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Beginning in 1995, Patrick Wilson began his professional acting career in the stage musical, Miss Saigon, before also making his Broadway theater debut in The Full Monty in 2000. Some of his most outstanding movie appearances include The Phantom of The Opera alongside 300's Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum, the action thriller The A-Team starting Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Biel. His most recent success was the DC Extended Universe film, Aquaman, in which he co-starred with Jason Momoa and the infamous Amber Heard. Throughout his career, he has played a diverse number of characters in close to 53 movies which has awarded him a net worth of $7 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Let's discover the top 10 highest-grossing movies starring Patrick Wilson.
Aquaman - $1.143 Billion
Jason Momoa made a few other superhero film appearances before landing his breakthrough role in the highly anticipated and well-received Aquaman film. But it was Patrick Wilson's villainous role as the arch nemesis and half-brother of the hybrid son of Atlanna, played by actress Nicole Kidman Nicole Kidman, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), who she shares with Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison). However, Atlanna fled the underwater kingdom of Atlantis to escape an arranged marriage, which is how she met Thomas on the earth's surface. She is sought out by the ruler of Atlantis, King Orvax, and relies on her trusted advisor Nuidis Vulko, portrayed by Willem Dafoe to train and prepare Arthur to one day be king of Atlantis. Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson) is the reigning king of Atlantis, and also Arthur's younger half-brother. With the help of Mera (Amber Heard), Arthur must find the Trident of Atlan to claim his rightful place as King of Atlantis. The film rocked the box office, grossing $1.143 billion.
Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice - $872.395 Million
Despite receiving an average rating on the Rotten Tomatoes review website, Batman vs. Superman grossed a lump sum of $872.395 million at the box office against a $250-$300 million budget. The film transitions back and forth between the life of Bruce Wayne, played by Hollywood acting legend Ben Affleck, from childhood to adulthood, where he is now a billionaire who has led a double life as the vigilante Batman. However, after witnessing the destructive power of Superman (Henry Cavill) during a battle with General Zod, Batman views Superman as a threat to humanity. Other lead actors include Jesse Eisenberg, The Matrix's Laurence Fishburne, as well as Patrick Wilson who lent his voice as the President of The United States.
Prometheus - $402.448 Million
The name Prometheus was actually derived from the Greek Titan god of fire before the same name was given to a Hollywood science fiction horror. Starring Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, Logan Marshall-Green as Charlie Holloway, Michael Fassbender as David, Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers, and racecar fanatic Idris Elba as Janek.
The film follows archeologists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway in the year 2089 who discover a star map in Scotland and believe it to be an invitation from humanity's creators known as the "Engineers." They decide to follow the map's leading and go on an expedition funded by Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) upon a vessel called Prometheus to a distant moon in search of the Engineers. However, their discoveries prove fatal as they encounter murderous alien creatures. Patrick Wilson also plays the minor role of Shaw's father. The film grossed $402.448 million worldwide.
The Conjuring - $317.744 Million
Released in 2013 as the first film in the Conjuring Universe franchise, The Conjuring received favorable reviews from critics and even became the first horror movie to receive an A grade from CinemaScore. The supernatural horror isn't for the faint of heart and follows the lives of Roger and Carolyn Perron (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) who move to a farmhouse in Rhode Island, New York with their daughters Andrea (Shanley Caswell), Nancy (Hayley McFarland ), Christine (Joey King), Cindy (Mackenzie Foy), and April (Kyla Deaver).
However, within the first few nights of settling in, strange paranormal activity begins occurring and their dog, Sadie, is found dead. After encountering an evil spirit with her daughter Christine, Carolyn contacts demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Being clairvoyant, Lorraine learns that the house once belonged to a witch who sacrificed her newborn baby to the devil and placed a curse on anyone who would own her property. That explains a lot! The film grossed $317.744 million globally.
The Conjuring 2 - $310.2 Million
With the success of the first franchise installment, The Conjuring 2 came out in 2016, with Patrick Wilson and Hollywood actress Vera Farmiga reprising their roles as the paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. The film begins with the couple investigating the true demonic nature of the Amityville murders that took place on November 13, 1974. During the investigation, Lorraine relives the murders through a vision, where she also encounters a demonic nun and a premonition of Ed's death. One year later in 1977, their services are requested in London where the second-eldest daughter of the Hodgson family, Janet (Madison Wolfe), plays with an ouija board, inviting an entity disguised as an angry old man to possess her. Lorraine then learns that the old man entity named Bill Wilkins is controlled by a more powerful demon - the evil nun. The Hollywood horror film grossed a frightening $310.2 million at the box office.
