Robert Downey Jr. the lead role, member of an ensemble cast, or in a cameo. Each of these films, with the exception of "The Incredible Hulk", has grossed over $500 million at the box office worldwide; four of these—"The Avengers", "", "Iron Man 3" and ""—earned over $1 billion, while "" earned over $2 billion. Downey has also played the title character in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), which earned him his second Golden Globe win, and (2011), both of which have earned over $500 million at the box office worldwide. As of 2018, the U.S. domestic box-office grosses of Downey's films total
Robert Downey Jr. the Brat Pack. In 1987, Downey played Julian Wells, a drug-addicted rich boy whose life rapidly spirals out of his control, in the film version of the Bret Easton Ellis novel "Less Than Zero". His performance, described by Janet Maslin in "The New York Times" as "desperately moving", was widely praised, though Downey has said that for him "the role was like the ghost of Christmas Future" since his drug habit resulted in his becoming an "exaggeration of the character" in real life. "Zero" drove Downey into films with bigger budgets and names, such as "Chances Are" (1989) with Cybill