Tom Cruise vs. Jason Statham: Who’s Winning?! The Last 11 Years Will SHOCK You!

Tom Cruise and Jason Statham have been engaged in a prolonged box office competition that spans over a decade. Both of them are massive draws at the box office, with Cruise’s films collectively earning over $12.9 billion since his debut in 1981’s “Endless Love.” Not only has he starred in massive blockbusters like Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds” and the “Mission: Impossible” series, but he has also garnered critical acclaim and received four Oscar nominations. These were for his performances in “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989), “Jerry Maguire” (1996), “Magnolia” (1999), and as a producer for “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022).

Although Jason Statham hasn’t received an Oscar nomination yet, his films have amassed a staggering total of $8.481 billion since he started acting in Guy Ritchie’s 1998 crime movie “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” Throughout his career, Statham has spearheaded numerous successful franchises such as “Crank,” “The Transporter,” “The Mechanic,” and “The Meg.” Interestingly, despite appearing to be quite different at first glance, both their careers have followed remarkably similar paths, often placing them in competition at the box office in recent times.

Tom Cruise Just Beat Jason Statham At The Box Office Thanks To Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Jason Statham Also Had A Major Movie Debut In 2025

Just recently, I found myself in the privileged position of watching the latest addition to the Mission: Impossible series – The Final Reckoning. This film, once again graced by the presence of Tom Cruise as the indomitable Ethan Hunt, has managed to outshine Jason Statham’s box office dominance this year.

While the 2023 installment, Dead Reckoning Part One, seemed to indicate a potential downturn in the franchise’s success, The Final Reckoning has proven otherwise. Upon its release in 2025, it stormed into domestic cinemas with a staggering $64 million debut, setting a new record for the Mission: Impossible series.

Since then, this movie has continued to climb, reaching a global total of over $225 million and solidifying itself as the seventh highest-grossing film of the year at the time of writing.

The earnings of Tom Cruise’s latest Mission: Impossible film surpassed the total revenue of Jason Statham’s 2025 action movie, “A Working Man.” Despite Statham rejoining director David Ayer, who he previously worked with on the $163 million hit “The Beekeeper” in 2024, “A Working Man” struggled to match its predecessor’s success, ultimately earning $99 million. Although it ranks as the 14th highest-grossing film of 2025 thus far, Tom Cruise’s new movie has comfortably outperformed it, already exceeding its earnings more than twice over.

Statham & Cruise Have Gone Back & Forth At The Box Office Since 2014

The Stars Have Gone Head To Head Multiple Times

2025 isn’t the first time I’ve seen Statham and Cruise go toe-to-toe with blockbusters in the same year, not by a long shot. In fact, it’s happened seven times over the past eleven years, with each star claiming victory on a different occasion. Just before the success of “The Final Reckoning”, Statham’s action franchise movie “Fast X” squared off against “Dead Reckoning Part One” in 2023, raking in $704.9 million contrasted with Tom Cruise’s film that garnered $571.1 million. Here’s a rundown of the highest-grossing movie for each star since they both hit the big screen in 2014:

* In 2014, Statham’s “Fast & Furious 7” outperformed Cruise’s “Edge of Tomorrow” with a gross of $356.8 million compared to $192.7 million.
* The following year, it was Cruise’s turn as “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” grossed $682.7 million while Statham’s “Spy” earned $236.4 million.
* In 2016, “Sully” with Tom Cruise took the lead with a gross of $245.4 million over Statham’s “Mechanic: Resurrected”, which made $89.8 million.
* The next year, it was Statham’s turn again as “The Fate of the Furious” raked in $1.236 billion compared to Cruise’s “The Mummy” with a gross of $409.7 million.
* In 2018, Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” outperformed Statham’s “The Meg” with a gross of $791.1 million over $530.4 million.
* The following year, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” with Statham grossed $758.5 million while Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” was still in production.
* In 2021, it was Tom Cruise once again as “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” grossed $639.4 million over Statham’s “The Fury of the Furious” with a gross of $540.8 million.

It seems like each year, these two action stars are giving fans a reason to choose between them at the box office!

In the past, the Mission: Impossible series has been beneficial for Tom Cruise. For instance, in 2018, Fallout surpassed the box office earnings of Jason Statham’s debut film in the aquatic action-horror franchise, The Meg. Yet, it’s worth noting that Rogue Nation underperformed compared to Furious 7 from the Fast & Furious series in 2015. Interestingly, Furious 7 received a significant box office boost following the tragic death of its longtime star, Paul Walker. This boost made Furious 7 not only the highest-grossing Fast & Furious film but also the third highest-grossing movie of 2015, trailing behind Jurassic World and Star 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

* 2003: Tom Cruise’s “The Last Samurai” ($456.7M) vs. Jason Statham’s “Cellular” ($55.8M)
* 2002: Tom Cruise’s “Minority Report” ($358.1M) vs. Jason Statham’s “The Transporter” ($62.4M)
* 2001: Tom Cruise’s “Vanilla Sky” ($100.4M) vs. Jason Statham’s “Snatch” ($23.5M)
* 2000: Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible 2” ($546.4M) vs. Jason Statham’s “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” ($17.8M)
* 1999: Tom Cruise’s “Magnolia” ($30.7M) vs. Jason Statham’s “The Italian Job” ($42.6M)
* 1998: Tom Cruise’s “Minority Report” ($50.8M) vs. Jason Statham’s “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” ($17.8M)
* 1997: Tom Cruise’s “Jerry Maguire” ($136.2M) vs. Jason Statham’s “The Fifth Element” ($42.5M)
* 1996: Tom Cruise’s “Jerry Maguire” ($136.2M) vs. Jason Statham’s “The Transporter” (debuted in 2002)

It’s not surprising that Jason Statham’s early career trajectory followed a different path, given that he was just starting out in Hollywood compared to Tom Cruise who had already spent nearly two decades establishing himself as a major box office attraction by the time Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999) earned $162.4 million. In contrast, Cruise had previously starred in films like “Top Gun” (1986), which grossed $357.5 million, “Rain Man” (1988) with a worldwide take of $412.8 million, and “Interview with the Vampire” (1994) that earned $223.6 million.

Jason Statham’s Wins Against Tom Cruise All Have 1 Thing In Common

Cruise Doesn’t Have The Same Pattern

Jason Statham’s box office success indicates that he has primarily outperformed Tom Cruise in franchise films so far, with exceptions like the Fast & Furious series and The Expendables. Cruise, too, has had successful franchise installments, particularly from the Mission: Impossible series, but he isn’t limited by the same constraints since he also excelled in standalone films like Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and Oblivion (2013).

Furthermore, although Tom Cruise and Jason Statham have both gained significant success from franchise films, there’s a key difference: while Cruise was the primary star in his franchise movies, Statham often appeared as part of an ensemble cast in his successful franchises. However, the year 2026 might shift this trend, as Tom Cruise is currently only scheduled to appear in a film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, while Jason Statham will lead the movie “Mutiny” directed by Jean-François Richet. This upcoming project may even the playing field between the two stars, since neither has a franchise backing them up.

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2025-06-01 16:40