It shouldn't be shocking at this point, but Daniel Kaluuya has once again found himself in a smash-hit movie in the form of Nope (2022). From his Oscar-winning turn as Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in Judas And The Black Messiah (2021) to his role as Johnny English's dopey sidekick in Johnny English Reborn (2011), Kaluuya brings his best to every project he does
While Jordan Peele's Nope is killing it at the box office, it has a long way to go to match how much Daniel Kaluuya's biggest hit has pulled in. At age 33, the British actor has already starred in many critically and commercially acclaimed movies. Some of his roles are big, and some are small, but several have fared exceptionally well at the box office.
Welcome To The Punch (2013) - $3.9M
James McAvoy stars as DI Max Lewinsky, who is tasked with finding notorious gunrunner Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) in Welcome To The Punch (2013). It's a straightforward action thriller that didn't have much impact at the box office. The movie debuted at the Glasgow Film Festival but was quickly forgotten after its commercial release.
Of all of the theatrically released movies Daniel Kaluuya has starred in, Welcome To The Punch is the least commercially successful. His role in the movie is small, and he's barely in the trailer, but the film still grossed $3.9M, per Box Office Mojo.
Judas And The Black Messiah (2021) - $7.4M
Daniel Kaluuya assumes the role of Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton in Judas And The Black Messiah. The movie follows Hampton as he fights for racial justice in Chicago. his party is infiltrated by an FBI informant (Lakeith Stanfield), and Hampton is eventually betrayed and killed by the FBI.
Judas And The Black Messiah is not Daniel Kaluuya's most commercially successful movie, but it is his most critically acclaimed movie. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Hampton. It was also considered one of Daniel Kaluuya's most powerful roles, despite earning just $7.4M at the box office (as per Box Office Mojo).
Nope (2022) - $49.1M (as of July 26, 2022)
Jordan Peele's Nope (2022) is earning all kinds of praise. From Daniel Kaluuya's portrayal of horse wrangler OJ Haywood to the terrifying scenes of people being eaten by an alien life force, Nope takes traditional horror tropes and turns them upside down.
Instead of relying on cheap jump scares, Peele takes the viewer's inability to avert their eyes from disaster and creates horror out of the spectacles people imagine every day. Kaluuya's calm demeanor in Nope gives the film a creepy apathy and helped it earn $41.9M at the box office to date.
Queen & Slim (2019) - $47.9M
Daniel Kaluuya teams up with Jodie Turner-Smith as a pair of fugitives on the run in Queen & Slim (2019) After the two go out for a mediocre Tinder date, "Slim" Hines (Kaluuya) and Angela "Queen" Johnson are pulled over by the cops. When Slim accidentally shoots the police officer, Queen and Slim take off to evade capture.
For her first feature-length film, director Melina Matsoukas tapped into her experience as a producer and director on the HBO series Insecure, which has some great running jokes. In the end, it was the producers who cashed in, as strong positive reviews propelled Queen & Slim to a cool $47.8M take at the box office.
Kick-Ass 2 (2013) - $60.8M
Kaluuya pulls in a rare comedic turn in Kick-Ass 2 (2013), and it payed off at the box office. Kaluuya has a smaller role in the movie as Black Death, a UFC fighter who joins a team of supervillains to seek revenge against reluctant hero Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Kaluuya's goofy costume alone is worth the price of admission.
Kaluuya's role in Kick-Ass 2 was one that really started to push his name into the mainstream. With a hilarious cast also featuring Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Grace Moritz, and Jim Carrey, it's easy to see how Kick-Ass 2 stormed it's way to $60.8M at the box office.
Widows (2018) - $76M
Four widows take control of their future after realizing their dead husbands' criminal activities have left them with massive debts. Daniel Kaluuya plays Jatemme Manning, the brother of mob boss Jamal who will stop at nothing to get the money that's owed to him. Jatemme is Jamal's bodyguard and is charged with silencing anyone who gets in the way.
Although Kaluuya isn't one of the main characters in Widows, his performance is intense and unflinching. Director Steve McQueen does an excellent job of bringing together a diverse cast that includes Viola Davis, Liam Nees0n, Michelle Rodriguez, and Colin Farrell, among others. According to Box Office Mojo, Widows scored $76M during its theatrical run.
Sicario (2015) - $85M
Sicario (2015) is one of the best Dennis Villeneuve movies. It's an action thriller about the FBI's fight against the never-ending drug war in Mexico. Daniel Kaluuya stars as Reggie Wayne, a new FBI agent who teams up with Special Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) to infiltrate the drug cartels that control trade along the US-Mexico border.
Fueled by harrowing performances by Kaluuya, Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Jon Bernthal, Sicario paints an honest yet bleak picture of the lengths the FBI goes through to keep America safe. Kaluuya earned praise for his work in the film, and his efforts helped the movie make $85M at the box office.
Johnny English Reborn (2011) - $160.1M
In Johnny English Reborn, Daniel Kaluuya teams up with comic legend Rowan Atkinson, who's well known for his Netflix show Man Vs. Bee (2022) and other wacky shows and movies. Kaluuya plays Johnny English's sidekick, and the two go on a mission to stop a plot to kill the premier of China.
Johnny English Reborn is a sequel to the 2003 movie Johnny English. This second installment amps up the laughs and spoofs on classic British spy films like the James Bond franchise. According to Box Office Mojo, Johnny English Reborn made $160.1M during its theatrical release.
Get Out (2017) - $255.7M
Get Out (2017) is a fantastic movie for many reasons. Directed by Jordan Peele, the story follows a young interracial couple as the woman introduces her boyfriend to her parents for the first time. The movie starts out as a classic horror movie but descends into madness with metaphors about white privilege, ignorance, and even modern slavery.
Kaluuya's portrayal of Chris Washington (the boyfriend) is absolutely spot on, and he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical. Get Out also crushed it at the box office with a worldwide gross of $255.7M.
Black Panther (2018) - $1.34B
Black Panther (2018) is the highest-grossing Daniel Kaluuya movie, and it's not even close. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film was praised for everything from acting to cinematography to visual effects and more. It's the first MCU movie to feature a black actor in a lead role, and many fans consider it the best standalone MCU film.
Kaluuya plays W'Kabi, a close friend of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and leader of the Border Tribe. He betrays T'Challa, but his fate becomes somewhat of a mystery in the end. While Kaluuya won't be reprising his role as W'Kabi in the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakana Forever (2022), many of the other characters from Black Panther will return. Black Panther is one of the most commercially successful movies of all time, earning $1.3 billion at the box office.