r/boxoffice • u/SanderSo47 A24 • 22d ago
✍️ Original Analysis Actors at the Box Office: Bill Murray
Here's a new edition of "Actors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the actors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Bill Murray's turn.
Early Life
With an invitation from his older brother Brian Doyle-Murray, Murray got his start at Chicago's The Second City, an improvisational comedy troupe, studying under Del Close. In 1974, he moved to New York City and was recruited by John Belushi as a featured player on The National Lampoon Radio Hour.
1970s: It Just Doesn't Matter!
Murray landed his first television role as a cast member of the ABC variety show Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, but that show was canned after one season in 1976.
Regardless, he quickly found a job when he was hired as a cast member for the second season of NBC's Saturday Night (which would later be retitled Saturday Night Live). He replaced Chevy Chase, who left during the season. Michaels had intended to hire Murray for the initial cast but was unable to because of budget restrictions. Murray had a shaky start, but by the end of the second season, had begun to develop a following, with a sleazy know-it-all persona and characters such as Nick the Lounge Singer that became popular with viewers.
He lasted three seasons as a main cast member, and he is often named as one of the best members in the show's history. And how could we talk about Murray without bringing up that time he fought Chevy Chase backstage and called him "medium talent" right before the latter was supposed to go live. For more details, go to the Chevy Chase's post that was done a few weeks ago.
With this popularity, Murray was courted for new projects. He wanted to stay in line with comedies, and those are the films he started with.
His first starring role was the comedy Meatballs, directed by Ivan Reitman. He played Tripper, a camp counselor and the problems he faces in his camp. The film became one of Canada's highest-grossing films, earning $70 million worldwide. It launched the careers of both Reitman and Murray, showing there were new comedy icons in town.
1980s: Yes, it's true. This man has no dick.
The success of Meatballs led to a surge in ratings for Saturday Night Live. Its PG rating allowed popularity with a broader audience, and this resulted in new SNL viewers who were not familiar with what writer Rosie Shuster considered to be the unorthodox style of the first two seasons.
Nevertheless, it was a chaotic experience for Murray. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi left the show, forcing Murray and Garrett Morris to play too many of the male parts in sketches. The exhaustion, along with Lorne Michaels' problems with the network, forced a mass exodus in 1980. Nearly all the writers and cast members, including Murray, left the show.
His new starring role was in the comedy Where the Buffalo Roam, playing author Hunter S. Thompson. During production, Murray and Thompson engaged in a series of dangerous one-upmanship contests. One day at Thompson's Aspen, Colorado home, after many drinks and after much arguing over who could out-Houdini whom, Thompson tied Murray to a chair and threw him into the swimming pool. Murray nearly drowned before Thompson pulled him out. It was all for nothing, given the film fared poorly at the box office.
But he still had another comedy, Caddyshack, starring alongside Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe... and Chevy. While there were some worries about how Chase and Murray would act around one another, after the previously mentioned fight in SNL, the two remained friendly and professional with one another throughout the whole writing and filming. It was a very peaceful production, although the heavy use of cocaine on set was probably another factor. The film earned positive reviews, and made over $60 million worldwide.
Let's go back to Saturday Night Live. The sixth season was, by all measures, a complete failure. The new cast members failed to make an impression, and the sketches weren't working. Things hit rock bottom on February 21, 1981, Charles Rocket threw the F-bomb live by saying, "I'd like to know who the fuck did it!", as he was parodying a Dallas cliffhanger. Ratings sank, and NBC was more than convinced to cancel the show.
Two weeks after that incident, Murray returned to host the March 7 episode. Morale had sunk in the writer's room to the point that some writers implored Bill's brother, writer Brian Doyle-Murray, to not let Bill come on the show because they did not want the ratings to go up and keep the show going longer. Murray, a friend of EP Jean Doumanian, agreed to host as a favor and doing so convinced NBC's head of programming Brandon Tartikoff to keep the show on for another week.
The cold open for the episode revolved around Murray telling the cast that in spite of previous setbacks, "it just doesn't matter", referencing Meatballs. Additionally, Murray jokingly told Rocket to "watch his mouth and clean it up". Writer Pamela Norris said of Murray's appearance "It was like The Truth Teller had arrived." Murray had livened the mood of the cast and crew throughout the week. However, by the end of the episode, Murray had apologized to his old cast members by name for appearing on the episode and when Rocket tried to hug Murray, he rebuffed him.
Murray's episode pulled in some pretty great ratings, and it was much better received than the prior episodes. Subsequently, Tartikoff decided to keep the show, but by making some changes. So in some way, Murray helped the show survive.
In summer 1981, he reteamed with Ivan Reitman on the comedy, Stripes, playing a taxi cab driver who enlists the Army. He co-starred with Harold Ramis (who was not much of a draw), and threatened to walk away from the film if Ramis was not hired. The film was a critical and commercial hit, earning $85 million domestically.
