Scarlett Johansson worked her way up in Hollywood to become one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Her career has generated billions of dollars at the box office, largely due to her portrayal of Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise, making her the highest-grossing actress in Hollywood history. As of 2024, Scarlett Johansson’s net worth is estimated at an impressive $165 million.
Even though she is most popular for her portrayal of the Marvel character, Scarlett Johansson’s career extends beyond acting. The famous American actress is also a producer, brand endorser, singer, and investor.
In this article, we’ll explore her earnings and ventures, as well as her long history in Hollywood.
Scarlett Johansson’s Net Worth Breakdown:
Scarlett Johansson has starred in many movies since the start of her career and the details of her earnings from most of these roles remain undisclosed. However, our research allowed us to find some key information about what she’s earned from her most prominent roles, including the ones in Marvel movies.
This, in combination with other data, has given us a clear picture of what makes Johansson’s net worth so high – and movies are just part of the story. The world-famous actress has been earning a fortune from endorsements, has founded several businesses, and has a successful music career, as well. Below, you’ll find a net worth breakdown of her main sources of income:
Asset or Income Source | Contribution to Net Worth |
Disney payout | $40 million |
Marvel Cinematic Universe movies | $60-75 million |
Black Widow movie | $20 million |
Earnings, August 2017-18 | $40 million |
Earnings, 2019 | $56 million |
Endorsements | $10-20 million per year |
Real estate | $10+ million |
Total Net Worth | $165 million |
Scarlett Johansson Net Worth: Early Life and Education
Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born in New York City on November 22, 1984. She’s the daughter of Karsten Olaf Johansson, an architect from Denmark, and Melanie Sloan, a New York producer. Scarlett is one of four children in her family. She has a twin brother named Hunter, and an older brother and sister, Adrian and Vanessa. She also has a half-brother, Christian, from her father’s first marriage.
As a child, Scarlett Johansson attended PS 41, a Greenwich Village elementary school. When she was thirteen years old, her parents divorced, and teenage Scarlett spent a lot of time with her maternal grandmother, Dorothy Sloan, whom she considered to be her best friend.
Johansson was interested in a career in the entertainment industry from a young age. As a child, she would often practice song-and-dance routines and perform them for her family. She took lessons in tap dance and was fond of jazz hands.
Her parents were very supportive of her passions. She even practiced acting by staring in the mirror until she would start to cry, aiming to be like Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis.
Before long, her passion and the support she got from her family led her to her first role as a child actress. She got her start in the entertainment industry following in the footsteps of her older brother, who had signed with a talent agent when Scarlett was seven years old.
Johansson enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and started auditioning for commercials. However, she wasn’t very interested in the gigs, so she shifted focus to theater and film. She made her first stage appearance in the off-Broadway play Sophistry, albeit with only two lines.
Around the same time, young Johansson studied at the Professional Children’s School, which is a private education institution for child actors in Manhattan. She later applied to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts but was rejected. At this point, she decided to focus on her film career.
Johannson is a dual citizen. She holds American citizenship and Danish citizenship, the latter of which she obtained from her father.
Personal Life
Johansson started dating actor Ryan Reynolds in April 2007. The couple got engaged in May 2008 and got married in September of the same year at a retreat on Vancouver Island. However, they separated two years later and divorced in July 2011. Johansson later shared about her marriage to Reynolds:
I mean, the first time I got married I was 23 years old. I didn’t really have an understanding of marriage. Maybe I kind of romanticized it, I think, in a way.
In 2012, Scarlett Johansson began dating Romain Dauriac, and the two got engaged the following September, dividing their time between Paris and New York. Johansson gave birth to Rose, their daughter, in 2014, and, in the same year, she and Dauriac married in Philipsburg, Montana.
In March 2017, Johansson filed for divorce despite her husband urging her to withdraw the action. The divorce went through and was finalized in September.
That same year, in May, Johansson started dating the Saturday Night Live co-head writer Colin Jost. Two years later, the two got engaged and, in October 2020, they got married in their New York home. Johansson has a son with Jost, born in 2021.
Scarlett Johansson Net Worth: The Actress’ Rich Screen Career
Scarlett Johansson began her acting career at a young age with her film debut in 1994 in North, John Ritter’s fantasy comedy. Fast forward to today and she’s considered one of Hollywood’s best actors. Let’s take a look at how her career has progressed.
