1 6
Age 80

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 87

#80

Current Rank

#41

#3

Peak Rank

#3

44

Years Ranked

43

5

Years in Top 10

6

48.9

Average Rank

28.2

15

Theatrical Releases

42

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again $120.6 Million

Biggest Hit

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

$607.1 Million

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.

The 2026 comparison presents Cher and Ian McKellen through the ranking data available at that point in time. Commercial scale is another meaningful divider, with the career domestic box office measure giving Ian McKellen the larger theatrical footprint.

The category score gives Ian McKellen the broader edge, though the result remains a comparison of career outcomes rather than personal popularity. 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

Cher Ian McKellen

FILMOGRAPHY COMPARISON

Cher

15 theatrical releases • $607.1 Million Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2018 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again $120.6 Million
2011 Zookeeper $80.4 Million
2010 Burlesque $39.4 Million
2003 Stuck on You $33.8 Million
1999 Tea with Mussolini $14.4 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