Vin Diesel and his gravelly voice have had a consistent presence in Hollywood for over two decades. But thanks to continued success of the Fast and Furious franchise, his stardom has reached new heights, which of course means snag. However, because the eight entry in the fuel-injected series, The Fate of the Furious, has been playing in theaters for two weeks now, Diesel has also crossed an important financial milestone, as Diesel's movies have now accumulated more than $6 billion over the last decade, and it's all because of his worldwide appeal.
$6 billion is an amazing accomplishment, but it's not done increasing in 2017. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which comes out next Friday, will likely push the actor to the $7 billion mark before the year is over. And all he had to do for that movie was say "I am Grout" over and over! As Forbes noted, Diesel's global fanbase has done wonders for his career, as the enthusiasm his blockbusters have not only resulted in huge profits, but they've also provided "lucrative revenue streams from merchandising." 2017 exemplifies this, because along with The Fate of the Furious and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Diesel also starred in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, which, while not critically well-received, amassed more than $346 million worldwide.
While 2017 has, and will continue to be, an excellent year for Vin Diesel, it's just the latest achievement for his acting career, especially where money is concerned. Looking back at some of his notable recent projects, Diesel earned approximately $18 million for 2013's Riddick and $20 million for 2015's Furious 7, both of which also included his producers fee. He's come a long way from when he was playing Private First Class Adrian Caparzo in 1998's Saving Private Ryan, a role for which he earned $100,000.
Of course, Vin Diesel isn't the only Hollywood star to surpass more than $5 billion collectively with their movies. Currently the actor with the largest box office over the last 10 years is Scarlett Johansson, who ranks at $8.3 billion. Coming in second place is Robert Downey Jr. with $8.1 billion pre-Spider-Man: Homecoming, while Samuel L. Jackson is in third place with $7.8 billion. Diesel's Fast and Furious franchise costar, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, rests at $6.6 billion, which will grow as The Fate of the Furious continues its run and both Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle are released later this year.
You can currently see Vin Diesel back in action as Dom Toretto in The Fate of the Furious, and you'll only have to wait one more week to hear him reprise Groot, albeit in Baby form, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
