessly transform into the terrorizing fashion editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. Several fans of the film also claimed that Streep’s role was partly based on Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. However, Streep later told Indie London that she “wasn’t looking at Anna Wintour at all” while portraying her role. Meanwhile, she also revealed that she lost weight while making the film due to the anxiety she felt while playing a villain. Fortunately, all of Streep’s hard work paid off. The film earned a whopping $326.7 million.
3 Mary Poppins Returns
The 2018 follow-up to the Julie Andrews classic sees Emily Blunt take over the role of the titular character. Meanwhile, Streep plays Mary Poppins’ cousin Topsy. According to the film’s producer, Streep enthusiastically agreed to be a part of the film. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, producer John DeLuca revealed that the actress replied with an email saying she needs to be a part of a film, which is “going to give hope.” Aside from becoming an instant holiday classic, the film also went on to earn an estimated $349.5 million at the box office.
2 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
The success of the sequel that follows the events of the 2008 film proves that we just can’t get enough of Streep as Donna. In this film, however, Donna is long gone. However, Amanda Seyfried’s Sophie is determined to discover her mother’s past as she also prepares for the grand reopening of the Hotel Bella Donna. Originally, Streep wasn’t interested in doing the film. However, when she was informed that her character would be dead, director Ol Parker told Insider that Streep was “delighted.” In the end, the film earned around $395 million worldwide.
1 Mamma Mia!
It’s pretty evident that Streep makes Mamma Mia! magical, especially when you check out this hit 2008 film. While speaking with Good Housekeeping, Streep revealed her agent initially thought she wouldn’t be interested in playing Donna. However, Streep felt the exact opposite. The actress recalled, “I was like, ‘Say yes!’” It’s a good thing she did because we really can’t imagine anyone else playing her part. This musical also went on to become Streep’s highest-grossing film with an estimated box office total of $615.7 million.