Actors with charisma and excellent comedic timing have a way of standing out on the big screen, and once mainstream audiences see what they can do, they tend to want a whole lot more. This was the case for Ryan Reynolds, who broke out back in the 2000s and hasn’t looked back since. Reynolds has made plenty of popular films, and his social media presence, especially when it involves his wife, continues to boost his appeal.
The man can do it all, and he has had a career filled with major blockbusters and even a few duds along the way. Let’s look at his box office history and compare his lowest-grossing movie vs. his highest-grossing movie.
Reynolds Has Been A Star For Nearly Two Decades
Ryan Reynolds has been at the top of Hollywood for years now, and he has put together an impressive list of credits. No, he does not flex a ton of acting range all the time and hasn’t gotten an Oscar nomination, but the man is insanely talented and is among the best in the industry at what he does. Reynolds used his time on a successful television show to springboard onto the big screen and make a name for himself. Van Wilder was the film that helped put Reynolds on the map back in the 2000s, and since then, he has put in a ton of work to become one of the biggest stars on the planet.
His list of successful films include the aforementioned Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, The Amityville Horror, Waiting…, The Proposal, and a whole lot more. That’s not even including his lucrative Deadpool franchise. The man has done brilliant work through the years, but they can’t all be winners. There is one film that can lay claim to being the lowest-grossing film of his career.
His Lowest-Grossing Film, ‘Paper Man,’ Made $15,000
As it stands now, Paper Man, a 2010 release starring Reynolds and Jeff Daniels, is Ryan Reynolds’ lowest-grossing career movie. It made just north of $15,000 at the box office, and virtually no one has ever heard of it. Aside from being a tiny project overall, the film was also met with a less-than-stellar reaction from critics and audiences alike.
According to People, “Paper Man stars Jeff Daniels as a struggling writer who relies on a childhood imaginary friend (Reynolds’ as the made up Captain Excellent) to help aid him with his life decisions.”
This sounds like it could have been an interesting premise, but the execution was certainly lacking here.
Even when the film was brought up by Lance Ulanoff on social media, Reynolds himself had no answers for the film in question. It was a playful jab at his own work, which is something that Reynolds is not immune from doing. Lest we forget his ability to dump all over Green Lantern in hilarious ways. Paper Man didn’t do a whole lot for Reynolds’ career, but he’s had a ton of success. Only one film, however, can claim to be the highest-grossing of his career.
His Highest-Grossing Film, ‘Deadpool 2,’ Made $786 Million
Even with all of the success that Ryan Reynolds has had over the years, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see that a franchise flick has been his biggest earner so far. Released back in 2018, Deadpool 2 had a ton of hype behind it and was able to draw a large global audience to the theaters en route to making over $786 million at the box office.
The first Deadpool film was a monumental success back when it was first released, and Fox knew that they had a mega hit on their hands with a sequel. Reynolds’ ability to promote both films is nothing short of impressive, and the hype for the sequel flick was through the roof prior to it hitting theaters.
The film got some solid reviews from critics upon its release, as indicated by its 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. More importantly, Deadpool 2 caught on with fans, as well, and the positive word-of-mouth praise undoubtedly helped it at the box office. $786 million later, Reynolds had another smash hit, and the Deadpool franchise was on a hot streak and looking for more.
It has been confirmed that a Deadpool 3 will be taking place, but this time around, it will be under the MCU umbrella. Now, the Multiverse is in effect with the MCU, so the franchise has limitless options for what they could do with the next Deadpool film. Needless to say, whatever Kevin Feige conjures up with Reynolds is going to make a fortune in no time.
