Will Scarlett Johansson's Upcoming Films The Exorcist, The Batman Part 2 Bring Back Highest-Grossing Actress Mantle?

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key to being the highest-grossing actor or actress of all time is franchises. The top stars holding the first three spots know all about franchises. Zoe Saldana is the highest-grossing actress with $15.47 billion, while Scarlett Johansson is next with $15.4 billion and Samuel L Jackson is in third place with $14.6 billion. Last year, Scarlett held the top spot until Zoe took over after the release of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire And Ash in December 2025. The next Avatar film is a few years away, but Scarlett can regain her title with her next films which are sure to make a splash at the box office in the coming years. Here’s what the actress has lined up for 2026 and beyond.

Scarlett Johansson joins The Exorcist sequel and The Batman Part 2

Scarlett’s latest franchise foray with Jurassic World Rebirth grossed over $869 million worldwide and the actress is expected to return for another sequel in the dinosaur universe. However, it is her recent casting announcements that could lead her back to the top of the highest-grossing list. She is set to lead her first horror film with an ensemble cast featuring Laurence Fisburne, Hamnet’s Jacobi Jupe, Diane Lane and Chiwetel Ejiofor in The Exorcist. Directed by Mike Flanagan, The Exorcist is not a sequel to The Exorcist: Believer (2023). It will be a whole new story. The horror film is due to begin filming in New York this year and will release in theatres in March 2027 from Universal Pictures.

Additionally, Scarlett is joining a A-list cast on Matt Reeves’ eagerly awaited The Batman Part 2. Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne, Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb, Jeffrey Wright's James Gordon and Andy Serkis' Alfred Pennyworth are returning, while Barry Keoghan, Sebastian Stan and Scarlett are the new cast members for the sequel. Barry is rumoured to play The Joker, while Sebastian is all but confirmed for Harvey Dent. Scarlett's role is much more mysterious. Some reports suggest the actress could play Andrea Beaumont from Mask of the Phantasm or Harvey's wife Gilda Dent. The DC Studios film has already made a big coup by casting two Marvel stars in Sebastian (aka Winter Soldier) and Scarlett (aka Black Widow) for the Batman sequel. With the starry cast assembled, the superhero film is sure to make some noise worldwide when it releases in 2027.

Scarlett Johansson’s 2026 releases and other upcoming films

This year, Scarlett is ready to release James Gray’s crime drama Paper Tiger, opposite Miles Teller and Adam Driver. She is also reportedly joining Tom Cruise on Christopher McQuarrie's crime thriller The Gauntlet and will play an ex-addict in Andrea Arnold's Featherwood. Her character Carol Blevins goes undercover to help the FBI take down the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas crime syndicate.

With the A-list co-stars and top directors, Scarlett is sure to find herself back on the top of the highest-grossing actors list. The question will remain about how much distance can she put between herself and the other actors on the list?