Nicolas Cage is perhaps one of the most recognizable actors of his generation. The actor began his career in Amy Heckerling’s 1982 coming-of-age comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (then credited under his birth name Nicolas Coppola) and has appeared in at least two films per year since 1983. As a method actor, Cage immerses himself in each role and often steals the show regardless of the film’s genre or subject. With the recent release of this year’s comedy horror film Renfieldand six films currently in post-production, the beloved veteran actor doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Whether it be because of the quality of Cage’s movies or the endless memes about the actor, Cage’s popularity continues growing with each new generation of cinephiles. Either way, Cage’s output of films is second almost to none, and we fans of the actor couldn’t be more satisfied. With reports of Cage making a cameo appearance in the upcoming The Flash movie as Superman, we’re excited to see if it’s merely a joke or if the DCU has legitimate plans to make Cage a part of the cinematic universe.
While we all await the actor’s status in the DCU, we’ll reflect on the actor’s career by briefly looking at Cage’s ten highest-grossest films to date.
10 Ghost Rider - $228.7M
Released in 2007 by Sony Pictures Releasing and boasting an impressive cast consisting of Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, the late Peter Fonda, and Wes Bentley, Mark Steven Johnson’s superhero film Ghost Rider is the cinematic adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider.
While the film received mixed reviews upon release, it generated a little more than twice its budget, thus making it a success and ensuring the sequel film Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance three years later. Rider came out just one year shy of the MCU’s debut with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. Even with rumors of actors Norman Reedus and Keanu Reeves in talks to portray Johnny Blaze in the MCU, we’d love to see Cage reprise the role again.
9 Con Air - $224M
The Simon West-directed, Jerry Bruckheimer-produced 1997 action thriller Con Air blew audiences away in the summer of ‘97 with its wild characters, exhilarating action sequences, and unintentionally hilarious dialogue. Moreover, the film made $224 million on a budget of $75 million, thus being one of the best films financially for Cage.
It’s even more impressive when considering The Fifth Element, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Air Force One, and Men in Black all came out around the same time as Air, yet Air still performed exceptionally well commercially. It could just be our bias in favor of Cage talking, but we’d like to think a considerable contribution to the action film’s success was its leading man.
8 G-Force - $292.8M
Walt Disney Pictures’ spy adventure comedy G-Force hit theaters in the summer of 2009 and grossed $292.8 million on a budget of $150 million. The film was notable for its CGI guinea pig protagonists and its star-studded cast, including Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Steve Buscemi, Penelope Cruz, and Cage, just to name a few. Despite the film’s less-than-stellar reception, it was number one domestically at the box office upon release, and it managed to replace Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince — not bad for a cute guinea pig spy movie.
7 Gone in 60 Seconds - $237.2M
Dominic Sena’s 2000 action heist film Gone in 60 Seconds is a remake of the 1974 H. B. Halicki film and was filmed throughout Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA, the latter being Cage’s hometown. Gone in 60 Seconds was generally poorly received upon release despite its impressive cast consisting of Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Duvall, and Timothy Olyphant. The 2000 remake was much more light-hearted and fun than its predecessor, and irrespective of public opinion, it grossed nearly $240 million on a budget of roughly $90 million.
6 Face/Off - $245.7M
Directed by legendary Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo, Face/Offstars Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in an action-packed thriller revolving around international conspiracies and cosmetic surgery. Often considered one of the auteur's best films, the stylized action sequences reminiscent of Woo’s previous films, The Killer and Hard Boiled, and the performances of its leads contributed to Face/Off’s success. With the film’s nearly 250 million dollars take at the box office, Face/Off was 1997’s 11th highest-grossing film.
5 The Rock - $335.1M
Polarizing director Michael Bay’s 1996 action thriller The Rockstars Cage alongside the late Sean Connery and Ed Harris and is notable in that it is considered one of it not the best Michael Bay film of his career. The Rock is famous for its gripping storytelling, tense action, and uncredited script rewrites by beloved writer-directors Quentin Tarantino and Aaron Sorkin. The film is the first on our list to reach the $300 million mark, and with its impressive performance at the box office, The Rock was the sixth highest-grossing film of 1996.
4 National Treasure - $347.5M
National Treasureis the beloved action-adventure heist film starring Cage as American historian and cryptographer Benjamin Franklin Gates and esteemed actors Harvey Keitel, the late Christopher Plummer, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, and Sean Bean joined Cage in this mid-2000s crusade. As is common in the entertainment industry, a film doesn’t necessarily need to be great to get a sequel or justify future installments if it is a financial success. And although National Treasure received generally unfavorable reviews upon release, it grossed $347.5 million on a roughly $100 million budget, thus ensuring it would eventually receive a sequel.
3 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - $384.3M
Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swung into theaters in December 2018 to critical acclaim and was lauded for its storytelling, themes, humor, and stunning visuals. Cage wasn’t the star of this film, but his casting as Spider-Man Noir was perfect, and as is typically the case, he delivered an amazing performance. Spider-Verse reportedly had a $90 million budget, yet the film grossed nearly $400 million worldwide.
Moreover, this film was a risk considering protagonist Miles Morales’ relative obscurity with casual moviegoers at the time. However, we’d like to think Cage’s brilliant performance in the film helped contribute to Spider-Verse’s success and its inevitable 2023 sequel.
2 National Treasure: Book of Secrets - $459.2M
National Treasure: Book of Secretshit theaters in 2007, featuring most of the cast from the 2004 predecessor. Like the 2004 film, Book of Secrets didn’t resonate with most critics as they had issues with its ridiculous plot and dialogue. However, like the 2004 film, Book of Secrets performed well at the box office and contributed to the 2022 Disney+ prequel series sans Cage.
1 The Croods - $587.2M
The Croods was DreamWorks Animation’s 2013 animated adventure comedy starring Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, and Catherine Keener. The Croods received generally favorable reviews, with most praise directed towards the movie’s animation and voice-over talent. Spawning a sequel, television series, and video games, The Croods is Cage’s most commercially successful film to date and arguably the actor’s most impactful project.
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