Career Beginnings
Johansson started acting at age nine when she made her debut in North. She later took on several minor roles, including one in the mystery thriller Just Cause in 1995 and another in If Lucy Fell in 1996.
The first leading role Johansson starred in was as Amanda in Manny & Lo in 1996. In the film, she starred alongside Aleksa Palladino and her brother Hunter. This movie earned her a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female.
Becoming One of Hollywood’s Most Promising Actresses
After her first leading role, Johansson appeared in Fall and Home Alone 3, taking two small roles in 1997. A year later, she attracted wider attention when she starred in The Horse Whisperer, a film based on the 1995 novel of the same name. She was nominated for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in the movie.
Following this success, Scarlett Johansson’s career continued to expand and include more and more movies. Around this time, she starred in:
- My Brother the Pig (1999)
- The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
- Ghost World (2001), for which she won a Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
- Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
2003 marked Johansson’s transition to adult roles. She was no longer a teen and she started her adult acting career with some great roles. These included Lost In Translation, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. In this film, she starred alongside Bill Murray and the film made an incredible $119 million on a $4 million budget.
Other movies she starred in at the time included:
- Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) – nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award
- The Perfect Score (2004)
- A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) – earned a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama
- A Good Woman (2004)
- The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) – voiceover
- In Good Company (2004)
Scarlett Johansson’s Career Milestones Before Marvel
Starting acting at a young age gave Johansson a good head start. At this point, she was only 21 years old, had already been nominated for several Golden Globe awards, and was an award-winning, world-famous actress.
After her initial success, Scarlett Johansson starred in some very profitable movies, including:
- Match Point (2005) – earned a nomination for the Golden Globe and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
- The Island (2005)
- Scoop (2006)
- The Black Dahlia (2006)
- When The Deal Goes Down (2006)
- The Prestige (2006)
- The Nanny Diaries (2007)
- The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
- He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
- A View from the Bridge (2010) – she won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Scarlett Johansson’s Role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
In 2010, Johansson secured one of the most popular roles of her career so far, that of the Black Widow in Jon Favreau’s science fiction action film Iron Man 2. Emily Blunt took on the role in the first part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, but she had to opt out due to other obligations, with Johansson taking over.
Johansson was very interested in this role from the very beginning. She was so interested that she dyed her hair red for the audition and even undertook strength and stunt training to prepare. Soon enough, she became Natalia Alianovna Romanoff, more commonly known as Natasha Romanoff, the fictional character in the Marvel movies. Natasha Romanoff would go on to be recognized for her alias, Black Widow, in all the subsequent films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise.
The movie was a major commercial success and it cemented Johansson’s name in the fantasy genre on the big screen. According to Box Office Mojo, the film was a success and earned $623.9 million.
The following year, Scarlett Johansson learned some Russian for her role in The Avengers, another one of the MCU films. The film went on to break many box office records and was the highest-grossing film in the US and worldwide at the time. For her performance as Black Widow, Johansson was nominated for three People’s Choice Awards and two Teen Choice Awards.
Continuing her work in MCU films, Johansson once again starred as Black Widow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014. In this film, she joined forces with Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie, and Captain America, played by Chris Evans, to uncover a conspiracy. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a commercial and critical success, and this time, Johansson’s role as the Black Widow earned her a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination.
In 2015 and 2016, Johansson reprised her role as Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. Both films were a major success, ranking among the highest-grossing films of all time.
Her career with Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t end here, and in 2018, she reprised her role in Avengers: Infinity War. In 2019, Johansson once again starred in Avengers: Endgame, which stands as the second highest-grossing film of all time!
After a one-year absence from the screen, Scarlett Johansson reprised her role in her solo prequel film in 2021 – which she also executive-produced. The film is set after the events in Captain America: Civil War, and after this role, Johansson shared that her work playing Black Widow was complete. It’s titled Black Widow.
For the film, Scarlett Johansson won the Female Movie Star of 2021 at the 4th People’s Choice Awards.
Lawsuit Against Disney
In July 2021, Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company. She claimed that the release of Black Widow on the streaming service Disney+ breached a clause in the contract, which said that the film should receive an exclusive theatrical release. According to the lawsuit, the release of the film exempted her from getting additional bonuses from box-office profits. Given that the film would have likely brought in tens of millions of dollars, she made far less than she expected.
In response, Disney shared that Johansson already got $20 million for the film and that her lawsuit showed indifference to the “horrific and prolonged” effects of the pandemic. They also said that Disney+ Premier Access would only earn the movie star additional compensation.
