Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."Universal
Irish actor Cillian Murphy has ranked in the top ten most popular film stars of 2023, according to a recent study from NoDepositRewards.
Murphy, who has been nominated for an Academy Award for his starring role in Christopher Nolan’s biographical thriller "Oppenheimer," took the eighth spot on the list with a score of 78.1.
The native of Co Cork, who has no online presence, attracted 1,247,100 Google searches and grossed over $955,200,000 at the box office.
Murphy received international recognition for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the epic 2023 blockbuster. He won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Drama, which he earned among various nominations.
The new study from NoDepositRewards compiled a list of actors who starred in the most notable films released in 2023, and analyzed their Instagram follower count, Google search popularity, and box office earnings, to reveal the most popular stars in the US.
Each actor was then awarded a popularity score out of 100 based on how they performed across the three key categories.
The top spot on the list went to Margot Robbie, star of the movie "Barbie" - which was released the same weekend as "Oppenheimer." The Australian actress earned a total popularity score of 93.8 out of 100.
Robbie's "Barbie" co-star Ryan Gosling was second on the list with a score of 85.6.
Chris Pratt (83.34), who portrayed Star-Lord in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," and voiced Mario in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," followed in third, with his "Guardians of the Galaxy" co-star and "Fast X" star Vin Diesel (81.82) and "Fast X's" John Cena (80.94) taking the fourth and fifth spots, respectively
In sixth place was "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega (79.74), followed by British actress Florence Pugh (78.42), who portrayed Jean Tatlock in "Oppenheimer."
"Aquaman's" Jason Mamoa (77.9) and Anya Taylor-Joy (77.9), who voiced the role of Princess Peach in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," rounded out the top ten.
The most popular movie stars of 2023:
- Margot Robbie
- Ryan Gosling
- Chris Pratt
- Vin Diesel
- John Cena
- Jenna Ortega
- Florence Pugh
- Cillian Murphy
- Jason Mamoa
- Anya Taylor-Joy
Speaking on the findings, Mason Jones of NoDepositRewards.com commented: “This new data cements just how much a select few films dominated the cultural landscape in 2023.
"Half of the top ten actors starred in one half of ‘Barbenheimer’ – a movie event that will be incredibly difficult to replicate, both in authenticity and scale.
“In particular, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s placements in the ranking are a testament to the huge success of 'Barbie,' which equally produced both critical and commercial success, and became the highest-grossing film directed by a woman.
"And looking at the recent Oscar nominations, it is clear that these blockbusters can achieve huge critical acclaim alongside financial success – as 'Oppenheimer' leads the pack with 13 nominations. 'Barbie' achieved eight nods.
“'The Super Mario Bros. Movie,' 'Fast X' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' are other major releases that managed to do incredibly well at the box office, in part due to their ensemble casts consisting of several big names.
“This data is good news for major studios, but not so much for independent filmmakers and those wanting to tell original stories. For better or for worse, franchise films and films based on pre-existing IP remain popular as ever.”