Jason Momoa's 7 Biggest Movies

Since his debut appearance on Baywatch: Hawaii in 1999, Jason Momoa has kept fans glued to his shows and movies. Today, he’s known for his larger-than-life, muscly characters. However, his acting skills have become more polished with time. This has resulted in his characters achieving instant likability, whether heroes or villains. Between his starring role in Fast X and multiple appearances as Aquaman, Jason Momoa is truly engrossing in movies. As a result, many projects he has starred in have made big bank at the box office. However, these seven movies have outperformed the rest. 

Playing Conan was one of Jason Momoa’s last appearances before he took the world by storm with his appearance on Game of Thrones. The action-fantasy film follows Conan the Cimmerian warrior’s quest for vengeance against a corrupt warlord. Things become even more complicated when the warlord begins the search for an important artifact. This proves a threat as the artifact will empower him to raise the dead and achieve immortality. 

Unfortunately, the remake of the 1982 original film was not greatly received by critics and the audience. Despite Momoa’s great acting, the film was unfavorably compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic turn three decades earlier. Momoa eventually shared with British GQ that some movies are out of the actor’s hands, and this was one of them. “It’s one of the best experiences I had and it [was] taken over and turned into a big pile of sh*t,” he said. Conan The Barbarian would eventually gross a worldwide total of over $60 million at the box office.

Jason Momoa hasn’t lent his voice to many movies yet, but a career in voice acting wouldn’t be lost on him. He showed off great versatility voicing Aquaman in The LEGO Movie 2. The movie follows Emmet Brickowski and his girlfriend, Lucy. Together, the pair tear through LEGO City to protect it from invading Lego Duplo aliens. Chris Pratt voices Brickowski, while Elizabeth Banks voices his girlfriend. The fourth movie in the LEGO animated-comedy series also included multiple celebrity superhero cameos. However, Momoa’s appearance, although brief, proved to be a fan-favorite scene stealer.  He brought an interesting blend of macho bravado and comic relief, distant from the intensity he is known to typically portray. The LEGO Movie 2 was well received, going on to earn over $190 million at the box office.

Jason Momoa is widely known for his brash movie characters, and his brief role in Dune was no different. Momoa appeared in a supporting role as Duncan Idaho, a high-profile swordfighter in the service of Paul’s father, Duke Leto Atreides. 

Unfortunately, Idaho, despite his quiet wisdom and laid-back charm, died in the first movie while defending Paul. Regardless, some fans have refused to give up on the beloved character just yet. Moreover, they hope that Denis Villeneuve will pull a resurrection story in the upcoming sequel just so Momoa can grace the screens again. Dune was a blockbuster, grossing over $400 million worldwide.

Momoa has starred as Aquaman in multiple DCEU movies over the years. In 2017, Justice League was the second time the world caught a glimpse of Momoa as Aquaman. Unfortunately, unlike the MCU, live-action movies following the characters from DC Comics haven’t fared too well commercially. As a result, Justice League failed to break even, regardless of its worldwide gross of over $650 million.

While still enjoying the spotlight as the musclebound hero, Aquaman, Jason Momoa pulled yet another card from his talent pockets. In a supporting role, he appeared as the villain Dante Reyes in Fast X, one of the final installments of the twenty-two-year-old Fast and Furious franchise. Dante is the son of Fast Five villain Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), who, twisted by the loss of his father, embarks on a bloody vendetta where he targets Dom (Vin Diesel), the crew, and everyone they hold dear. Despite not being at the center of the story, Momoa stunned with a memorable performance as an eccentric, terrifying villain. Still reeling from his heroic waterworld saves, fans watched Momoa delightfully torment his co-stars in Fast X. A moderate box office success, at least in comparison to its budget, the movie grossed $714 million worldwide.

Our first glimpse into Jason Momoa’s DCEU future was in the dark superhero film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Set during the aftermath of Man of Steel, Jason Momoa had a brief cameo here that would kickstart his appearance in other DCEU movies. The character Aquaman appears when caught on camera, in footage Lex Luthor keeps in his files. Batman vs. Superman performed well financially but still did not meet expectations. Altogether, the movie grossed over $873 million at the box office.

Of all the movies in his catalog, Jason Momoa scored big with Aquaman. Perhaps what the DCEU needed was the actor in his own lead superhero role all these years. Evidently, the movie's success proved a significant breakthrough for the studio. Aquaman 2 is now on the way, albeit suffering many hiccups along the way. The choice to cast him in his now signature role added to the gravitas of the movie and was a highlight for comic book fans. Aquaman hit the $1 billion mark, making it the most successful DCEU movie.

[via]