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Right now Joaquin Phoenix is the man of the hour with his portrayal of Batman villain, The Joker, being highly praised amongst both critics and moviegoers, with many believing he is an obvious winner for Best Actor this awards season.
However, his latest fantastic performance as the crazed clown isn't a surprise to those who have been following Phoenix's career for some time now, with his body of work speaking for itself.
Phoenix has been one of the best actors in the world for many years now, with his movies constantly being highly praised and sought out by people, and within this list, we will break down his ten highest-grossing films to date.
We Own The Night (Box Office: $28,563,179)
We kick off the list with the movie, We Own The Night, which made $28,563,179 at the box office, with the crime drama starring Joaquin Phoenix alongside Mark Whalberg in what was a star-studded cast.
Phoenix plays the manager of a nightclub in this movie named, Bobby Green, which happens to be frequented by a Russian mobster, however, Phoenix's character just so happens to be related to many members of the NYPD.
The movie has plenty of heart within, as the story does touch on loss, grief, and family, while also having plenty of action as well, with the film being a sleeper hit that had a large amount of success in the DVD market.
8MM (Box Office: $36,663,315)
Starring alongside Nicholas Cage, 8MM was a movie that made $36,663,315 at the box office and remains one of Joaquin Phoenix's top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time so far in his career.
The film has a very negative review on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 22% rating, which is likely why it isn't discussed as one of his greatest roles, yet it still managed to do a respectable number at the box office.
However, the fact that the film almost doubled its initial $40 million budget means that it was considered to be a huge success as far as producers were concerned.
Ladder 49 (Box Office: $74,541,707)
Ladder 49 is a classic disaster movie that follows a firefighter, Jack Morrison, who is trapped inside a warehouse fire as the movie goes backwards and showcases what has happened to get to that point, before the movie's ending.
Joaquin Phoenix plays the previously mentioned firefighter, with the efforts of his team, which is led by John Travolta, being showcased heavily as they desperately try to save him from the fire.
The movie made a respectable $74,451,707 at the box office and remains one of Phoenix's most successful projects in terms of how much it made, even if it isn't one of his most talked-about roles.
Brother Bear (Box Office: $85,336,277)
That's right, Joaquin Phoenix has been part of a Disney animated movie in Brother Bear, which provides one of the most heart-warming stories that the company has ever created, exploring the power of sibling love as well as stereotypes of judging people and things before knowing them.
While it might not be one of the most talked-about Dinsey films, Brother Bear still earned an impressive $85,336,277 at the box office and was a very fun film, backed by an incredible soundtrack provided by the legendary Phil Collins.
Phoenix voices the character of Kenai in this film, and it was a role that he was very proud to have done, stating when cast: "The real pinnacle is that I'm playing an animated character in a Disney film. Isn't that the greatest?"
Parenthood (Box Office: $100,047,830)
This is the oldest movie on this list, having been released in 1989, which makes the fact that it earned $100,047,830 at the box office an unbelievable accomplishment, with Parenthood being a real hit at the time.
The film takes a look at life and parenting in general, providing a comical and heartfelt look at a variety of situations and while Joaquin Phoenix isn't the main character here, he certainly plays his part.
In fact, Phoenix is only a teenager in this movie, which shows just how talented he was from such a young age, making it no surprise that we are now seeing him in major motion pictures.
The Village (Box Office: $114,197,520)
Just managing to crack the top five highest-grossing movies of Joaquin Phoenix's career is the 2004 hit, The Village which earned $114,197,520 at the box office, which is incredibly impressive for a horror movie.
The movie is about a small population of people living in a village (shocker), who are in constant fear over creatures which live in the nearby woods, constantly calling them, "those we don't speak of."
While this isn't the greatest horror movie you are ever going to see, there can be no denying the financial success that the film had, even if some did criticise the ending of the film.
Walk The Line (Box Office: $119,519,402)
Next on the list for Joaquin Phoenix is Walk The Line, which was released in 2005 and made $119,519,402 at the box office, and is a biographical movie that is based upon the life of the legendary singer, Johnny Cash.
The movie focuses on the early life of Cash and his romance to June Carter and Phoenix does an incredible job of stepping into the big shoes of Cash himself, showing just how talented he is as an actor.
Playing a real-life person can always be tricky, but Phoenix did an amazing job within this movie, with the actor not just playing him, but also singing and playing the guitar himself in the film as well.
The Joker (Box Office: $119,813,012)
So here it is, the movie that everybody is talking about right now, The Joker. While it may surprise you that it doesn't rank a little higher on the list, the movie hasn't been out that long and once its run in the cinema ends it will no doubt crack the top two here.
The Joker is an incredible character and everyone always looks at Heath Ledger's performance in the Dark Knight as the perfect way to play the crazy clown, however, many are no claiming Joaquin Phoenix may have beaten that performance.
The fact his solo performance, which really does carry this movie, was able to perform so well is incredibly impressive when you think about the fact that The Joker is a villain, and as one of the best films of 2019, it certainly deserves its impressive early box office numbers.
Gladiator (Box Office: $187,705,427)
Gladiator is an incredible movie that is one of those timeless films that will be viewed forever, and will always be seen as a classic. Being released back in 2000, the movie made an incredible $187,705,427 at the box office, becoming a smash success.
While people are quick to point out the excellent performance of Russel Crowe when it comes to this film, there is no denying that Joaquin Phoenix also turns in a magnificent piece of work as well.
Here he portrays the character, Commodus, who is the main villain of the film, as a power-hungry character who murders his own father, Commodus shows no remorse and Phoenix does an incredible job at portraying that with his visuals throughout.
Signs (Box Office: $227,966,634)
So here it is, the highest-grossing movie of Joaquin Phoenix's career, as long as it can hold off the pressure from The Joker, with the 2002 hit film, Signs, earning an incredible $227,966,634 at the box office.
This complex horror directed by M. Night Shyamalan follows a former priest who begins to discover a series of crop circles within his cornfield, which is a result of extraterrestrial life, which opens up the sci-fi aspect of the film as well.
Here, Joaquin Phoenix plays the character of Merrill Hess, who is the brother of Mel Gibson's character, and as always he delivers a fantastic performance with this being a film that is well worth checking out.