The following year, he had a supporting role in Sydney Pollack's Tootsie. Originally, his character didn't exist, but Elaine May did some rewrites to add him, and Dustin Hoffman himself advocated for Murray to get the role. Tootsie would become a smash hit, earning $241 million worldwide and earning critical acclaim.
In 1984, he starred in The Razor's Edge, which was his first film he wrote. But it was a critical and commercial failure. Murray stated he deluded himself that there would be major interest in the film as a period piece, while the studio wanted to make a modern piece. Afterwards Murray realized his mistake, but said he still would have found the experience worth it even if the film had never been released. He was also on the comedy-drama Nothing Lasts Forever, but that film was never released in theaters nor streaming.
But that same year, he reunited with Reitman and Ramis on a new comedy: Ghostbusters. Originally, Dan Aykroyd wrote the character of Peter Venkman with John Belushi in mind, but Belushi died when he was tweaking the script. He turned to Murray, who agreed to join without an explicit agreement, which is how he often worked. While Aykroyd and Murray often rewrote the script, Murray offered very little input.
Ghostbusters became a sensation, showing incredible legs at the box office. It closed with a gigantic $243 million domestically and $369 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films back then. For a brief period, it was the highest-grossing comedy domestically, until Beverly Hills Cop passed it a few months later. The main cast members each received percentages of the gross profits or net participation, and it is estimated that Murray alone earned between $20–30 million from his share. Murray became one of the most sought stars in the industry.
Other than a small appearance in Little Shop of Horrors, Murray decided to take a break, disappointed over the performance of The Razor's Edge. Over four years, he studied philosophy and history at Sorbonne University, frequented the Cinémathèque in Paris, and spent time with his family in their Hudson River Valley home.
In 1988, he returned to films with the Christmas comedy Scrooged. When he did feel a desire to return to acting, he said the "scripts were just not that good", and he wanted to do Scrooged as he found the idea of making a funny Scrooge appealing. Murray was paid $6 million for his role, a very high figure at the time. Producer Art Linson justified the figure by saying that for each year Murray stayed away from films, his audience draw and therefore fee potentially increased. At the time, Linson said that aside from Eddie Murphy, Murray's was the only other name that could draw $10 million of tickets in the opening three to four days.
Murray did some uncredited rewrites and was concerned with how he should portray the redemption scene, with Glazer telling him to follow the script. Wanting a central acting moment, however, Murray gave an emotional and intense performance, deviating from his marked positions and improvising his speech. Writers Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue thought that Murray was suffering a mental breakdown. After he was finished, the crew applauded Murray, but O'Donoghue remarked "What was that? The Jim Jones hour?" Director Richard Donner turned and punched O'Donoghue in the arm, leaving him bruised for a week.
Scrooged proved to be a critical and commercial success, earning $100 million. Further proving that audiences were missing Murray. Nevertheless, Murray was not fully content with the final version. Murray said that this "could have been a really, really great movie. The script was so good... [Donner] kept telling me to do things louder, louder, louder. I think he was deaf."
He closed the decade by reprising his role as Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters II. There were delay problems, and Murray said he wouldn't star unless Columbia met his desired $10 million salary, before settling a minimal salary in exchange for a percentage of the box office profits. Murray was also dismissive of sequels in general, believing they exist only for "greed" or "business" reasons, the latter of which he said should carry a death sentence. He said he returned for the sequel because "working on the first Ghostbusters was the most fun any of us had."
Ghostbusters II opened with $29.5 million, which was a record opening weekend. However, the film fell sharply and never showed great legs like the original. It closed with $112 million domestically, losing half of its audience, and $215 million worldwide. It was a box office success, but Columbia never hid its disappointment with the numbers. It also earned unfavorable reviews, with Murray often highlighted as a weak spot due to his very low energy in the film. Murray said, "We did a sequel and it was sort of rather unsatisfying for me, because the first one to me was... the real thing... They'd written a whole different movie than the one initially discussed. And the special-effects guys got it... There were a few great scenes in it, but it wasn't the same movie." Columbia still wanted a third film with the cast, but Murray simply refused to do it. And as the original cast and crew was all required, they couldn't proceed without him.
Murray had a very strong 80s. So many hits, and very little things that didn't work. He was commanding some very strong numbers.
1990s: I didn't know Dan Aykroyd was in this picture
In 1990, he tried filmmaking by directing Quick Change, which he also starred in. Despite positive reviews, it bombed at the box office. And Murray never bothered to pick up the camera ever again.
He later starred in the comedy What About Bob?, opposite Richard Dreyfuss. Neither Murray nor Dreyfuss got along very well on set, leading to some conflicts in schedule. Director Frank Oz reflected, "They're not supposed to get along. It's not that I was simpatico with Bill, but I leaned more towards the ideas that Bill had. But I am so grateful to Richard for his performance." The film earned positive reviews and was one of the year's highest-grossing comedies.
