As Forbes points out in their piece on Hollywood's top-grossing on-screen couples, we've come a long way from the days when Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall or Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn would appear in multiple films together, wooing audiences with their predictable chemistry. Nowadays, most of our favorite couples only star together more than once thanks to big-budget franchises, meaning after their run is over, we'll likely never see them together on screen again. (Fingers crossed Robsten breaks that trend!)
Thus, it's no surprise that Emma Watson and Rupert Grint top Forbes' list of the highest-grossing onscreen couples of the past 10 years. Hermione and Ron's romance finally came to the surface in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," but it's been developing since way back in "Chamber of Secrets." The "Harry Potter" film franchise has grossed $6.3 billion worldwide so far, and when "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" finally hits theaters this summer, we'll guess that box office gross will put the series over the $7 billion mark.
Second on the list might not be the first couple one thinks of when "romance" is being used, but definitely makes sense when putting the "highest-grossing" element into play. Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler's turn as Aragorn and Arwen was beefed up in the "Lord of the Rings" films and helped draw in a female crowd while the men were busy drooling over the Battle of Helm's Deep and taking of Minas Tirith. "Lord of the Rings" went on to earn a total of $3 billion at the global box office (and several pretty hefty Oscars).
Following this trend, the third couple on this list is Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom from the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. That franchise has earned $2.7 billion, but it's clear that the big minds behind the series didn't think Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner had any steam left in their relationship. The two actors have been left out of the fourth "Pirates" film, and the focus will turn to Captain Jack Sparrow and his new love interest played by Penelope Cruz.
Finally there are two people on the list that do apply to the Old Hollywood style of couples: Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. The two stole audiences' hearts in "Titanic" (this is where Forbes decided to bend the "last 10 years" rule) and reunited more than a decade later for "Revolutionary Road." Cumulatively, the films made $1.9 billion. Guess which one made $1.84 billion of that.
Now, before you get peeved that Bella and Edward don't top this list, realize that Forbes compiled the couples based on box office gross, not popularity. So far, the "Twilight" films have only made $1.8 billion at a global box office, but that's sure to change once both parts of "Breaking Dawn" are released. Until then, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are the fifth highest-grossing power couple (on-screen) in Hollywood.
See the entire list at Forbes.com.
Were you surprised by this list? Which couple would you like to see star in a film together again?
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