In September of the same year, Scarlett Johansson settled the dispute with Disney, but the terms of the settlement were undisclosed at the time. Variety later shared that Johansson got a payout of over $40 million.
Other Movie Roles in Johansson’s Film Career
In 2012, Scarlett Johansson portrayed Janet Leigh in Hitchcock, a drama about the making of the film Psycho. At the beginning of 2013, she landed a role in a Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. That same year, she starred in a romantic comedy-drama called Don Jon, which was Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut.
Some other roles she has taken in this period include:
- Her (2013) – voiceover, for which she won Best Actress at the 8th Rome International Film Festival and the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
- Under the Skin (2013)
- Chef (2014)
- Lucy (2014)
- Hail, Caesar! (2016)
- Disney’s The Jungle Book (2016) – voiceover
- Sing (2016)
- Ghost in the Shell (2017)
- Rough Night (2017)
- Isle of Dogs (2018) – voiceover
- Skin 2 (2021) – voiceover
Next, Scarlett Johansson starred in the Netflix film Marriage Story and received her first two Academy Award nominations for this, as well as for her performance in Jojo Rabbit that same year. This made her the twelfth person to be nominated for two Oscars in one year.
Most Recent Roles
In 2023, Scarlett Johansson returned to the screen after a break of over a year. She starred in Asteroid City, her second film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival after Match Point in 2005. Next, she played one of the three sisters in Kristin Scott Thomas’ directorial debut North Star.
In 2024, after Scarlett Johansson founded a production company called These Pictures, she produced and starred in Fly Me to the Moon, which is a romantic comedy featuring Channing Tatum.
More recently, the famous actress voiced Elita in Transformers One and shared that she would star in the ensemble adventure film The Phoenician Scheme. She’s also announced to make a directorial debut in Eleanor the Great and join the Jurassic Park franchise.
Scarlett Johansson’s Acting Earnings
As can be expected, the details of how much Johansson’s films contributed to her net worth individually remain largely undisclosed. However, we did manage to find enough details about her earnings from her acting career to paint a solid picture of what she’s worth these days.
Here are some details about Johansson’s earnings from her acting career:
- $4,131 a week for Asteroid City
- $400,000 for Iron Man 2
- $20 million for the Black Widow standalone movie
- $35 million with bonuses for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame
- $17.5 million for Ghost in the Shell
In total, Scarlett Johansson received around $60-$75 million for her role as Black Widow in Marvel Cinematic Universe films – and this doesn’t include her standalone film. This, and her other roles, make her one of the highest-paid actresses worldwide. Between August 2017 and 2018, for instance, she reportedly earned $40 million from acting and endorsements. In 2019, she earned $56 million.
Johansson is one of the world’s highest-paid actresses, but that’s not all she’s achieved through the Marvel Entertainment franchise. The highest-grossing actor in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is Robert Downey Jr., but Johansson is the highest-grossing female actor of all time.
Philanthropic Endeavors
Over the years, Johansson has supported many charitable organizations including:
- USA Harvest
- Too Many Women
- Stand Up to Cancer
- Cancer Research UK
- Aid Still Required
In 2007, the famous actress was part of the anti-poverty campaign ONE organized by singer Bono. Together with her Avenger costars, she raised half a million dollars for the victims of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
A year later, Johansson collaborated with other women to set up the Time’s Up initiative, to protect women from discrimination and harassment. That same year, she took part in the Women’s March in Los Angeles, sharing her own experiences on the topic of abuse of power.
Scarlett Johansson’s Other Pursuits, Assets, and Investments
Johansson’s success extends far beyond her acting career. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the Marvel star has dabbled in various industries. She has had a successful music career, earned a fortune through endorsement deals, founded her own businesses and product lines, and invested in real estate.
Let’s see what else contributes to Johansson’s massive net worth.
Music Career
In 2006, Scarlett Johansson decided to try her luck in the music industry. She sang the track Summertime for a non-profit collection of songs called Unexpected Dreams – Songs from the Stars. She then performed with the Jesus and Mary Chain for a Coachella reunion show in 2007 in Indio, California.
This marked Johansson’s entrance into the music world. The following year, the famous actress was the leading lady in Justin Timberlake’s video for What Goes Around… Comes Around.
In May 2008, Scarlett Johansson released her debut album Anywhere I Lay My Head, which includes one original song and ten cover versions, and featured David Bowie among other artists.