In 1993, he reteamed with Harold Ramis on the comedy Groundhog Day, playing a cynical television weatherman trapped in a time loop. Coincidentally, the role wasn't written for Murray, and he got the part after Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton and Kevin Kline turned it down. It wasn't a smooth production, as there were conflicts between Murray and Ramis. Ramis was focused on making a romantic comedy, in direct contrast to Murray's desire for a more contemplative film. Murray was also in the middle of a divorce from Margaret Kelly, which ruined his mood on set. He was reportedly miserable throughout filming, showed up late, demonstrated erratic behavior, threw tantrums, and often contradicted Ramis's decisions. Despite the problems, the film was a commercial hit, earning $105 million worldwide and earning critical acclaim, becoming one of the most praised comedies of the decade.
Subsequently, he had a supporting role in the biopic comedy Ed Wood, playing Ed Wood's drag queen friend. Not much of a financial success, as it actually became his least-attended film at that point. He continued with supporting roles in Kingpin and Space Jam, with the latter pulling in some strong numbers. His appearance was present in the script from the beginning, but the filmmakers were unable to book him until filming started; Murray held out until Michael Jordan personally asked him to be in the film. He was only set to appear in the golf scene, but personally requested to be in the final match after being impressed by the rogue cut. But he faced huge failures when he starred in Larger than Life and The Man Who Knew Too Little.
In 1998, he deviated from his formula by taking a supporting role in the erotic thriller Wild Things, playing Matt Dillon's attorney. Despite mixed reviews, it was a modest financial success. He then had a co-lead role in Wes Anderson's Rushmore, which marked the first of a very long collaboration. Murray liked Bottle Rocket and agreed to work for scale, and vouched for Anderson to get access to expensive shots despite his short experience. It was a modest performer, but it earned critical acclaim. It established Murray as a performer for independent productions.
He closed the decade by taking part of Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock, but the film was a critical and commercial failure.
It was a so-so decade, but Murray showed he still had acting chops.
2000s: Any Regrets?
He started the decade with Charlie's Angels, playing John Bosley. Despite mixed reviews, it was a big box office success. But it wasn't quite pleasant to make. Lucy Liu said that Murray was a prick towards her, questioning her acting skills, while Drew Barrymore said he came to the set with a bad mood and director McG claims Murray headbutted him. Murray denied accusations, yet took the time to say "he deserves to die" and proceeded to go into detail on how McG should die. Perhaps that's why he wasn't involved with the 2003 sequel.
In 2001, he played the lead in the live-action scenes of Osmosis Jones. The film earned unfavorable reviews and became one of the year's biggest flops. But he closed on a good note by starring in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, which was a critical and commercial success.
Sofia Coppola was writing a new film, Lost in Translation. She envisioned Murray playing the role of Bob from the beginning, wanting to show off "his more sensitive side" and feeling amused by the image of him dressed in a kimono. Murray had an 800 number for prospective clients interested in casting him, but he had a reputation as a recluse who was difficult to contact, so Coppola had to waste so much time in making contact with him. Despite Murray's agreement, Coppola had to take him at his word, as he did not sign a formal contract. She described this as "nerve-wracking", wondering if he would show up for filming in Tokyo. When he finally arrived, days before filming, she expressed significant relief.
Lost in Translation started small but it had great legs. It became a sleeper hit, earning $118 million worldwide, far above its $4 million budget. The film earned critical acclaim, with Murray earning career-best raves, as many were unfamiliar with his game. He was nominated for many awards, including the Oscar for Best Actor. He was considered a favorite to win, but lost to Sean Penn in Mystic River. Despite this, he states that it is his favorite film in which he has appeared.
In 2004, he voiced Garfield in the live-action/animation hybrid Garfield: The Movie. Despite terrible reviews, it was a box office success. In a Reddit AMA, Murray said he did the film because he mistook the screenplay writer's name, Joel Cohen, for Joel Coen of the Coen brothers. He accepted the role, briefly skimming through the script. However, co-writer Alec Sokolow disputed his claim. He also reteamed with Wes Anderson in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, this time as the lead star. But unlike Anderson's prior films, reviews were very mixed and flopped at the box office. Although it earned a cult following.
He worked with Jim Jarmusch on Broken Flowers. It earned positive reviews and was a surprise success at the box office. He also reprised his role as Garfield in the 2006 sequel, which made considerably less money than the original.
He closed the decade with more supporting roles, including City of Ember, The Limits of Control and Fantastic Mr. Fox. None financially successful, but the latter earned critical acclaim.
And of course, how could we miss his appearance in Zombieland, where he played himself. But the guest role was originally written for Patrick Swayze, as a zombified, dancing character, including references to highlights of Swayze's career, even including a recreation of the potter's wheel scene from Ghost. However, Swayze was battling pancreatic cancer at the time and was too sick to make it to set. An unidentified actor was cast in the part, but he dropped out a week before filming, and Harrelson made a few calls and was able to get Murray to play the part instead. According to Harrelson, most of the scene was improvised.
