‘Wicked’ Star Jonathan Bailey Tops 2025 Box Office as Highest-Grossing Actor
Jonathan Bailey has been named 2025’s highest-grossing actor, Variety reports. The actor earned the title thanks to his roles in Wicked: For Good and Jurassic World: Rebirth, both of which performed strongly at the global box office.
Jurassic World: Rebirth has earned over $868 million worldwide, with $339.6 million from the U.S. and Canada and $529.2 million from international markets. Wicked: For Good has brought in around $475 million globally, with $316 million domestically and $159 million internationally. Altogether, Bailey’s films have earned more than $1 billion in 2025.
Variety notes that while both films are sequels based on popular franchises and feature other big stars like Scarlett Johansson and Ariana Grande, Bailey’s achievement is historic. He is the first openly gay actor to top the box office charts in a given year.
In Wicked: For Good, Bailey stars as Fiyero, a role that has earned critical praise. The Guardian called him someone who “uncorks an outrageous scene-stealer as the hetero-camp Fiyero,” while ABC News said his performance showed “song, dance and acting virtuosity.”
Bailey also contributed to the film’s soundtrack with the song “Dancing Through Life,” which reached number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. His work earned him a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, and the film’s cast received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Outside of film, Bailey also starred in the stage production of Shakespeare’s Richard II at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner. His work across blockbuster films, musicals, and theater shows his versatility as a performer.
Jonathan Bailey’s 2025 demonstrates how an actor can balance large-scale commercial projects with theater and musical work, showing both range and star power. Are you surprised by Bailey topping the box office this year? Share your thoughts in the comments.