A year later, Johansson partnered with singer-songwriter Pete Yorn to release a collaborative album titled Break Up, inspired by the duets of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot.
In 2010, Johansson was the first artist featured on the album Terrible Thrills Vol. 1 by Steel Train. She sang Bullet on the album.
A year later, she sang One Whole Hour for the soundtrack of the documentary film Wretches & Jabberers. She then sang on a J. Ralph track called Before My Time for the end credits of Chasing Ice in 2012.
Johansson’s career in music didn’t end there. In 2015, she formed a band called the Singles with Holly Miranda, Este Haim, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan. Their first single was named Candy.
In 2016, Johansson performed Trust in Me for the soundtrack of The Jungle Book. She also performed I Don’t Wanna on Sing: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Most recently, in 2018, Johansson collaborated with Pete Yorn for an EP that was released in June, titled Apart. She hasn’t had any performance as part of her music career since.
Endorsement Deals
Over the years, Scarlett Johansson has been the face of many high-end brands including Dolce & Gabanna, Mango, L’Oreal, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Moet & Chandon, and more.
Her most public partnership was with SodaStream, which led her to leave her role as ambassador for the charity Oxfam, which criticized the actress for working with the brand, which has a factory in the occupied West Bank. As a response, Johansson shared:
“I stand behind that decision. I was aware of that particular factory before I signed. And it still doesn’t seem like a problem – at least not until someone comes up with a solution to the closing of that factory and leaving all those people destitute.”
According to Yahoo Finance, Johansson is earning between $10 million and $20 million a year from endorsement deals.
Businesses and Product Lines
In October 2016, back when Johansson was married to Romain Dauriac, the couple opened a gourmet popcorn shop called Yummy Pop in Paris. The business has since closed.
In 2021, Johansson announced that she was launching her skincare line. The line was launched a year later and named The Outset. It’s a skincare range with eight products.
Real Estate
When she was with Dauriac in 2013, Johansson bought a $2.2 million estate in Amagansett in the Hamptons. A year later, she spent $3.9 million on a mansion in Hollywood Hills, where many Hollywood actors reside.
In 2018, Johansson spent $4 million on a four-bedroom, four-bath property dubbed Ivy House in Sneden’s Landing, New York.
Two years later, Johansson listed her Manhattan penthouse, which she bought for $2.1 million in 2008, for $2.3 million. She sold it for $1.9 million in 2022.
Scarlett Johansson, Sam Altman, and the Voice of ChatGPT
In May 2024, OpenAI launched its voice mode called Sky. When it went public, friends and family of Scarlett Johansson thought that her voice was used to make the generative AI voice bot.
In fact, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman had approached Johansson to be the official voice of Sky nine months prior, apparently inspired by the actor’s role in Her alongside Joaquin Pheonix where her voice as an AI forms a personal relationship with Pheonix’s character. Johansson declined the offer and later explained:
I just felt it went against my core values… I also felt for my children it would be strange. I try to be mindful of them.
Two days before Sky’s launch, Altman contacted Johansson’s agent and made the same request, but Johansson didn’t have a chance to decline a second time before the system was live. She was forced to call in lawyers who demanded Altman and OpenAI detail the exact process used to generate the voice for Sky. The legal pressure resulted in the company reluctantly removing the voice from use.
What Can We Learn from Scarlett Johansson’s Story?
Johansson hasn’t limited herself to acting alone. Over the years, she’s been exploring diverse avenues like producing, music, and business, all of which have allowed her to build her wealth beyond the entertainment industry. This highlights the importance of diversifying one’s skill set to maximize income and success.
Throughout her career, Johansson has faced many personal and professional setbacks, such as her battles with Disney and OpenAI and her very public divorces. Despite these challenges, she navigated them with poise, which has resulted in favorable outcomes for her. This shows that the ability to stand up for one’s rights can lead to success.
From a young age, Johansson showed a willingness to evolve, transitioning from child roles to adult characters. Her choice to take on the role of Black Widow in the blockbuster films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) propelled her to new heights, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in all of Hollywood.
This teaches us that embracing new opportunities, even when they require you to step out of your comfort zone, is the key to career advancement.
Johansson’s work in films over the years has earned her critical acclaim, underscoring the value of dedication to one’s craft. Ultimately, this led her not only to a steep net worth but also to worldwide recognition and success in different fields.