Nicole Kidman rose to fame with her supporting role in 1990’s Days of Thunder, which was followed by her starring in To Die For, Eyes Wide Shut, and more. Actress is known for her exceptional work in both movies and television productions. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry and is widely respected among her peers.
In 2020, the New York Times named Kidman as one of the greatest actors of the 21st Century who has over the years proved that she deserves to be called one of the greatest. But Nicole Kidman’s career did not shoot up instant instead, she had to wait for her work to be recognized internationally. Let’s take a look at her career.
Nicole Kidman’s career graph proves why she is one of the highest grossing actresses
After starring in the suspenseful thriller Dead Calm in 1989, Nicole Kidman managed to impress the critics and the audience with her performance. She then went on to star in movies including To Die For, Eyes Wide Shut, The Hours, and more.
Kidman’s career took a turn when she went on to play a courtesan in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, which according to The Things grossed near about $179 million at the box office. The actress earned her second Golden Globe Award and first Academy Award for her spectacular performance. The actress’ $208 million grossing horror-thriller The Others was released in 2001, which was set in the world a little while after World War II. The movie kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
Starring alongside Hugh Jackman in 2008’s Australia, Kidman played the role of an English aristocrat who inherits a cattle station in Australia. She hires a rugged drover to help her and as time progresses they learn about each other’s cultures. The movie grossed over $215 million and received positive reviews from critics and the audience with a special mention of the performances.
Nicole Kidman does not hold herself back from starring in a movie where she is not the lead as long as the supporting character is strong enough. She starred in the $282 million-grossing movie Paddington as Millicent Clyde in 2014. A character everyone remembers and appreciates.
The actress also starred in 1995’s Batman Forever in a supporting role as Dr. Chase Meridian in which she was once again praised for her performance. She also voiced the character of Norma Jean in Happy Feet, which was yet another successful movie for the actress as it went on to gross $385 million.
Also read: Nicole Kidman Feels Tom Cruise’s New Love Story With Elsina Khayrova is Fake (Reports)
2018’s Aquaman tops the list for Nicole Kidman’s most successful movie
Nicole Kidman played the role of Jason Momoa‘s mother and Queen of Atlantis, Atlanna in 2018’s Aquaman. In an interview with Variety, she spoke about her decision to take up the role,
“I knew director James Wan was going to do something really interesting and really fun and I’ve wanted to work with him since he started out in Australia in low-budget horror, and I’ve followed his career. I do this with directors, I follow certain directors. So I’ve been following James.”
It was later revealed that as much as the actress wanted to work with the director, he wanted to work with her too. He had drawn sketches of Atlanna looking like Nicole Kidman as she revealed,
“And then he showed me some of the drawings he was doing and he said, ‘See, this is why you have to be in the movie, because I’ve drawn her to look like you. ‘”
James Wan in his conversation with ComicBook shared that there is no one else than Kidman who could have played the character of Atlanna in the movie adding that he thinks she is fantastic. He mentioned,
“The love story between Atlanna and Arthur’s father is the emotional backbone for the movie and how it informs Arthur’s character and his journey and sort of his bitter outlook on the world of Atlantis.”
The movie went on to gross over $1.15 billion receiving positive reviews from the critics and audience. Nicole Kidman as Atlanna was highly praised by the fans even though some pointed out that she was too young to play a mother on-screen. The comments did not bother the actress instead she reprised her role for the second installment of the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which also grossed about $375 million adding to the list of her successful movies.
Aquaman is streaming on Netflix while the second part of the movie is yet to release on a digital platform.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nicole Kidman’s most successful film?
Nicole Kidman’s most commercially successful film is Aquaman from 2018, which earned over 1.15 billion dollars worldwide. She plays Queen Atlanna, the mother of Jason Momoa’s title character. Directed by James Wan, the DC blockbuster far outgrossed anything else in her long career to that point.
Why did it take Kidman over 20 years to reach that success?
Kidman began her career in 1989’s Dead Calm and earned major critical acclaim through films like Moulin Rouge in 2001, but massive blockbuster box office eluded her for decades. It was not until Aquaman in 2018, nearly thirty years into her career, that she headlined a billion-dollar global hit, a long wait for that scale of commercial success.
What are Kidman’s other notable box office films?
The article lists several Kidman successes, including Moulin Rouge at around 179 million dollars, Australia at over 215 million, Happy Feet at 385 million, and Paddington at 282 million. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom added roughly 375 million more, but none approached the original Aquaman’s billion-dollar global haul.
