Jason Statham has been in the film industry for nearly 30 years now. And, like any career that stretches decades, there have been wins and losses, hits and misses. But, when it comes to Statham, when one of his movies comes equipped with a real budget, there are real returns on investment.
Whether they're solo action ventures, team-ups with other action legends, or late additions to fast car sagas, Statham's often proven himself to be box office gold. What follows are the ten movies in his filmography that had the best return on investment. Note that cameos were not included for consideration. That means no Collateral, no The Pink Panther, no Fast & Furious 6, and no F9: The Fast Saga.
10 Mechanic: Resurrection Earned 3.15 Times Its Production Budget
Mechanic: Resurrection
2011's The Mechanic didn't have a gross that necessarily warranted a sequel. But, $76.3 million against $40 million doesn't negate a follow-up, either. The thing is, most of that money came from overseas, considering it only grossed $29 million in the States and Canada.
Overseas Saves the Day
The sequel, Mechanic: Resurrection, a far more bombastic and action-driven film, did even worse with $21 million. However, it carried an identical budget, and overperformed overseas. Specifically, it made $104.5 million outside the U.S. and Canada, making it worth the investment and showing how Statham is a star the world over.
9 Spy Earned 3.6 Times Its Production Budget
- Release Date
- June 15, 2015
Statham wasn't entirely unfamiliar with comedy when Spy came out, given his first two movies with Guy Ritchie had their humorously snappy dialogue, as did The Italian Job. And, for that matter, the two Crank films could somewhat be considered absurdist action-comedies. But Spy was a straightforward laugher, from Paul Feig, fresh off of Bridesmaids and The Heat.
Another Win for Feig
People weren't fully sure how he'd do in the genre, but Statham was a natural. It's an all-around solid movie and his ultra-confident Rick Ford is the best part of it. His dry readings of elaborate, bonkers adventures (which he probably didn't have) are sold with just the right cadence. And, the movie was a success, both critically and commercially ($235.6 million worldwide against a $65 million price tag).
8 Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Earned 3.8 Times Its Production Budget
- Release Date
- August 1, 2019
When Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs proved to be a natural fit for the Fast & Furious franchise, it was inevitable he'd come back. But, much-discussed behind-the-scenes conflicts with lead star Vin Diesel led to his role becoming diminished as the entries progressed. That said, after missing out F9, he did have a post-credits cameo in Fast X. But before those two movies, he and Furious 7 antagonist Deckard Shaw (Statham) teamed up for Hobbs & Shaw.
A Spin-Off Worth Making
It's surprising the spin-off hasn't received a sequel, considering it's one of the overall franchise's best installments, proving itself to be fun and rewatchable (as are all of David Leitch's movies). It also did fairly well at the box office. The team-up generated $740.7 million worldwide against $200 million, which means it didn't do quite as well as The Fate of the Furious, but it did slightly outgross the subsequent F9.
7 The Beekeeper Earned 3.817 Times Its Production Budget
- Release Date
- January 12, 2024
If there's a perfect indicator of the fact that Statham is the current number one action star, it's The Beekeeper. Sure, it has a hook of a plot, but its success mostly comes down to him. After all, fellow mid-budgeted relatively straightforward action flick The Killer's Game also has a hook of a plot, and it didn't even clear $6 million worldwide.
Statham's Game
Did The Beekeeper have a price tag $10 million higher than The Killer's Game ($40 million instead of $30 million)? Sure. But it also had a $152.7 million worldwide haul, $66 million of which came from domestic screens, where it experienced slimmer than usual weekend over weekend drops for a genre pic. Expect a sequel at some point.
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6 The Meg Earned 4.08 Times Its Production Budget
The Meg
The Meg's success was never a sure thing. It came at the tail end of a crowded summer movie season, meaning audiences could have been burnt out on going to the theater for a while. But, with a clever marketing campaign, it ended up being one of the summer's biggest surprise hits.
Chomp Chomp
In general, a creature feature's success is far from a sure thing (though kaiju adventures have been on the rebound). That's why there are far fewer of them on the big screen these days. But with Statham perfectly cast in the heroic lead, this Megalodon movie took a big bite out of the box office. Specifically, it generated over four times its budget, which is no small compliment considering it had a risky $130 million price tag.
