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In the world of martial arts acting, there are a few names that stick out effortlessly, and some of those names include real life fighters like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Jai White, Jason Statham, and the acting legend Wesley Snipes. However, there is an actor that has earned every bit of his fame, and that's Scott Adkins. The English actor, born Scott Edward Adkins, is also a film producer, screenwriter, and gymnast in addition to being a legitimate martial arts fighter. He is best known for his roles in martial arts films like Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, Undisputed 3: Redemption, and Boyka: Undisputed. As a legend himself in the martial arts field, he has also worked with renowned actors such as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Jai White, Hugh Jackman, and comedic actor Ryan Reynolds. Here are 10 of the highest-grossing movies by Scott Adkins.
Doctor Strange - $676.354 Million
Based on the Marvel Comics character, Doctor Strange, the superhero film was released in 2016 under the same name starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange. The film surrounds Dr. Strange, a wealthy neurosurgeon who injures his hand in a dangerous car crash and, against the advice to move on from fellow surgeon and love interest Christine Palmer, played by Rachel McAdams, he stubbornly pursues experimental surgeries for a cure. He is directed to Kamar-Taj where he is mentored by Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a master sorcerer under the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Scott Adkins plays the role of Lucian, one of the followers of the main antagonist, Kaecilius, played by Mads Mikkelsen. The film was a success, grossing $676.354 at the global box office.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $374.825 Million
Although he has a net worth of $2 million, according to Wealthy Gorilla, Scott Adkins has seldom taken the lead role in major action films, especially those with commercial appeal. This is also true for his uncredited appearance in the 2009 superhero film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine as Weapon XI. The film stars Hugh Jackman as James Howlett, better known as the mutant Wolverine and details his life from childhood to adulthood alongside his half-brother and fellow mutant, Victor Creed, played by Liev Schreiber. After the two survive an execution by firing squad, they are offered membership on Team X by former sergeant William Stryker (Danny Huston), which they accept. Howlett, whose alias in the group is Logan, leaves the team after a few mission because of his brother Victor and the disorganization of Team X and lives as a logger in Canada with his girlfriend Kayla (Lynn Collins). The film grossed a total of $374.825 million.
The Expendables 2 - $311.979 Million
If there's ever been an action movie that bunches all the your greatest martial arts and action fighting stars into one movie that isn't a complete waste of budget money, it would have to be The Expendables film franchise. After the commercial success of the first film in 2010, The Expendables 2 came out in 2012 with many of the same starring actors, namely the acting leads Sylvester Stallone and English actor Jason Statham, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, legendary actor Chuck Norris, actor/comedian Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jean Claude Van Damme to name a few, Of course, Scott Adkins plays the role of Hector, the right hand man to the antagonist, Valani, played by Van Damme. The film grossed $311.979 million at the box office.
Ip Man 4: The Finale - $192.617 Million
As its name suggests, Ip Man 4: The Finale is the fourth and final film in the Ip Man film series, directed by Wilson Yip. Released in 2019, the martial arts film loosely follows the life of the Chinese Wing Chun master, Ip Man, who is played by Hong Kong martial artist and actor, Donnie Yen. In this film series, he is forced to travel to San Francisco to look for study opportunities for his son Ip Ching who is expelled from school for fighting back against a bully. He encounters discrimination against his Chinese race while in San Francisco, which eventually leads to a duel against an openly racist US Marines gunnery sergeant and karate expert named Barton Geddes, who is portrayed by Scott Adkins. The movie was a box office success, grossing $192.617 million.
Zero Dark Thirty - $134.612 Million
There's nothing better than a film that dramatizes a real life event, especially one that had a profound effect on world history. While it may be a touchy subject for most, Zero Dark Thirty is a 2012 America thriller that amplifies the manhunt for Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, following the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and surrounding states. Osama bin Laden was reportedly killed by a military raid on his compound in Pakistan on May 2, 2011. Adkins plays that of a CIA operative named John Simmons alongside other Hollywood stars like Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, British actor Mark Strong, The Matrix actor Harold Perrineau, and the late Sopranos star James Gandolfini. The film went on to gross $134.612 million at the box office.
