7 Unbelievable Movie Hot Streaks You’ll Barely Believe

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It’s rare for an actor to consistently star in or appear in a series of successful and well-received movies. This requires both exceptional talent and smart choices about which projects to take on. We looked at actors who have had a string of hits – five or more consecutive films that were either critically acclaimed, financially successful, or both. We didn’t include brief appearances or movies where the actor played a version of themselves, as those wouldn’t count toward a true winning streak.

Jennifer Lawrence had a strong streak of successful films, starting with X-Men: First Class, The Hunger Games, and Silver Linings Playbook. While House at the End of the Street earned some money, it wasn’t a critical success. She then starred in another successful run with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, American Hustle, and X-Men: Days of Future Past, but this was followed by the poorly received film Serena.

7) Will Smith

It’s tough to say who had a bigger breakout in the ’90s, Jim Carrey or Will Smith. Carrey starred in three huge hits – Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber – all in one year. But Smith quickly proved he could successfully transition from being a sitcom lead to headlining massive blockbuster movies.

Will Smith received critical praise for his role in the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation, but it was Bad Boys in 1995 that truly launched his career as a leading man. The following year, Independence Day became the year’s biggest box office hit. Men in Black nearly achieved the same success in 1997, though it was ultimately overshadowed by Titanic. It even outperformed The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Smith continued this momentum with Enemy of the State, a film that showcased his acting abilities, garnered positive reviews, and earned almost three times its $90 million budget. While Wild Wild West proved to be a setback, these were still incredibly successful years for Smith.

6) Jason Statham

From 2015 to 2021, Jason Statham starred in a string of successful films, including Furious 7, Spy, Mechanic: Resurrection, The Fate of the Furious, The Meg, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Wrath of Man, and F9. These movies were not only box office hits, but more than half also earned positive reviews from critics.

The cast list proves Jason Statham is a draw for audiences, and he excels both as a lead actor and as part of an ensemble. Interestingly, audiences seem to prefer his starring roles; Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre marked the end of a successful streak. Fast X also didn’t perform as well as hoped, but that was likely due to franchise fatigue rather than Statham’s involvement.

5) Kate Winslet

Films like Little Children, The Holiday, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Carnage, and Contagion all earned positive reviews, and they represent a significant part of Kate Winslet’s work between late 2006 and 2011.

A string of great films came to an unfortunate end with a much weaker movie, Movie 43. Winslet, like many of the cast, didn’t win any Oscars for her work in it, and likely regrets being involved. Despite the film being a poorly received and unfunny anthology, Winslet still gave a committed performance.

4) Meryl Streep

Early in her career, Meryl Streep had several periods where she seemed poised to win award after award. One notable stretch began in 2008 with the film Mamma Mia!, followed by Doubt – earning her a Best Actress nomination. The next year, 2009, brought a string of well-received movies including Julie & Julia (another Best Actress nomination), Fantastic Mr. Fox, and It’s Complicated.

Meryl Streep starred in The Iron Lady in 2011, winning an Academy Award despite mixed reviews. The following year, she co-starred in the successful film Hope Springs, and in 2013, she received another Academy Award nomination for her performance in the critically acclaimed August: Osage County. While The Giver didn’t continue her run of success, she still earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2014 for Into the Woods.

3) Leonardo DiCaprio

You know, looking back at Leonardo DiCaprio’s career, it’s amazing to see how he’s had a few different runs of incredible movies. First, there was that stretch with Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, and The Departed – a real high point, though Blood Diamond didn’t quite reach the same level. Then he followed that up with another strong series: Revolutionary Road, Shutter Island, and Inception, before J. Edgar felt a bit off. But he didn’t stop there! Right after J. Edgar, he went on another incredible streak with Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Revenant, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It’s like he just keeps reinventing himself!

Whether Leonardo DiCaprio is currently on a winning streak is open to interpretation, especially when considering the film Don’t Look Up. It’s proven to be a particularly controversial movie in his career, and some believe it ended a run of successful films. However, if you view Don’t Look Up differently, and include Killers of the Flower Moon and One Battle After Another, then his streak could be considered ongoing. We understand if you see it that way.

2) Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson is one of the most consistently likable leading actors in recent years. Since his breakout role in The Scorpion King (2002), he’s become a major headliner, and his films often achieve significant success.

Despite a generally successful career, his most consistent run of hits occurred between 2014 and 2017, including films like Hercules, Furious 7, San Andreas, Central Intelligence, Moana, and The Fate of the Furious. That streak was briefly interrupted by the disappointing Baywatch, also released in 2017, though he quickly rebounded with the successful Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. While Jumanji could have started another winning streak, Skyscraper wasn’t well-received. Without Skyscraper, he would have had a solid run of hits with Jumanji, Rampage, Fighting with My Family, Hobbs & Shaw, and Jumanji: The Next Level.

1) Tom Hanks

If someone asked you to name the most popular movie star ever, Tom Hanks would likely be your first thought. He’s not only well-liked, but he’s also consistently starred in very successful films.

Between 1992 and 2002, he starred in a remarkable string of hit movies, including A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, That Thing You Do!, Saving Private Ryan, You’ve Got Mail, Toy Story 2, The Green Mile, Cast Away, Road to Perdition, and Catch Me If You Can. Every single one of these films was a success, a run that lasted ten years. It’s difficult to envision anyone ever repeating such an incredible streak.

A string of successful films was broken by the Coen brothers’ movie, The Ladykillers, which wasn’t well-remembered. Without that film (considered their weakest), the run of hits would have likely continued with films like The Terminal and The Polar Express (both 2004), The Da Vinci Code (2006), the critically acclaimed but less commercially successful Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), The Great Buck Howard and Angels & Demons (both 2009), and Toy Story 3 (2010).

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2025-11-10 02:12