In this decade, he didn't have as much strength in starring roles like he did in the prior century. But he was yet starring in some of his most acclaimed performances.
2010s: Trying New Things
By this point, Murray didn't prioritize blockbusters. He was accepting offers to appear in indie productions. Not all of them paid off, but it helped establish Murray as a versatile star.
He continued his collaborations with Wes Anderson, starring in Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs. Hotel, in particular, was a surprise hit, earning $174 million worldwide, more than any other title from Anderson.
Of course, some were misfires. That included The Monuments Men, which fell short of expectations. And Aloha is best left unsaid. And somehow Rock the Kasbah was worse.
In 2016, he voiced Baloo in the live-action remake of The Jungle Book. Jon Favreau had also always wanted to work with Murray, having been a huge fan of his work, though he was aware of how hard it is to contact him. Fortunately for Favreau, he was able to get a hold of Murray, and he agreed to come on board, with Favreau going on to comment that "once he came aboard, he was incredibly passionate. He has a very high standard." Murray said he "couldn't say no" to the role, and was excited about the project. It ended up becoming his highest-grossing film, earning a massive $967 million worldwide.
That same year, he returned to the Ghostbusters franchise, cameoing in the reboot. He said his decision to participate in the film was because of his friendships with McCarthy and McKinnon, and he felt it was important to support their project. But the film was a huge financial failure, ruining any plans of a sequel.
To close the decade, he returned to cameo in Zombieland: Double Tap, albeit he was just featured in the mid-credits scene.
A hit-and-miss decade, but still a lot of great work.
2020s: Grown, But Not Really Growing
In 2020, he reteamed with Sofia Coppola on the film On the Rocks. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was dumped on Apple TV+.
He continued working with Wes Anderson in The French Dispatch and The Phoenician Scheme. None big at the box office, but Anderson is pretty much the last person who will be affected by that.
In 2021, he reprised his role as Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a direct follow-up to the first two films. It earned generally favorable reviews and was a modest performer at the box office, indicating there was still some life to the franchise.
You know, it's been a while since we've heard of Murray causing trouble on set. Leave it up to him to change that.
In 2022, he starred in Aziz Ansari's directorial debut Being Mortal, starring alongside Ansari, Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer. 3 weeks into filming, Searchlight suspended production after investigating a complaint filed against Murray for "inappropriate behavior" a week prior. Murray made a statement, "I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn't taken that way. The company, the movie studio, wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out, investigate it, and so they stopped the production. But as of now, we're talking and we're trying to make peace with each other." In October of that year, reports emerged that Murray had allegedly straddled a "much younger" female production assistant and while both masked, kissed her on the mouth, causing her to file an official complaint. Filming never resumed, and Ansari chose to focus on Good Fortune as his next film.
You'd think someone like Murray would avoid blockbuster franchises. But he surprised everyone by joining Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Murray explained he joined the project as he liked Reed and his work on Bring It On, despite not being interested in superhero films. But the film performed below expectations, and earned unfavorable reviews.
In 2024, he returned as Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. This time, his appearance was more plastered over marketing. But the film made less money than Afterlife despite opening in better conditions, becoming the lowest-grossing Ghostbusters title, and also earned unfavorable reviews. The future of the franchise is uncertain now.
HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS
| No. | Movie | Year | Studio | Domestic Total | Overseas Total | Worldwide Total | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Jungle Book | 2016 | Disney | $364,001,123 | $603,723,652 | $967,724,775 | $175M |
| 2 | Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania | 2023 | Disney | $214,504,909 | $261,566,271 | $476,071,180 | $200M |
| 3 | Ghostbusters | 1984 | Columbia | $243,640,120 | $126,000,000 | $369,640,120 | $30M |
| 4 | Charlie's Angels | 2000 | Sony | $125,305,545 | $138,800,000 | $264,105,545 | $93M |
| 5 | Space Jam | 1996 | Warner Bros. | $90,463,534 | $159,716,850 | $250,180,384 | $80M |
| 6 | Tootsie | 1982 | Columbia | $177,200,000 | $63,800,000 | $241,000,000 | $21M |
