Ralph Fiennes’ top-grossing films fall into the franchise camp

Ralph Fiennes, last Oscar-nominated for his performance in 1996’s “The English Patient,” is considered a strong lead actor contender this season for his enigmatic portrayal of the cardinal overseeing the selection of the next pope in Edward Berger’s “Conclave.” The Focus Features drama has earned more than $15 million in limited release, a credible take for a specialty offering but considerably lower than Fiennes’ biggest hits.

The esteemed British actor, who burst on the Hollywood scene with his Oscar-nominated performance as an SS commandant in Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” has played key roles in the Harry Potter and James Bond franchises, and those ensemble works dominate his top-grossing films. The biggest of them all: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” the last movie in the series, featuring Fiennes as villainous Voldemort. Its $1.3-billion gross worldwide edged out “Skyfall,” the actor’s first Bond movie, which grossed $1.1 billion globally, just ahead of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” with $960.9 million worldwide.

By comparison, “Schindler’s List” brought in $322.2 million globally, and “The English Patient” mustered $232 million worldwide.