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When it comes to her resume as an actress, Kirsten Wiig may be known widely for her roles in animation films because she has been a part of so many! But the New York actress and comedian has appeared in many supporting roles in a variety of comedies as well, in addition to starring and co-starring in a number of commercially successful films, such as Bridesmaids. Not only was she one of the main actresses in that movie, but she was also the co-writer along with Annie Mumolo. Her comedic nature has also seen her on shows such as SNL and Spike TV. If you like a good laugh, here are 10 of Kristen Wiig's highest-grossing movies.
Despicable Me 3
The now billion-dollar animated comedy film produced by Illumination and Universal Studios seems to have only gotten better over time since the first installment of the family comedy in 2010. Despicable Me 3 has exceeded all prior movie series box office reports internationally, becoming the first billion-dollar-grossing movie of the franchise at $1.032 billion. Kristen Wiig lent her voice as Lucy Wilde, a quirky yet formidable member of the Anti-Villain League. In the last and final installment, she becomes Felonious Gru's (Steve Carell) wife after being his obvious love interest ever since the very first animation project.
Despicable Me 2
Kristen Wiig once again reprised her role in Despicable Me 2 as Lucy Wilde along with The 40-Year-Old Virgin's very own Steve Carell. Released in 2013, the film follows Felonious Gru (his name speaks 1000 words) who abandoned a life of crime in order to raise his daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (Elsie Fisher), and Edith (Dana Gaier). However, finding a means of providing for his new family legitimately proves to be a daunting task. But after receiving an invite from the Anti-Villain League, Gru is sent on a mission to capture a notorious villain, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) who is planning a grand heist. Other famous actors who lent their voices to the movie include Steve Coogan, Benjamin Bratt, and Ken Jeong. The sequel also grossed a massive $975 million at the global box office.
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs
Listed as perhaps one of the favorite family movies in modern times, Ice Age has mastered the art of making a prehistoric school topic on the Paleolithic ice age fun and exciting to watch. The 2009 animation film, Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs, produced by Blue Sky Studios proved to be something to shout about, following the success of the franchises' former films, Ice Age (2002) and Ice Age Meltdown (2006). Many of the actors who lent their voice to the first films were reprised, such as John Leguizamo (Sid), Ray Romano (Manfred "Mannie"), Denis Leary (Diego), and Queen Latifah (Ellie). Kristen Wiig's part in the film was short-lived, taking the role of the Pudge Beaver Mom. However, the film was a financial success, out-performing the two previous animations with a global box office earning of $886.7 million.
The Martian
The Martian is a science fiction film starring Matt Damon which was released in 2015. The idea for the film was taken from the 2011 novel The Martian, by Andy Weir. Set in the year 2035, Damon plays the part of Mark Watney, a botanist who is also an astronaut with the Ares III Team. While on a mission to Mars with his team, namely Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), the Ares III pilot Major Rick Martinez ( Michael Pena), Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean), surgeon Dr. Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan), and NASA director of media relations on earth, Annie Montrose (Kristen Wiig); they encounter a severe dust storm that threatens to flip the Mars Ascent Vehicle, trapping Whatney in the debris. The crew take off in their spacecraft and head back to earth, presuming Watney is dead. However, he survives and uses his botanist skills to plant and grow crops on Mars. The highly suspenseful film grossed $655 million at the box office.
How To Train Your Dragon (2014)
With the excellent use of her voice in computer-animated films, by 2014 Kristen Wiig had been featured in numerous animations already. Some may even suggest that she has appeared in more animation films than actual live motion pictures. The journey of How To Train Your Dragon continued with a sequel in 2014, in which Kristen reprised her role as Ruffnut Thorston of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. She is the fraternal twin sister of Tuffnut (T.J. Miller) who are both Vikings born in Berk. In the saga, the star of the movie, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), finds his long-lost mother, Valka (Cate Blanchette). Other celebrities who voiced characters in the movie include Djimon Hounsou (Drago), Jonah Hill (Snotlout), and Gerard Butler (Stoick the Vast). How To Train Your Dragon 2 ended up grossing $614.5 million at the box office.
Despicable Me
As you can already tell, Kristen has made an opulent living out of reprising the roles of various characters in the world of movie animation franchises. To get an idea of how films like Despicable Me came to be such as massive success, consider its genesis in 2010. Kristen was present from the very beginning but played a different role as Miss Hattie. Part One of Despicable Me sets the storyline for Felonious Gru, who is planning to steal the moon with his band of little yellow minions. The only thing that stops him is three orphan girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) who want to become his adopted daughters. The film set the foundation for a super-successful franchise, grossing $543.4 million.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
The 2019 release of How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World marked the last installment of the series thus far. Again, much of the same cast of actors reprised their roles, with only a few new characters introduced, like Gobber (Craig Ferguson) and Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Kristen maintained her role as Ruffnut as well as Jonah Hill as Snotlout. In this movie series, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has a strong attraction to a potential love interest, Astrid Hofferson (America Ferrera), while simultaneously his dragon Toothless is also eyeing a potential love creature. Part three of this franchise grossed $522.7 million at the international box office.
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
In 2010 is where it all begins for the story of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel) who is the main protagonist in How To Train Your Dragon. He is the son of a Viking chief, Stoick The Vast (Gerard Butler) but doesn't seem to live up to that legacy because of his weird sense of humor and difference in perspective. Hiccup later becomes the leader of The Hooligan Tribe, which he is heir to because of his father. Including Kristen Wiig, the movie has a great cast of actors, such as Kit Harington, T.J Miller, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, David Tennant, Ashley Jensen, and Kieron Elliot. The animation film hit the ground running with a box office earning of $494.8 million.
Bridesmaids
In one of the few movies where Kristen's face and voice are authentically portrayed on the screen, 2011's Bridesmaids depict her as a single mother whose life is in shambles. But at the request of her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), she has to be the maid of honor. Although, for the most part, she is unsure of what she is doing, she is determined to support her lifelong best friend in whatever way possible to make her wedding a success. As the maid of honor and head of the bridesmaids, she leads the others victoriously down the wedding aisle. Being one of her few lead acting roles in a live-action film, the movie grossed $289.6 million at the box office on a $32.5 million budget.
Sources: Dreamworks, Roger Ebert, Rotten Tomatoes
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