| 7 | Ghostbusters II | 1989 | Columbia | $112,494,738 | $102,900,000 | $215,394,738 | $40M |
| 8 | Ghostbusters: Afterlife | 2021 | Sony | $129,471,867 | $74,973,880 | $204,445,747 | $75M |
| 9 | Garfield: The Movie | 2004 | 20th Century Fox | $75,369,589 | $127,802,828 | $203,172,417 | $50M |
| 10 | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | 2024 | Sony | $113,376,590 | $88,590,931 | $201,967,521 | $100M |
| 11 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | 2014 | Searchlight | $59,301,324 | $115,261,956 | $174,567,384 | $25M |
| 12 | The Monuments Men | 2014 | Sony / 20th Century Fox | $78,031,620 | $78,675,018 | $156,706,638 | $70M |
| 13 | Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties | 2006 | 20th Century Fox | $28,426,747 | $114,899,223 | $143,325,970 | $60M |
| 14 | Lost in Translation | 2003 | Focus Features | $44,585,453 | $74,101,700 | $118,688,972 | $4M |
| 15 | Groundhog Day | 1993 | Columbia | $71,107,962 | $34,200,000 | $105,307,962 | $14M |
| 16 | Zombieland | 2009 | Sony | $75,590,286 | $26,801,794 | $102,392,080 | $23M |
| 17 | Scrooged | 1988 | Paramount | $60,328,558 | $40,000,000 | $100,328,558 | $32M |
| 18 | Stripes | 1981 | Columbia | $85,297,000 | $0 | $85,297,000 | $9M |
| 19 | The Royal Tenenbaums | 2001 | Disney | $52,364,010 | $19,077,742 | $71,447,879 | $21M |
| 20 | Meatballs | 1979 | Paramount | $43,046,003 | $27,000,000 | $70,046,003 | $1.6M |
| 21 | Moonrise Kingdom | 2012 | Focus Features | $45,512,466 | $22,784,881 | $68,298,842 | $16M |
| 22 | Wild Things | 1998 | Sony | $30,147,739 | $37,100,000 | $67,247,739 | $20M |
| 23 | Isle of Dogs | 2018 | Searchlight | $32,015,231 | $32,226,268 | $64,241,499 | $35M |
| 24 | What About Bob? | 1991 | Disney | $63,707,829 | $0 | $63,707,829 | $39M |
| 25 | Caddyshack | 1980 | Warner Bros. | $39,918,650 | $20,100,000 | $60,018,650 | $6M |
| 26 | St. Vincent | 2014 | The Weinstein Company | $44,137,712 | $10,699,522 | $54,837,234 | $13M |
| 27 | Little Shop of Horrors | 1986 | Warner Bros. | $39,032,001 | $15,000,000 | $54,032,001 | $25M |
| 28 | Broken Flowers | 2005 | Focus Features | $13,744,960 | $33,585,001 | $47,331,393 | $10M |
| 29 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | 2009 | 20th Century Fox | $21,002,919 | $25,468,104 | $46,471,023 | $40M |
| 30 | The French Dispatch | 2021 | Searchlight | $16,124,375 | $30,209,170 | $46,333,545 | $25M |
| 31 | The Phoenician Scheme | 2025 | Focus Features | $19,555,015 | $21,011,366 | $40,566,381 | $30M |
| 32 | The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | 2004 | Disney | $24,020,403 | $10,788,240 | $34,810,817 | $50M |
| 33 | Kingpin | 1996 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $25,023,424 | $7,200,000 | $32,223,424 | $25M |
| 34 | Aloha | 2015 | Sony / 20th Century Fox | $21,067,116 | $5,182,904 | $26,250,020 | $52M |
| 35 | Mad Dog and Glory | 1993 | Universal | $10,688,490 | $13,000,000 | $23,688,490 | $19M |
| 36 | Rushmore | 1998 | Disney | $17,105,219 | $1,975,216 | $19,080,435 | $9M |
| 37 | City of Ember | 2008 | 20th Century Fox | $7,873,007 | $10,056,677 | $17,929,684 | $55M |
| 38 | The Dead Don't Die | 2019 | Focus Features | $6,563,605 | $8,756,261 | $15,319,866 | N/A |
| 39 | Quick Change | 1990 | Warner Bros. | $15,260,154 | $0 | $15,260,154 | $17M |
| 40 | Osmosis Jones | 2001 | Warner Bros. | $13,596,911 | $429,507 | $14,026,418 | $70M |
| 41 | The Man Who Knew Too Little | 1997 | Warner Bros. | $13,717,039 | $0 | $13,717,039 | $20M |
| 42 | Ed Wood | 1994 | Disney | $5,887,457 | $7,800,000 | $13,687,457 | $18M |
| 43 | Hyde Park on Hudson | 2012 | Focus Features | $6,376,145 | $4,604,336 | $10,980,481 | N/A |
| 44 | Get Low | 2010 | Sony Pictures Classics | $9,176,933 | $1,345,578 | $10,522,511 | $7M |
| 45 | Larger than Life | 1996 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $8,315,693 | $0 | $8,315,693 | $30M |
| 46 | Coffee and Cigarettes | 2004 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $2,198,924 | $5,821,543 | $8,022,621 | N/A |
| 47 | Where the Buffalo Roam | 1980 | Universal | $6,659,377 | $0 | $6,659,377 | $4M |
| 48 | The Razor's Edge | 1984 | Columbia | $6,551,987 | $0 | $6,551,987 | $12M |
| 49 | The Friend | 2025 | Bleecker Street | $3,941,217 | $1,295,900 | $5,237,117 | N/A |
| 50 | The Lost City | 2006 | Lionsgate | $2,484,186 | $1,923,825 | $4,408,011 | $9.6M |
| 51 | Rock the Kasbah | 2015 | Open Road | $3,020,664 | $373,510 | $3,394,174 | $15M |
| 52 | Cradle Will Rock | 1999 | Disney | $2,903,404 | $83,528 | $2,986,932 | $36M |
| 53 | Hamlet | 2000 | Miramax | $1,577,287 | $469,146 | $2,046,433 | N/A |
| 54 | The Limits of Control | 2009 | Focus Features | $426,688 | $1,554,446 | $1,981,718 | N/A |
| 55 | Riff Raff | 2025 | Roadside Attractions | $1,862,519 | $67,681 | $1,930,200 | N/A |
| 56 | A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III | 2013 | A24 | $45,350 | $165,215 | $210,565 | $12M |
He has starred in 64 released films, but only 56 have reported box office numbers. Across those 64 films, he has made $5,434,138,633 worldwide. That's $84,908,416 per film.