Annabelle Comes Home - $231.252 Million
Annabelle Comes Home is the seventh installment release of The Conjuring Universe film franchise and was released in July 2019. The film surrounds a possessed doll named Annabelle who was introduced in the 2013 installment, The Conjuring, starring Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor. Ed confiscates the Annabelle doll from nurses Debbie and Camille who have reported its violent tendencies. He keeps Annabelle in a glass container with other sacred artifacts which has been blessed by a priest to contain the evil. However, when Ed and Lorraine hire a babysitter named Mary Ellen to care for their daughter, Judy, while they travel overnight for another investigation. Mary Ellen's friend, Daniella, stops by and reveals her interest in speaking to the dead, her dead father in particular. She then sneaks into Ed's artifacts room and opens the glass container, unleashing the evil and awakening the spirit of Annabelle Mullins. Against a budget of $32 million, the film grossed $231.252 million.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - $200.271 Million
In another twisted tale of the supernatural lives of Ed and Lorraine Warren, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga again reprise their roles in one of the franchise's most realistic yet entertaining films. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It came out in 2021, making it their most recent release. Set in 1981 in Brookfield, Connecticut, the duo is performing an exorcism on an 8-year-old named David Glatzel in the presence of his sister, Debbie (Sarah Catherine), and her boyfriend Arne (Ruairi O'Connor). Brave Arne invites the demon to enter his body to save David and after Ed recovers from a heart attack, he rushes to warn Debbie before disaster strikes.
Before he can arrive, Arne's possession leads him to stab his landlord, Bruno Sauls, 22 times. As more stabbings occur that fit this exact description, they are taken into a world of occultism and witchcraft that exists right in their backyard. The film grossed the lowest of the franchise with $200.271 million worldwide.
Watchmen - $186.976 Million
Fans might be surprised to learn that Aquaman was not the first superhero Patrick Wilson found himself starring in. He was first featured in the 2009 superhero film, Watchmen, which tells the story of an alternate America in which major historical events are altered due to the presence of two bands of heroes - the 'Minutemen' and the 'Watchmen'. The Minutemen consists of characters such as Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino) and The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who is responsible for assassinating John F. Kennedy. Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup) of the Watchmen is given superhuman powers after an Intrinsic Field Generator accident and is used by the US Government to win the Vietnam War and subdue the thermonuclear war threats of the Soviet Union. Other characters include Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), and Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson). The movie went on to gross $186.976 million.
The A-Team - $177.241 Million
Around the same time that The Expendables was released in 2010 starring Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and the rugged heartthrob Jason Statham, The A-Team was released only a few months prior. Albeit, it didn't receive enough of buzz to become a successful film franchise like The Expendables, it managed to receive an average rating from critics. The action thriller follows a Special Forces Tea consisting of John "Hannibal" Smith (Liam Neeson), Templeton "Face" Peck (Bradley Cooper), Bosco Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson), and their pilot Howling Mad Murlock (Sharlto Copley). Patrick Wilson plays the role of a double-crossing CIA agent named Agent Lynch who helps set up The A-Team on a black operation mission to recover U.S Treasury plates and over $1 billion in cash. However, they are intercepted and sent to separate prisons with a 10-year sentence. Together, they aim to clear their names. The film only grossed $177.241 million worldwide.
Insidious: The Last Key - $172.811 Million
It's clear that Patrick Wilson is quite comfortable playing roles in supernatural horror movies that would make most people scared of their own shadow. In 2018, he reprised his role as Dalton Lambert in the fourth installment of the Insidious franchise, Insidious: The Last Key, in which the Australian actress Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, and Barbara Hershey also reprise their roles from the previous installments. The film follows a girl named Elise Rainer (Lin Shaye) who lives in New Mexico with her parents Audrey (Tessa Ferrer) and Gerald (Josh Stewart) as well as her younger brother Christian. After being whipped and locked in a basement by her father, Elise is temporarily possessed by a demon. Years later, she becomes a paranormal investigator with her partners, Tucker and Specs (Leigh Whannell). Together, they uncover secrets from Elise's past that may be more frightening that any paranormal activity she has ever experienced.
Sources: The Independent Critic, Den of Geek, Variety, Roger Ebert, Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, Celebrity Net Worth