The Highest-Grossing Keira Knightley Movies, Ranked

Keira Knightley is a 2-time Academy Award-nominated British actress who made her breakthrough role in the 2002 movie Bend It Like Beckham. Knightley is mainly known for playing the role of Elizabeth Swann in the first four Pirates Of The Caribbean film alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Over two decades, she has starred in several critically acclaimed and blockbuster movies with a worldwide gross of over $3.5 Billion.

Keira Knightley’s most notable works include movies like Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina, The Imitation Game, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, etc. Below is a list ranking the 8 Highest-Grossing movies with Keira Knightley in the lead role.

8 The Duchess – $43.3 million

Keira Knightley stars in the titular role of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, in the 2008 historical drama The Duchess. The movie’s plot is based on Amanda Foreman’s biography of the English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish. The film received favorable reviews from critics, with particular praise for Knightley’s performance and the costume design. The movie grossed $43.3 Million worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

7 Bend It Like Beckham – $76.6 million

Bend It Like Beckham is a sports comedy film released in 2002 starring Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra in the lead roles. The movie is based on the story of Jesminder Bhamra, played by Parminder, and Jules Paxton, played by Knightley, who chase careers in professional football despite their parents’ wishes. Bend It Like Beckham opened to positive reviews and became the Highest Grossing football movie of all time, grossing a whopping $76.6 Million worldwide on a meager $5.6 Million budget. The film proved to be a breakthrough for Keira Knightley and shot her to prominence.

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6 Pride & Prejudice – $121.6 million

Released in 2005, Pride & Prejudice is a romantic drama film produced by the makers of the 2001 Hit Bridget Jones’s Diary. The movie stars Keira Knightley in the lead role of Lizzy Bennet opposite Matthew Macfadyen, who plays Mr. Darcy. The plot of the film revolves around the love story of Lizzy and Mr. Darcy. Pride & Prejudice debuted to widespread critical acclaim leading to four Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress for Knightley. At 20, Knightley became the third youngest actress nominated for an Oscar. The movie grossed $121.6 Million worldwide.

5 Atonement – $131 million

Often regarded as one of the greatest love stories of all time, Atonement is a romantic war drama movie released in 2007. Atonement starred James Mcavoy and Keira Knightley in the lead role, and the plot was based on the 2001 novel of the same name. Knightley plays the role of Cecilia Tallis, the love interest of Robbie Turner, played by Mcavoy. The movie opened to rave reviews from critics and went on to win several accolades, including an Academy Award and BAFTA award. Apart from being a monumental critical success, Atonement went on to gross $131 Million at the worldwide box office, as per IMDB.

4 King Arthur – $203.6 Million

Boasting an ensemble cast including Keira Knightley, Clive Owen, Mads Mikkelsen, Stellan Skarsgård, etc., King Arthur was released in 2004. The movie is based on the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Knightley plays the role of Queen Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, in the movie. The movie received mixed reviews from the critics and had an average run at the box office, grossing $203.6 Million, mounted on a $120 Million budget.

3 Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – $654.3 million

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a fantasy action film released in 2003 as the first installment of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise. It starred Keira Knightley as estranged princess Elizabeth Swann alongside an ensemble of A-listers like Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathan Pryce, etc. The movie was a monumental success at the box office, grossing $654.3 Million worldwide, including a domestic collection of $305.4 Million as per Rotten Tomatoes, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2003 and was also termed a groundbreaking movie for its special effects and production design.

2 Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End – $960.9 Million

The third installment of the blockbuster Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, At World’s End, was released in 2007. All the lead cast members from the previous movie reprised their roles, including Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann, and the plot follows up the story of Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and Captain Barbossa in pursuit of rescuing Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. At World’s End, just like its predecessors, was a box office juggernaut grossing a whopping $960.9 Million worldwide and became the highest-grossing movie of 2007 as per The Numbers.

1 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $1.066 Billion

Accumulating over a billion dollars worldwide, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is the highest-grossing Pirates of the Caribbean ever and the highest-grossing movie of Keira Knightley’s career. The movie boasts an ensemble cast including Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgård, etc. The film received positive reviews from critics. It grossed a whopping $1.066 Billion worldwide with an impressive domestic gross of $423.3, becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2006 as reported by Box Office Mojo. The film was further nominated in 4 categories at the 79th Academy Awards.

Keira Knightley, at just 38, has starred in several iconic movies over her career. She has a knack for the Oscars, as most of her films have either won or have been nominated for an Academy Award. Knightley has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters of the 21st century, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest stands out as the highest-grossing movie of her career.

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Sources – Box Office Mojo, IMDBThe Numbers

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