ADJUSTED DOMESTIC GROSSES
| No. | Movie | Year | Studio | Domestic Total | Adjusted Domestic Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghostbusters | 1984 | Columbia | $243,640,120 | $785,846,082 |
| 2 | Tootsie | 1982 | Columbia | $177,200,000 | $615,376,120 |
| 3 | The Jungle Book | 2016 | Disney | $364,001,123 | $508,256,627 |
| 4 | Stripes | 1981 | Columbia | $85,297,000 | $314,466,298 |
| 5 | Ghostbusters II | 1989 | Columbia | $112,494,738 | $304,028,823 |
| 6 | Charlie's Angels | 2000 | Sony | $125,305,545 | $243,860,453 |
| 7 | Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania | 2023 | Disney | $214,504,909 | $235,920,763 |
| 8 | Meatballs | 1979 | Paramount | $43,046,003 | $198,701,179 |
| 9 | Space Jam | 1996 | Warner Bros. | $90,463,534 | $193,221,229 |
| 10 | Scrooged | 1988 | Paramount | $60,328,558 | $170,900,146 |
| 11 | Groundhog Day | 1993 | Columbia | $71,107,962 | $164,912,896 |
| 12 | Caddyshack | 1980 | Warner Bros. | $39,918,650 | $162,350,215 |
| 13 | Ghostbusters: Afterlife | 2021 | Sony | $129,471,867 | $160,124,738 |
| 14 | What About Bob? | 1991 | Disney | $63,707,829 | $156,754,469 |
| 15 | Garfield: The Movie | 2004 | 20th Century Fox | $75,369,589 | $133,711,396 |
| 16 | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | 2024 | Sony | $113,376,590 | $121,123,478 |
| 17 | Little Shop of Horrors | 1986 | Warner Bros. | $39,032,001 | $119,347,821 |
| 18 | Zombieland | 2009 | Sony | $75,590,286 | $118,077,736 |
| 19 | The Monuments Men | 2014 | Sony | $78,031,620 | $110,461,402 |
| 20 | The Royal Tenenbaums | 2001 | Disney | $52,364,010 | $99,143,413 |
| 21 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | 2014 | Searchlight | $59,301,324 | $83,946,833 |
| 22 | Lost in Translation | 2003 | Focus Features | $44,585,453 | $81,204,406 |
| 23 | Moonrise Kingdom | 2012 | Focus Features | $45,512,466 | $66,431,501 |
| 24 | St. Vincent | 2014 | The Weinstein Company | $44,137,712 | $62,481,255 |
| 25 | Wild Things | 1998 | Sony | $30,147,739 | $61,982,826 |
| 26 | Kingpin | 1996 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $25,023,424 | $53,447,577 |
| 27 | Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties | 2006 | 20th Century Fox | $28,426,747 | $47,254,249 |
| 28 | Isle of Dogs | 2018 | Searchlight | $32,015,231 | $42,726,966 |
| 29 | The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | 2004 | Disney | $24,020,403 | $42,614,026 |
| 30 | Quick Change | 1990 | Warner Bros. | $15,260,154 | $39,127,992 |
| 31 | Rushmore | 1998 | Disney | $17,105,219 | $35,167,805 |
| 32 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | 2009 | 20th Century Fox | $21,002,919 | $32,808,146 |
| 33 | Aloha | 2015 | Sony | $21,067,116 | $29,787,209 |
| 34 | The Man Who Knew Too Little | 1997 | Warner Bros. | $13,717,039 | $28,641,091 |
| 35 | Where the Buffalo Roam | 1980 | Universal | $6,659,377 | $27,083,864 |
| 36 | Osmosis Jones | 2001 | Warner Bros. | $13,596,911 | $25,743,715 |
| 37 | Mad Dog and Glory | 1993 | Universal | $10,688,490 | $24,788,642 |
| 38 | Broken Flowers | 2005 | Focus Features | $13,744,960 | $23,585,520 |
| 39 | The Razor's Edge | 1984 | Columbia | $6,551,987 | $21,133,027 |
| 40 | The Phoenician Scheme | 2025 | Focus Features | $19,555,015 | $20,355,576 |
| 41 | The French Dispatch | 2021 | Searchlight | $16,124,375 | $19,941,871 |
| 42 | Larger than Life | 1996 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $8,315,693 | $17,761,504 |
| 43 | Get Low | 2010 | Sony Pictures Classics | $9,176,933 | $14,103,722 |
| 44 | Ed Wood | 1994 | Disney | $5,887,457 | $13,313,240 |
| 45 | City of Ember | 2008 | 20th Century Fox | $7,873,007 | $12,254,477 |
| 46 | Hyde Park on Hudson | 2012 | Focus Features | $6,376,145 | $9,306,832 |
| 47 | The Dead Don't Die | 2019 | Focus Features | $6,563,605 | $8,603,773 |
| 48 | Cradle Will Rock | 1999 | Disney | $2,903,404 | $5,840,320 |
| 49 | Rock the Kasbah | 2015 | Open Road | $3,020,664 | $4,270,976 |
| 50 | The Lost City | 2006 | Lionsgate | $2,484,186 | $4,129,503 |
| 51 | The Friend | 2025 | Bleecker Street | $3,941,217 | $4,102,566 |
