4 4
Age 87

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Age 72

#41

Current Rank

#52

#3

Peak Rank

#5

43

Years Ranked

47

6

Years in Top 10

12

28.2

Average Rank

24.8

42

Theatrical Releases

48

Beauty and the Beast $504.0 Million

Biggest Hit

Wild Hogs $168.3 Million

$3.9 Billion

Career Domestic
Box Office

$2.6 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, Ian McKellen and John Travolta form a comparison shaped more by career pattern than by any single credit. The biggest-hit category sharpens the box office contrast, especially because Ian McKellen's leading film creates the stronger single-release benchmark.

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 stays evenly split while still showing distinct strengths on each side.

CAREER RANKING HISTORY

Ian McKellen John Travolta

FILMOGRAPHY COMPARISON

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

John Travolta

48 theatrical releases • $2.6 Billion Domestic

Year Movie Domestic Box Office Domestic BO
2018 Gotti $4.3 Million
2016 In a Valley of Violence $61,797
2013 Killing Season $39,881
2012 Savages $47.4 Million
2010 From Paris with Love $24.1 Million