5 Of Lady Gaga’s Iconic Acting Roles, Ranked By Box Office Performance
Lady Gaga is among the few musical artists to successfully transition into a film career that stands tall in its own right. Read on to learn more about some of her iconic roles and how they fared at the box office.
From A Star Is Born to House of Gucci: Ranking Lady Gaga’s Biggest Acting Roles by Earnings(Photo Credit –Facebook)
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Lady Gaga has been a massive pop culture sensation ever since she kickstarted her music career in 200 with the release of her debut album, The Fame. As her career has gone on, she has diversified her musical output and begun to pursue an acting career.
Lady Gaga’s acting has garnered a fanbase of its own, with her starring in multiple high-profile film projects in both film and television. More recently, she’s also confirmed her involvement in Wednesday season 2, where she cameoed as the ghost of Nevermore Academy teacher Rosaline Rotwood.
Read on to learn how Lady Gaga’s last five films have performed at the box office.
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is a 2014 neo-noir anthology film and a sequel to 2005’s Sin City. Both films are adaptations of Frank Miller’s Sin City comic book series, which ran throughout the 1990s. A Dame To Kill For, specifically, was the second volume of the series, published in 1993.
Lady Gaga stars in the A Long Bad Night story arc of the film, specifically Part II, where she plays Bertha, a waitress who gives a dollar to
Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a gambler with a vendetta against the well-connected Senator Roark (Powers Boothe). Roark is the one who actually started the feud between himself and Johnny, on account of being a sore loser who couldn’t stand being defeated in poker.
Bertha’s little donation to Johnny helps him arrange a rematch with Roark after the Senator had attacked him and broken his fingers. Johnny cons Roark into making an all-in bet at the rematch, and reveals that he won once more. Though he knows Roark will kill him in retaliation, the humiliation suffered by the Senator is vengeance enough.
A Dame To Kill For was the biggest box office bomb of Lady Gaga’s film career, and received a lukewarm 44% score from Rotten Tomatoes.
4. Machete Kills
Budget: $20 million per The Numbers
Box Office Gross: $18 million per The Numbers
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Machete Kills is an action-comedy directed by Robert Rodriguez and a sequel to 2010’s Machete. Both films star Danny Trejo in the leading role of Machete Cortez, a former Mexican Federale who now works as a mercenary. Cortez earned the “Machete” moniker thanks to his proficiency with the titular bladed weapon.
In Machete Kills, Cortez faces off against the ruthless Mexican terrorist Marcos Mendez, who’s plotting to launch a missile at Washington, DC. Mendez is one step ahead of him, however, as he’s linked the missile detonator to his own heart, forcing Machete to seek out the help of the shady Luther Voz to deactivate it. Mendez has also hired the deadly master of disguise, Chameleon, to assassinate Cortez. Lady Gaga plays one of the Chameleon’s disguises.
Machete Kills was a box office bomb, though the losses were mitigated thanks to a lower production budget. It received a low 29% score from Rotten Tomatoes.
3. Joker: Folie a Deux
Budget: $190 million per The Numbers
Box Office Gross: $207 million per The Numbers
Director: Todd Phillips
Joker: Folie a Deux was the 2024 sequel to the 2019 cult classic Joker. Joaquin Phoenix returned to the iconic role of Arthur Fleck/The Joker, and Lady Gaga made her appearance as the female lead character, Harley Quinn.
Folie a Deux follows the aftermath of the 2019 film’s events, with Arthur Fleck being put on trial for his actions and being forced to reckon with the legacy of the chaos he’d brought about. Harley Quinn is characterized as a zealous devotee of Arthur’s Joker persona, who wants him to embrace his violent ways.
The film was a major box office and critical disappointment, with its box office gross being a far cry from the original Joker’s $1 billion-plus haul (per The Numbers). Folie a Deux also received a 31% score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 2019 film’s 68% score.
2. House Of Gucci
Budget: $75 million per The Numbers
Box Office Gross: $147 million per The Numbers
Director: Ridley Scott
House of Gucci is a 2021 biopic chronicling the real-life story of the Gucci family, with it primarily being an adaptation of Sara Gray Forden’s 2001 biography titled The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed.
The film stars Lady Gaga in the leading role of Patrizia Reggiani, a social climber who ingratiates herself with Gucci family heir Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Patrizia’s overtures towards Maurizio draw the suspicion of family patriarch Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons), who threatens to disinherit Maurizio if he stays with her, only for Maurizio to call his bluff and marry Patrizia.
However, as the story goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that Patrizia really is scheming to get a piece of the Gucci empire, which results in her pushing for Maurizio to get more involved in the company. Ultimately, as is the case in real life, Patrizia and Maurizio’s marriage falls apart, and she has him assassinated.
House of Gucci was a box office success, with Deadline reporting that it had the best opening haul for a non-action drama since 2019’s Little Women. The film had received mostly positive reviews, with a 61% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
1. A Star Is Born (2018)
Budget: $36 million per The Numbers
Box Office Gross: $436 million per The Numbers
Director: Bradley Cooper
2018’s A Star Is Born is the latest remake of a classic Hollywood story that’s been doing the rounds since the first public domain film of the same name was released in 1937. While the original 1937 film focused on the trials and tribulations of the film industry, the 2018 film focuses more on the music industry.
The film stars Lady Gaga as Ally Campana, a struggling performer taking gigs at a drag bar, where she crosses paths with Jackson “Jack” Maine (Bradley Cooper), a high-flying country singer who’s secretly battling an alcohol and drug addiction.
The two of them hit it off, and Jackson becomes invested in Ally’s career to the point of inviting her to perform on stage with him. This results in Ally’s career skyrocketing, which tragically coincides with Jackson’s own public life falling apart as his addiction and mental health issues catch up with him.
A Star Is Born is widely considered the commercial and critical high point of Lady Gaga’s film career so far, with the film being a massive box office success and receiving a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