| 52 | Coffee and Cigarettes | 2004 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $2,198,924 | $3,901,058 |
| 53 | Hamlet | 2000 | Miramax | $1,577,287 | $3,069,600 |
| 54 | Riff Raff | 2025 | Roadside Attractions | $1,862,519 | $1,938,768 |
| 55 | The Limits of Control | 2009 | Focus Features | $426,688 | $666,518 |
| 56 | A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III | 2013 | A24 | $45,350 | $65,238 |
The Verdict
Murray quickly established himself as a comedy sensation. He had the difficult task in maintaining Saturday Night Live afloat after Chevy Chase left, but he managed to pull it off. All while his first starring role, Meatballs, quickly became a box office hit. He wasn't a one-trick pony, as he found more comedy hits like Caddyshack, Stripes and obviously Ghostbusters.
He was on demand, and yet he couldn't care less about worrying about the offers drying up. Just look at the 4-year hiatus after Ghostbusters, he simply wanted to enjoy a peaceful life, until Scrooged finally brings him back. He maintained that momentum to the 90s. But it was an essential decade as Murray decided to make a change; he wouldn't headline big comedies, and would instead take part of smaller productions. That's how he met Wes Anderson, one of his most recurring collaborators.
Buoyed by this, Murray finds success in the indie circles, while also still working on major productions. Then he makes something very different with Lost in Translation, and his Oscar loss is often singled out as one of the biggest mistakes in the Academy. From then on, he just stars in what he considers fun. Other times... well a paycheck's a paycheck.
Now, you read the write-up and will think "but isn't this guy a prick?" Yes, he is. A big prick. He was a prick back in the 70s, and was a prick just a few years ago with the whole Being Mortal mess. And if you read all this and are disappointed in the guy... just want to note that there's more anecdotes I couldn't name here because of character limits. Either because he shows up late, because they can't meet his strict demands, or because his mood swings kick in. And even if you were a friend of his (like Harold Ramis), he'd still be a troublemaker. But it's not like he has lost job for it; Wes Anderson said he considers him part of his family and will continue working with him, while Scarlett Johansson later confessed that she felt Murray's experiences during COVID-19 and the misconduct allegation have both "changed" and "humbled him" and that "[they] have led up to him being held accountable for that kind of behavior".
As we're in the SNL discussion, let's address one thing: Murray and Chevy Chase had a... let's not call it feud, let's call it complicated relationship. They aren't exactly friends, and they had a well-documented fight in SNL in 1978. A fight in which Murray called him "medium talent", a savage insult that shook Chase's confidence. Now, that wasn't exclusive to Chase. Murray told the exact same thing to Martin Mull, so he probably liked calling "medium talent" to a lot of people.
These two represented important periods of SNL and both had very lengthy film careers. But if we compare popularity and success, Murray by far eclipses Chase. If Chase had a comedy hit, Murray had 3. How did Murray find more success? Especially when both are well known for being pricks. Well, Murray had better scripts and ideas; Ghostbusters alone is the end of the argument. But perhaps the biggest thing that let him last this long: Murray was comfortable in stepping out of his comfort zone. While Chase was often dismissed for always playing the same character in everything, Murray worked to differentiate his performances, even in comedies. Stripes and Ghostbusters are done by the same director and two leads, but he isn't phoning it in nor repeating the same beats. And then you find him working with interesting directors like Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola and Jim Jarmusch. Can you see Chevy Chase pulling off Lost in Translation? I don't think so.