5 The Fate of the Furious Earned 4.58 Times Its Production Budget
The Fate of the Furious
Like the two entries that came before, The Fate of the Furious carried a massive price tag of at least $250 million. Yet, even with inferior reviews compared to Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7, it did well financially. Specifically, it's the second installment of the IP to generate over $1 billion worldwide.
Billion Dollar Fate
However, the film was still seen as something of a disappointment. This is mostly because it netted $100 million less than Furious 7 on domestic screens. Naturally, Furious 7 served as an opportunity to say goodbye to Paul Walker, but the $100 million drop indicated that audiences were starting to tire of Dominic Toretto and crew. F9 was a COVID-era release, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it experienced a heavy drop down to $726 million worldwide. Fast X was the true sign of the IP's dwindling popularity, as it had some distance from the pandemic and still experienced a drop domestically.
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4 Gnomeo & Juliet Earned 5.39 Times Its Production Budget
- Release Date
- January 13, 2011
It's a wonder Statham hasn't voiced more roles. His gravelly voice is perfect for a villain, and that's exactly what he plays in Gnomeo & Juliet, a children's movie featuring a largely English cast, including James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, and the late Maggie Smith. It wasn't the most well-reviewed film of those performers' careers, but it did just fine at the box office.
Gnome Way Its Budget Was That Low
Specifically, it generated nearly $200 million worldwide, with almost $100 million coming from domestic screens. Better yet, it carried a price tag of just $36 million, shockingly low given the star power on display. A sequel, Sherlock Gnolmes, was released seven years later to much less success ($90.5 million against $59 million).
3 Furious 7 Earned 6.1 Times Its Production Budget
Furious 7
- Release Date
- April 3, 2015
Furious 7 is essentially the peak of how high the Fast & Furious IP can fly. At least in terms of finances. It continued the sudden shift in critical appreciation that Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 received, it had Statham as the lead antagonist, and it was a cultural talking point due to the untimely passing of Paul Walker.
The Most-Attended Fast & Furious
So, naturally, it was the first movie to cross $1 billion at the worldwide box office. To put it into context, Fast & Furious 6 netted $788.7 million against at most $260 million (possibly more around $160 million). Furious 7 carried a similar price tag even with the necessary Walker-related workarounds, and generated $1.515 billion.
2 Snatch Earned 8.3 Times Its Production Budget
- Release Date
- September 1, 2000
Two years after he debuted in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Statham portrayed the same kind of fast-talking gangster role in Snatch. They're effectively sibling films. Snatch isn't a sequel, but it is mighty similar to Lock, Stock.
Two Hits for Ritchie, Two Hits for Statham
This extends to financial response. Both films were low-budget, though Snatch carried a price tag far higher than the film that preceded it. Yet, far higher was still just $10 million, and when all was said and done Snatch had, well, grabbed up $83.6 million across the globe.
1 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Earned 20 Times Its Production Budget
4.5/5
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Eddy (Nick Moran) convinces three friends to pool funds for a high-stakes poker game against local crime boss Hatchet Harry (P.H. Moriarty). Harry cheats and Eddy loses, giving him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds or hand over his father's pub. Desperate, Eddy and his friends wait for their neighbors to rob some drug dealers, then rob the robbers in turn. After both thefts, the number of interested criminal parties increases, with the four friends in dangerously over their heads.
- Release Date
- August 28, 1998
Before Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Statham was known in the U.K., but as a member of Britain's national diving team and as a model, not as an actor. But, with the release of Ritchie's film (which marked his directorial debut), Statham started to become a known quantity the world over. This includes in the United States, where it played in limited release for about two months.
An Even Bigger Hit Overseas
Unadjusted for inflation, the film carried a budget of about $1.4 million. And, with a $3.65 million domestic tally, it was profitable domestically alone. But, Ritchie's debut netted a very impressive $28.1 million globally, making it the biggest hit of Statham's career when comparing gross to budget.
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