1 7
Age 79

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 87

#50

Current Rank

#41

#7

Peak Rank

#3

47

Years Ranked

43

4

Years in Top 10

6

29.7

Average Rank

28.2

38

Theatrical Releases

42

Terminator 2 $204.8 Million

Biggest Hit

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

$2.2 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$3.9 Billion

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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, Arnold Schwarzenegger 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.

The biggest-hit category sharpens the box office contrast, especially because Ian McKellen's leading film creates the stronger single-release benchmark. Overall, the head-to-head score leans leans toward Ian McKellen, but the strongest context comes from the categories where the gap is clearest.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Arnold Schwarzenegger Ian McKellen

FILMOGRAPHY COMPARISON

Arnold Schwarzenegger

38 theatrical releases • $2.2 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2019 Terminator: Dark Fate $62.3 Million
2015 Terminator Genisys $89.8 Million
2015 Maggie $187,112
2014 The Expendables 3 $39.3 Million
2014 Sabotage $10.5 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