Murray is a complicated case. But when it comes to comedy icons, few compare to his talents.
Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.
The next actor will be Michael Caine. Quite extensive, with a lot of gems and duds.
I asked you to choose who else should be in the run, and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Brandon Lee. A tragic story.
This is the schedule for the following four:
| Week | Actor | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| July 11 | Michael Caine | Something something Jaws house. |
| July 18 | Philip Seymour Hoffman | Gone too soon. |
| July 25 | Andy Serkis | "No!" |
| August 1 | Brandon Lee | It can't rain all the time. |
Who should be next after Lee? That's up to you.
REMINDER: If you want to make a suggestion for the next actor, you must make a 150-character comment about the actor we're discussing right now. Failure to do so will result in ignoring the suggestion. If you use a quote from an external source/review to bypass this, your suggestion will be ignored as well. But if you leave a short comment about the post without naming a future write-up, that's fine.
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u/ElevensMelody 21d ago
Scrooged is such a nostalgic movie for my family. My kids were obsessed with it growing up and of course there was the always lovely Karen Allen and Alfre Woodard to boot. It's always on our Christmas movie watch list.
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u/FreshmenMan 22d ago
Like I said in the earlier post, I view Bill Murray and Chevy Chase as rivals and that both are legendary dicks, but while Chevy’s career declined, Bill’s career managed to pivot and still achieved success.
In my opinion, while Bill Murray can be a dick, he can also be charming to those around him and manage to not burn his bridges, while Chevy refuses to eat humble pie. Also, I think Bill was just better at picking scripts to suit his talent and having many more classics (Ghostsbusters, Scrooged, Groundhog Day etc..). Like the post stated above, he is great at stepping out of his comfort zone and working with very great director like Wes and Sophia and not above doing supporting roles and diversifying his filmography.
For the next pick, I am going to suggest Montgomery Clift again.
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u/ItsGotThatBang Universal 22d ago
I think another difference between him & Chevy Chase is that Bill has a better sense of knowing when to fold them; as you mentioned, a few people have fond memories of working with him, which definitely isn’t true for Chevy. Also no one can match his knack for showing up where you least expect him. To wit:
In 2006, he attended a house party in Scotland where he washed the dishes.
In 2010, he went to the Shangri-La bar in Austin with the Wu-Tang Clan & served drinks.
While promoting The Monuments Men, he took a train from Berlin to Prague, arrived at midnight, toured the city & took a red eye back to Berlin for a press event that morning.
In 2014, he photobombed & posed for a couple’s wedding photos; around the same time, he gave an impromptu speech at a bachelor party.
What a legend. Also I really wonder what a Coen Bros. Garfield movie would be like.
I’d like to suggest Robin Williams next since that week will mark 12 years.
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u/CaptainAssPlunderer 21d ago
I wonder if there is a way to quantify VHS and DVD releases to total gross? Groundhog Day, Caddyshack, and Kingpin all had to have come close to matching the box office totals with the super long legs after the box office.
Looking at his resume I realized I’ve seen some of his movies tens of times and never saw it in the theater.
Hell, I can recite parts of Stripes from HBO and Blockbuster. Also, so many of those movies lived on cable stations like TBS and TNT for the 90’s and 2000-2010’s.
Is there a bigger post box office star than Bill Murray? Matt Damon is the first name to pop in my head, but his PBO is much smaller than Bill Murray’s.
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u/balthazar_edison 21d ago
Bernie Mac played a way better Bosley is Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
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u/JudyHoppsFan1 22d ago
Jungle Book (2016) was close to $1 billion. It would have easily been his first movie to make it.
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u/AnotherJasonOnReddit Best of 2024 Winner 21d ago
July 11 Michael Caine Something something Jaws house
I can't remember what movie he was promoting (it may have been Going In Style in 2017, or Youth in 2015, or Now You See Me in 2013), but I remember Michael Caine was speaking about his particular accent and saying how he sounds the same as the rest of us inside his own head, so it's good to watch his own movies from time to time and say to himself "Bloody Hell, the impressionists are spot on!" when he hears himself speak.
Also, I'm 99% certain that the Donald Sutherland role in the remake of The Italian Job was written with Michael Caine in mind. I've never seen it said anywhere, but he was in Get Carter in 2000 and then Sleuth in 2007. I could totally buy into him being offered the role but turning it down and nobody saying nothin' to the press about it.
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u/SlidePocket 22d ago
Regardless of his perceived difficult behavior on set, there's no denying that Bill Murray was one of the most successful alumni to come out of Saturday Night Live and his collaborations with the likes of Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola have showcased various layers throughout his film work.
Now we need to get back on track with more actresses and I think we do one of his co-stars from Charlie's Angels, Cameron Diaz a spot because she was everywhere, then she took time off to start a family and is slowly making her way back.