Wolf Warrior - $81.461 Million
Scott Adkins may not be a major player in the American film industry, but he doesn't restrict himself from movie ventures in other countries. In 2015, he landed one of the lead roles in the Chinese war film, Wolf Warrior, which spawned the sequel, Wolf Warrior 2 in 2017, becoming the highest-grossing film in China of all time. And this was accomplished without the help of famous Chinese actors like Jackie Chan or Jet Li. The film follows Leng Peng (Wu Jing), a sniper from the People's Liberation Army who is recruited by an elite team within the PLA called the Wolf Warriors after he fails to follow orders during a drug smuggling raid. While the Wolf Warriors train in a remote forest, one of their squad is ambushed and killed by Tom Cat (Scott Adkins), a former US Navy SEAL turned mercenary. Leng Peng then hunts and kills Tom Cat and his mercenaries for killing his comrade. The movie grossed $81.461 million at the box office.
American Assassin - $68.31 Million
Released in September 2017, American Assassin is an action thriller centered around an ordinary young man turned vengeful CIA black ops recruit, Mitch Rapp, acted out by Dylan O' Brien. The film starts with Rapp and his girlfriend Katrina Harper (Charlotte Vega) vacationing on a beach in Spain, where Katrina happily accepts O'Brien's marriage proposal. Just moments after, a jihadist group arrives and starts killing civilians, hitting Katrina in the process. Fueled by revenge, Rapp trains himself in martial arts and marksmanship and even secures an invitation to Libya through an online terrorist recruiting forum handled by the man who killed his girlfriend. Just as he is close enough to his mark and prepares to kill him, they are ambushed by U.S. Special Forces. Recognizing his great potential, Rapp is offered a chance to join a black ops unit by CIA Deputy Director, Irene Kennedy, enacted by the beautiful Sanaa Lathan, headed by Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The film grossed $68.31 million worldwide.
The Legend Of Hercules - $58.953 Million
The Legend of Hercules is a 3D action fantasy film released in 2014 that, surprisingly, didn't do as well as his other films and received "generally unfavorable reviews." Needless to say, this version of Hercules was nothing compared to the other Hercules, released the same year of 2014, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. However, Adkins does hold the lead role of King Amphitryon of Tiryns, who is the husband of Queen Alcmene (Roxanne McKee). Disgusted with her husband's lust for power, Queen Alcmene prays to the goddess Hera, who then has her husband, Zues, impregnate her with a demi-god son who is to be the savior of their people. She is told to name her son Hercules, played by Kellan Lutz, who is gifted with supernatural strength and ability. When Amphitryon learns the truth of Hercules' lineage and that he will be overthrown by him, he sets out to kill him.
Criminal - $38.771 Million
Here we have another 2016 action thriller named Criminal which is decorated with a cast of amazing actors. The movie surrounds a hacker named Jan Strook (Michael Pitt) better known as "the Dutchman" who has found a way to bypass all computer codes protecting the world's nuclear defense codes at the request of Xavier Heimdahl (Jordi Mollà). The Dutchman entrusts his secret to CIA agent Bill Pope, portrayed by comdian/actor Ryan Reynold. However, while getting the Dutchman to a safe house, Pope is caught by Hemdahl's henchmen and tortured to death to reveal the Dutchman's whereabouts.
Still in search of the Dutchman, Pope's supervisor Quaker Wells (Gary Oldman) seeks the assistance of Dr. Micah Franks (Tommy Lee Jones) who has invented a treatment that can implant the memory patterns of a dead person onto a live person. They decide to transplant Pope's memory into a convicted felon named Jericho Stewart (Kevin Costner) in order to locate the Dutchman. The film grossed $38.771 million against a $31.5 million budget.
The Brothers Grimsby - $28.72 Million
There are some movies that, despite a stellar cast of actors, still don't manage to pull through at the box office. The Brothers Grimsby is an action comedy released in 2016 that was produced by and stars the controversial comedian Sacha Baron Cohen who plays the lead role of Kyle Alan "Nobby" Butcher. Nobby has been separated from his younger brother Sebastian Butcher, played by Mark Strong, for 28 years. During their separation, Nobby enjoys life as an alcoholic football fanatic along with his girlfriend Dawn (Rebel Wilson) and their eleven children, while Sebastian has become one of MI6's best agents. Sebastian gets a lead on philanthropist Rhonda George, played by Penélope Cruz, a philanthropist actress who is hosting a benefit called WorldCure, and is targeted for assassination by hitman Pavel Lukashenko (Scott Adkins). Nobby is also told that Sebastian will be attending the benefit, and decides to reconnect with him. However, their encounter sends them both on the run. The film flopped at the box office with an earning of $28.72 million.
Sources: Empire Online, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Wealthy Gorilla