0 8
Age 57

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 87

Not Ranked

Current Rank

#41

#6

Peak Rank

#3

31

Years Ranked

43

3

Years in Top 10

6

43.9

Average Rank

28.2

24

Theatrical Releases

42

Chicago $170.7 Million

Biggest Hit

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

$1.2 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, Catherine Zeta-Jones 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. Taken together, the comparison suggests leans toward Ian McKellen while still showing distinct strengths on each side.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Catherine Zeta-Jones Ian McKellen

Catherine Zeta-Jones

24 theatrical releases • $1.2 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2013 Red 2 $53.3 Million
2013 Side Effects $32.2 Million
2013 Broken City $19.7 Million
2012 Playing for Keeps $13.1 Million
2012 Rock of Ages $38.5 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