Eddie Murphy showed up to the Los Angeles premiere of his Netflix documentary Being Eddie on November 12, 2025, looking comfortable at the TUDUM Theater in Hollywood. It was the kind of night that tends to prompt a reckoning with the body of work behind the man on the carpet.
Murphy turned 65 yesterday. That alone is reason enough to take a serious look at what his filmography has actually earned, not just what critics said at the time.
What the numbers say about Murphy
His box office record is not what most casual fans would guess. Murphy does not just have a few hits. He has two films that cleared $300 million each, a franchise-defining animated role that generated nearly a billion dollars, and a dramatic performance that earned him an Oscar nomination. That is a range most actors never come close to touching.
Here are his eight highest-grossing films, ranked by total worldwide box office earnings.
1. Shrek 2 (2004) pulled in $932,534,181, making it one of the highest-grossing animated films of its era. His voice work as Donkey was not a supporting turn. It was a full comedic performance that carried much of the film’s humor and emotional warmth.
2. Shrek (2001) earned $488,977,919 and essentially rewrote the rules for animated storytelling. Murphy’s Donkey was the breakout character of a film full of them.
3. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) brought in $316,360,478 and introduced Axel Foley to the world. The film blended action and comedy before that formula had a name, and The legend made it feel effortless.
4. Mulan (1998) grossed $304,320,254. Murphy played Mushu, the wisecracking dragon tasked with protecting the film’s heroine. For many millennials, his voice is inseparable from that character.
5. Doctor Dolittle (1998) earned $294,456,605. The film leaned hard into Murphy’s charm, and audiences responded to a version of the story built entirely around his comedic instincts.
6. Coming to America (1988) grossed $288,752,301 and has only grown in cultural relevance since. Its quotable scenes and sharp social comedy have influenced writers and filmmakers for 35 years.
7. The Nutty Professor (1996) brought in $273,961,010. Murphy played multiple characters across a wide physical and comedic range. The film was a technical showcase as much as it was a crowd-pleaser.
8. Dreamgirls (2006) earned $155,456,861 and remains the clearest proof that He belongs in dramatic conversations. His performance as James ‘Thunder’ Early earned him a Golden Globe and that Oscar nomination.
The Murphy question Hollywood kept getting wrong
For years, the critical conversation around Murphy focused on his misses. The franchise misfires, the animated sequels, the years away from stand-up. What that conversation missed was the throughline.
Murphy has always worked at the intersection of performance and persona. Whether he is voicing a dragon, playing a Nigerian prince, or singing soul music onscreen, he brings a specificity to each role that is harder to manufacture than it looks. Being Eddie arrives at a moment when audiences seem ready to close that gap between reputation and record.
The numbers were never the problem.
