Tom CruiseandJason Stathamare locked in a box office battle that has lasted for more than a decade. Both stars are huge box office draws, and in fact Cruise’s movies have collectively grossed more than $12.9 billion since he made his movie debut in 1981’sEndless Love. In addition to starring in huge blockbusters including Steven Spielberg’sWar of the Worldsand theMission: Impossiblefranchise, he has also achieved critical success and earned four Oscar nominations, for 1989’sBorn on the Fourth of July, 1996’sJerry Maguire, 1999’sMagnolia, and (as a producer) 2022’sTop Gun: Maverick.
While Statham has not been nominated for any Oscars so far,his movies have grossed a whopping $8.481 billionsince he made his debut in Guy Ritchie’s 1998 crime movieLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.Jason Statham’s action movieshave formed the cornerstone of his career, and he has led a number of major franchises includingCrank,The Transporter,The Mechanic, andThe Meg. While the two stars might seem entirely different at first blush, their careers have taken such similar trajectories that they have been able to compete at the box office many times in the recent past.
Tom Cruise Just Beat Jason Statham At The Box Office Thanks To Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Most recently, the newMission: ImpossiblemovieThe Final Reckoning, which features Tom Cruise reprising his role as superspy Ethan Hunt, has allowed the star to triumph over Jason Statham at the box office for the year. Although the previous installment, 2023’sDead Reckoning Part One, showed diminishing returns, the 2025 movie opened with $64 million in domestic theaters, giving it the best debut of the entireMission: Impossiblefranchise. Since then,it has risen to a worldwide total of more than $225 million, making it the seventh highest-grossing movie of the year so far at the time of writing.
The only 2025 movies that have so far outgrossedThe Final ReckoningareSinners,Thunderbolts*,Captain America: Brave New World,Lilo & Stitch,A Minecraft Movie, andNe Zha 2.
This total far outstrips the worldwide haul of Jason Statham’s latest movie, which is the 2025 action movieA Working Man, based on Chuck Dixon’s 2014 novelLevon’s Trade. Although the movie saw Statham reteaming with director David Ayer, with whom he collaborated on the $163 million 2024 hitThe Beekeeper,A Working Manwas hit by diminishing returns and only grossed $99 million by the end of its run. While that total still makes it the 14th highest-grossing movie of 2025 so far,Tom Cruise’s newMission: Impossiblemovie has handily bested it, already more than doubling its gross.
Statham & Cruise Have Gone Back & Forth At The Box Office Since 2014
2025 is far from the first time that Statham and Cruise have had major blockbusters go head-to-head in a single year. In fact,it has happened seven times in the past 11 years, with a different star coming out the victor each time. Immediately prior to the triumph ofThe Final Reckoning, Statham’s franchise action movieFast XbuffetedDead Reckoning Part Onein 2023, grossing $704.9 million compared to the Tom Cruise movie’s $571.1 million. Below, see a breakdown of the highest-grossing movie featuring each star for every year since 2014 when they both had a movie in theaters:
2025
2023
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
X
The Expendables 3
TheMission: Impossiblefranchise served Tom Cruise well previously, withFallouthelping him outgross Jason Statham’s aquatic action-horror franchise-starterThe Megin 2018. However, it had also failed him in 2015 whenRogue Nationdid not measure up to theFast & FuriousfranchiseentryFurious 7. However, that movie, which came out in the wake of the death of the franchise’s longtime star Paul Walker, got a huge box office boost that made it both the highest-grossingFast & Furiousinstallment and the third highest-grossing movie of 2015, behindJurassic WorldandStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
Tom Cruise Has A Much Longer Track Record Of Beating Jason Statham At The Box Office Overall
He Became A Star Much Earlier
While there has been considerable back and forth between the stars,Tom Cruise was clearly the box office winner of the pair before 2014. While they did alternate having the highest-grossing movie between 2008 and 2013 (Cruise won 2013 and 2014, ending that streak prematurely), beforehand, Cruise bested Statham during every eligible year. The only exception is 2004, because Statham held a minor role in Cruise’sCollateral, which is to date their only film collaboration. Below, see a breakdown of how Cruise and Statham’s highest-grossing movies of each year compared to one another prior to their current box office battle:
2013
2012
2011
Gnomeo and Juliet
2010
Knight and Day
2008
2007
2006
2005
War of the Worlds
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels(U.S. release)
This early pattern ultimately makes sense, considering the fact that the chart kicks off at the very beginning of Jason Statham’s rise as a star, whereasTom Cruise had already had the better part of two decades during which he could become a major box office draw. By the time Stanley Kubrick’sEyes Wide Shutgrossed $162.4 million in 1999 (bestingLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' $28.3 million worldwide take, following its limited domestic run), Cruise had already starred in 1986’sTop Gun($357.5 million), 1988’sRain Man($412.8 million), 1994’sInterview with the Vampire($223.6 million), and more.
Jason Statham’s Wins Against Tom Cruise All Have 1 Thing In Common
Cruise Doesn’t Have The Same Pattern
In addition to needing to take the time to become a widely known star, Jason Statham’s chart performance shows thathe has so far only been able to best Tom Cruise with franchise installments. While this is primarily true of his stints in theFast & Furiousfranchise,The Expendableshad two different installments that pushed him over the edge as well. While Cruise has won with his fair share of franchise installments, particularly entries from theMission: Impossibleseries, he is not constrained by the same limitations, having won withEdge of Tomorrowin 2014 andOblivionin 2013.
Statham’s winning franchise installments see him as part of a large ensemble of characters…
Additionally, whileTom Cruisehas benefited from franchise movies nearly as much asJason Statham, those movies all featured him as the lead star, whereas Statham’s winning franchise installments see him as part of a large ensemble of characters rather than playing the core character. However,2026 could prove to be a year that reverses that trend, as Cruise is currently only set to appear in an untitled project from Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu while Statham leads the action movieMutinyfromPlanedirector Jean-François Richet, which puts both stars on even ground without a franchise to bolster them.
Tom Cruise
Discover the latest news and filmography for Tom Cruise, known for Top Gun and Mission: Impossible.
