LOS ANGELES, Dec 29 — Scarlett Johansson has been named the top grossing movie star of 2016 by Forbes magazine after appearing in films that amassed US$1.2 billion (RM5.4 billion) in global ticket sales.

The Tony Award-winning American actress starred in the Marvel blockbuster Captain America: Civil War the year’s biggest box office hit, which made $1.15 billion worldwide.

Johansson, 32, edged ahead of co-stars Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr — who tied for second place — because she also appeared in the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, which raked in US$63.2 million.

It has been a lucrative year for Johansson, a perennial A-list darling who was named the world’s third highest paid actress by Forbes in August, with annual earnings of US$25 million.

Atop that list was Jennifer Lawrence, whose 2016 films X-Men: Apocalypse and Passengers nevertheless did not perform well enough to earn her a place among the top grossing stars.

Britain’s Felicity Jones appeared on the box office list for the first time, making ninth place with total takings for her films at US$805 million.

With roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, mystery thriller Inferno and children’s fantasy A Monster Calls, she was the only star in the top 10 not to rely heavily on movies based on comics.

The annual Forbes list, released late Tuesday, is compiled using data from Box Office Mojo.

Only top-billed performances are counted and Forbes does not take into account animated movies such as Disney’s The Jungle Book, the fourth biggest release of 2016, which grossed US$967 million and also starred Johansson.

The top 10 highest grossing actors in the world in 2016:

Scarlett Johansson: US$1.2 billion

Chris Evans: US$1.15 billion

Robert Downey Jr: US$1.15 billion

Margot Robbie: US$1.1 billion

Amy Adams: US$1.04 billion

Ben Affleck: US$1.02 billion

Henry Cavill: US$870 million

Ryan Reynolds: $820 million

Felicity Jones: US$805 million

Will Smith: US$775 million — AFP