These Best Johnny Depp Movies Have Made a Lot of Money

Johnny Depp has created some truly memorable roles in some of the biggest movies of the past three decades. 

Love him or hate him, Depp is undeniably one of the biggest movie stars to grace the silver screen. From a bumbling but affable pirate to a B-movie director with a dream, his characters are the stuff of legend. These are the best Johnny Depp movies and how much money each of them made.

10. Blow

Year released: 2001

Budget: $53 million

Box office: $83.3 million

Bottom line: In "Blow," Depp plays real-life drug smuggler George Jung, who came to notoriety in 1970s while running marijuana and cocaine into the United States and dodging the cartels and law at the same time. 

"Blow" tells the story of the highs and lows of Jung's chosen profession, and Depp turns in one of the strongest performances of his career.

9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Year released: 2007

Budget: $50 million

Box office: $153.4 million

Bottom line: This Tim Burton/Johnny Depp gothic collab with themes of murder and madness makes things musical. And that's not a bad thing. 

Depp plays the title character, a London barber who is accused of a crime he did not commit and for which he's shipped off to Australia for 15 years. He returns as murderous barber Sweeney Todd to take revenge on those who ruined his life.

The unsettling but riveting story is told through music, and Depp more than holds his own, as he originally came to Hollywood as a musician. 

8. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Year released: 2003

Budget: $140 million

Box office: $654.3 million

Bottom line: Depp was an A-lister before "Pirates of the Caribbean," but the franchise launched him into the stratosphere. 

"The Curse Of The Black Pearl" introduces Depp's iconic and beloved character, Jack Sparrow, to audiences, and the movie is considered the best in the franchise.

Not only is it an action-adventure thrill ride, but Depp — who modeled his accent and, well, his whole persona on Rolling Stone Keith Richards — steals nearly every scene he's in.

7. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Year released: 1998

Budget: $18 million

Box office: $13.7 million

Bottom line: Depp plays "gonzo" journalist Raoul Duke (really Hunter S. Thompson) who travels to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race. Duke's lawyer, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) joins him on the drug-fueled journey teeming with hallucinations.

While the movie didn't do particularly well when it was released, it has since become a cult classic and Depp fan favorite. 

In real life, Depp and Thompson were close friends. The actor not only convinced Thompson to release the novel "The Rum Diary" before he died. He also played a character based on Thompson in the movie, which is the film where Depp met Amber Heard.

6. What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Year released: 1993

Budget: $11 million

Box office: $10 million 

Bottom line: This classic indie film tells the story of young man named Gilbert Grape (Depp) whose role as the family caretaker begins to weigh on him. He is forced to look after his disabled brother (one of Leonardo DiCaprio's first roles) and his morbidly obese mother, while desperate for his own happiness. 

Depp plays Gilbert Grape with quiet melancholy. His emotional turmoil and longing for something better in the face of family loyalty and love are evident throughout the film. 

5. Benny & Joon

Year released: 1993

Budget: N/A

Box office: $30 million

Bottom line: Depp is not a titular character in "Benny & Joon" (that would be Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson, who played brother and sister), but his role as Sam, an eccentric man who comes to live with the siblings after he is won in a card game, is a standout. 

Benny cares for Joon who can not live on her own due to her psychotic disorders, and when she and Sam fall in love, it creates a rift in the family. 

Depp's performance respectfully and deftly pays homage to the great silent comedians Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

4. Finding Neverland

Year released: 2004

Budget: $25 million

Box office: $116.8 million

Bottom line: Depp plays real-life "Peter Pan" creator J.M. Barrie in this charming, heartfelt drama, in which he finds inspiration from a widow (Kate Winslet) and her four sons to write the story of the boy who refuses to grow up. 

Depp's understated role brings plenty of grace and charm but a warning to viewers — this film is real tearjerker. 

3. Sleepy Hollow

Year released: 1999

Budget: $70 million

Box office: $207 million

Bottom line: Depp is known to disappear into roles, and he does so once again when playing a police detective named Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow." 

Crane travels to a small upstate New York town to investigate a series of suspicious murders and becomes the target of supernatural occurrences. 

This gothic horror story told with Burton's unique style features elements of murder, mystery, and romance, and keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. 

2. Edward Scissorhands

Year released: 1990

Budget: $20 million

Box office: $86 million

 

 

Bottom line: The heartfelt, compassionate "Edward Scissorhands" was groundbreaking gothic fantasy film when it was released in 1990. It mixes comedy and horror with everyday themes of loneliness and wanting to belong.

Depp's relatable and sympathetic role as the title character has been a fan favorite for the past three decades, and it is easy to see why, despite his having little dialogue. 

1. Ed Wood

Year released: 1994

Budget: $18 million

Box office: $5.9 million

Bottom line: Depp plays a real-life director of what are widely acknowledged as the worst films of all time.

Ed Wood was a Hollywood outcast in the film industry of the 1950s, who never gave up on his dream. He not only made the films he wanted to make. He created a family among his cast and crew. And his films are still seen to this day. 

"Ed Wood" met with much critical acclaim when it was released, due to Depp's optimistic and comical performance as Wood, and Martin Landau's performance as "Dracula" actor Bela Lugosi.