Simon Pegg is an enormously popular actor who has come from relatively small beginnings. Known primarily for his work with creative partners Edgar Wright and Nick Frost, Pegg worked his way into the movie business by starring in Spaced and the beloved Cornetto trilogy (the third of which was released well into Pegg's superstardom).
While Pegg makes for a great leading man, very few of his movies are actually bonafide box office smash hits and the ones that are mostly feature him in a supporting role, second or third to some of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
Hot Fuzz (2007) - $80 Million
Hot Fuzz is by far the most commercially successful film of the Cornetto trilogy. Serving as the second entry in the loosely-fitting trilogy, Hot Fuzz primarily serves as a loving parody of the buddy cop genre. The movie performed OK in the domestic market, opening at #6 with $5.8 million from 825 theaters. Hot Fuzz finished its domestic run with $23.6 million but performed far better in the international market, grossing $57.1 million for a combined total of $80.7 million.
Star Trek Beyond (2016) - $343 Million
The third film in the rebooted Star Trek movie series, Star Trek Beyond was actually co-written by Pegg and Doug Jung. Unfortunately, it served as the least successful movie of the trilogy. The movie opened at #1 with $59.2 million but spent only four weeks in the top ten before finishing its domestic run with a disappointing $158.8 million. Like Hot Fuzz, it performed slightly better in the international market, generating $184.6 million for a combined total of $343.4 million.
The Adventures Of Tintin (2011) - $374 Million
Simon Pegg has a small role in Steven Spielberg's animated epic The Adventures of Tintin. He and friend/creative partner Nick Frost voice the identical and bumbling police detectives Thomson and Thompson. The movie was a huge disappointment in the domestic market, opening at #5 over the Christmas long weekend with just $15.1 million. The movie finished its run with a measly $77.5 million, but the very strong $296 million taking from international markets brought the combined gross to $373.9 million.
Star Trek (2009) - $385 Million
Co-produced and directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek served as a hotly anticipated reboot to the long-beloved science-fiction franchise. Starring Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, and Simon Pegg as Scotty, Star Trek earned strong reviews and performed relatively well at the box office.
The movie opened at #1 with $75.2 million and spent five weeks in the top five before finishing with $257.7 million. It grossed an additional $127.9 million internationally, resulting in a total gross of $385.6 million.
Mission: Impossible III (2006) - $398 Million
Following the critical disappointment of Mission: Impossible II, the third entry in the long-running series brought the franchise back on track with an exciting story, some exceptional action sequences, and a typically charismatic turn from Tom Cruise. Pegg also made his introduction as IMF technician Benji Dunn. The movie spent two weeks at #1 before finishing its domestic run with $133.3 million. It grossed a further $264.4 million in the international market, resulting in a worldwide gross of $398.4 million.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - $467 Million
The first Star Trek film performed quite well, and it brought a lot of goodwill towards the series. Serving as the direct follow-up, Star Trek Into Darkness was once again directed by J.J. Abrams and saw the exciting introduction of Benedict Cumberbatch as legendary Star Trek villain Khan. This movie served as the reverse to its predecessor, grossing more in the international market ($238.5 million) than the domestic ($228.7 million). Luckily, the much stronger international performance resulted in a far higher worldwide gross of $467.3 million.
Ready Player One (2018) - $582 Million
Pegg reunited with director Steven Spielberg for Ready Player One, which was based on Ernest Cline's beloved science fiction novel of the same name. Pegg plays Ogden Morrow, the creator of a virtual reality system known as the OASIS.
The movie opened over the Easter weekend at #1 with $47 million before finishing its domestic run with a decent, if not spectacular, $136.9 million. Luckily, the movie performed far better in the international market, grossing $445 million for a combined worldwide gross of $582.8 million.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - $682 Million
Serving as the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible series, Rogue Nation served as Pegg's third go-round as Benji Dunn. His role was significantly expanded from earlier Mission: Impossible films. The movie spent two weeks at #1, generating $107.7 million over those two weeks before finishing its domestic run with $195 million. The further $487 million from international markets combined for a worldwide gross of $682.7 million. It was a solid box office performance, but a slight drop when compared to its predecessor.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - $694 Million
The fourth entry in the Mission: Impossible series, Ghost Protocol proved significantly more successful than Mission: Impossible III. Pegg also enjoyed a beefier role as Benji Dunn owing to his recent promotion to field agent. The movie spent two weeks in the top spot (both the Christmas and New Years long weekends) before finishing its domestic run with a solid $209.3 million. It grossed a further $485 million in the international market, generating a worldwide gross of $694.7 million. It was the highest-grossing Mission: Impossible movie for seven years.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) - $791 Million
When Mission: Impossible - Fallout was released in the summer of 2018, Tom Cruise was 56 years old. Despite this, he kicked more butt than most actors half his age, and the result was a spectacular movie event that earned strong reviews and a very respectable box office performance. Released to great hype and an enthusiastic critical reception, Fallout opened at #1 with $61.2 million before finishing with $220 million. Its $570 million international performance combined for a worldwide gross of $791.1 million - by far the best commercial performance of a Mission: Impossible movie.