With more than $15.3 billion in cumulative global box office earnings, Scarlett Johansson is now the highest-grossing actress in film history. Her strategic career choices exemplify the economic power of creative industries. In Africa, the FEDA fund by Afreximbank aims to unlock similar value by financing and structuring the continent’s cultural and creative sectors.
Scarlett Johansson has just reached a historic milestone in the global film industry. With over $15.3 billion in worldwide box office revenue, she has become the highest-grossing actress of all time, ahead of many of her male counterparts.
But behind the glamour lies a deliberate strategy. Johansson built her career by balancing blockbuster franchises (like Avengers and Lucy) with award-winning independent films (Marriage Story, Her, Lost in Translation). She also launched her own production company, These Pictures, to gain creative and financial control over her projects.
Her path demonstrates that culture is not just art — it is big business.
Africa’s Creative Sector: Untapped Billion-Dollar Potential
Across Africa, the creative and cultural industries are gaining momentum. The UNESCO estimates that they could contribute over $58 billion to Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP, generating more than 10 million jobs. Yet, one challenge remains: lack of access to funding.
This is where FEDA – the Fund for Export Development in Africa, initiated by Afreximbank, comes in. With a mandate to invest in high-potential sectors across Africa, FEDA has identified the creative industries — film, music, gaming, publishing, fashion — as strategic pillars for growth.
By deploying capital, technical support, and partnerships, FEDA aims to build a pipeline of bankable cultural projects that can generate strong economic returns while elevating African stories on a global scale.
What Scarlett Johansson Teaches Investors
Scarlett Johansson’s success is a lesson in long-term brand building, asset control, and content monetization. Africa’s creative talents — from Genevieve Nnaji and Alain Gomis to Mogau Motlhatswi and Baloji — already possess the vision and creativity. What they need is the financial infrastructure to scale their work.
FEDA has the potential to become a game-changing investment vehicle. With the right blend of public-private cooperation, risk mitigation, and local partnerships, Africa can transform its cultural assets into global export products — films, series, music and more — just like Johansson did through Hollywood.
Scarlett Johansson shows that creative talent, when empowered by capital and strategy, can create billions in value. For Africa, FEDA offers the missing link between creativity and commercial viability. The next box office superstar — and billion-dollar franchise — may well emerge from Lagos, Nairobi, or Dakar. With bold investments and structured ecosystems, Africa’s creative economy is ready to go global.
