3 5
Age 52

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 87

#46

Current Rank

#41

#2

Peak Rank

#3

27

Years Ranked

43

12

Years in Top 10

6

23.7

Average Rank

28.2

36

Theatrical Releases

42

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice $330.4 Million

Biggest Hit

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

$2.4 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$3.9 Billion

COMMUNITY VOTE

Who had the greater Hollywood career overall?

Cast your vote and compare your opinion with the community.

Community voting reflects visitor opinion and is independent of the Hollywood Rankings methodology.

Career Comparison Summary AI-generated historical comparison. Click to expand.

Note: Films released during the selected year influence the following year's rankings.

As of the selected ranking year, Amy Adams and Ian McKellen form a comparison shaped more by career pattern than by any single credit. The category score gives Ian McKellen the broader edge, though the result remains a comparison of career outcomes rather than personal popularity.

Commercial scale is another meaningful divider, with the career domestic box office measure giving Ian McKellen the larger theatrical footprint. The comparison therefore points leans toward Ian McKellen, with the most meaningful separation coming from the highlighted career measures.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Amy Adams Ian McKellen

FILMOGRAPHY COMPARISON

Amy Adams

36 theatrical releases • $2.4 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2021 Dear Evan Hansen $15.0 Million
2018 Vice $47.8 Million
2017 Justice League $229.0 Million
2016 Nocturnal Animals $10.7 Million
2016 Arrival $100.5 Million

Ian McKellen

42 theatrical releases • $3.9 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2026 The Christophers $1.8 Million
2024 The Critic $449,020
2019 Cats $27.2 Million
2019 The Good Liar $17.2 Million
2019 All Is True $1.2 Million