From the biggest entries in the MCU to sci-fi epics by way of unexpected animated box office successes, here are 20 movies that made the most money.
Though the most popular movies of all time continue to profit even years after their release, the biggest of them are known to have grossed upwards of $2 billion. The film industry is a business, and Hollywood's ultimate goal is to make money with its releases. While not every movie is guaranteed to achieve massive box office success, the aim of every studio is to turn a profit while delivering quality entertainment.
The formula for big-budget blockbusters has changed a lot over the years. Once upon a time, the idea of the film industry was to simply tell stories. However, as the times — and the way society consumes entertainment — have changed, so has the industry, with a shift towards large-scale franchises and multi-series cinematic universes. For example, the continued success of Star Wars and the MCU is evidence that audiences want decades-spanning narratives that take place in deep and intricately woven worlds, and the most profitable releases of the past few decades seem to confirm the idea.
Looking at the 20 highest-grossing movies of all time (according to Box Office Mojo), this idea becomes all the more evident, as only a handful of the titles do not exist as part of a larger franchise. Though Hollywood's approach toward profitable blockbusters has changed, the general formula remains the same. Each and every one of the highest-grossing movies of all time makes use of an engaging story, excellent production value, and something key to hook a sizeable audience or ensure multiple viewings.
The Fate Of The Furious (2017) – $1,236,005,118
The eighth Fast & Furious movie, The Fate of the Furious, was able to gross over $1.2 billion worldwide. Made on a budget of approximately $250 million, the sequel saw the franchise introduce new characters, such as Scott Eastwood's Little Nobody and Charlize Theron's Cipher. The ever-growing ensemble of stars, the franchise's high-octane format, and its propensity for larger-than-life set pieces all contributed to the success of The Fate of the Furious. It was also the first movie in the franchise made after the death of star Paul Walker, although his character, Brian O'Conner, was confirmed to have survived in-universe.
Incredibles 2 (2018) - $1,243,089,224
Released 14 years after its predecessor, Incredibles 2 picked up the story of Pixar's family of superheroes immediately after the events of The Incredibles. In the intervening years, the boom in modern superhero movies made Incredibles 2 incredibly profitable. Made on a budget of $200 million, Incredibles 2 grossed over $1.24 billion worldwide, with approximately half of that being its domestic take.
The success of Incredibles 2 can most likely be attributed to the wait of over a decade, which ensured a more diverse demographic with regard to age. As Incredibles 2 is predominantly a family film, being able to appeal to a broad teenage and millennial audience, in addition to children and families, proved to be a marketing masterstroke. This helped Incredibles 2 clear the $1 billion mark, despite it not often being considered one of Pixar's best movies.
Beauty And The Beast (2017) - $1,273,576,220
The 2017 live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast also ranks among the highest-grossing movies of all time. Made on a budget of $160 million, Beauty and the Beast made over $1.27 billion worldwide at the box office. With A-list talent including Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, and Josh Gad in key live-action roles, and Dan Stevens, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson delivering voice performances (and motion capture in Stevens's case), Beauty and the Beast boasted massive appeal. Disney's beloved 1991 animated version undoubtedly contributed to the financial success of the live-action adaptation as well, making 2017's Beauty and the Beast the 18th highest-grossing film of all time.
Frozen (2013) - $1,281,508,100
The 2013 animated feature Frozen flipped Disney's princess trope completely, serving as a story of love and empowerment that marked a shift in family animation towards more modern sensibilities. Made on a budget of $150 million, Frozen earned $1.28 billion at the box office, with roughly one-third of that being domestic. Interestingly, Frozen's domestic opening gross was just $243,390, but as it gained traction, it quickly became one of Disney's most profitable movies of all time. Its story being focused almost entirely on female characters and the relationship between two sisters helped set Frozen apart, and that's ultimately what helped it make history.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - $1,310,466,296
The follow-up to Jurassic World, titled Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, saw Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprise their roles as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, respectively. In addition, the sequel saw Jeff Goldblum return to the Jurassic movies, which helped legitimize the revival with the franchise's long-time audience. With a budget of $170 million, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom saw the franchise reach its second-highest box office gross of $1.31 billion. The success of the first Jurassic World, as well as the spectacle of the franchise's dinosaur-based premise and the return of Goldblum, all helped secure Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's box office success.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - $1,332,698,830
Though the second installment of Disney's Star Wars sequel trilogy is not as highly regarded as other films in the franchise, it still managed to secure a place among the highest-grossing movies of all time. Following on from the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi sees the full return of Luke Skywalker to the Star Wars franchise after his brief appearance in the final moments of the previous movie. While The Last Jedi remains divisive, it grossed over $1.33 billion worldwide against a budget of $317 million. This success is most commonly attributed to its franchise status and the way in which it was set up by its predecessor. Though it was widely considered a disappointing ending to one of cinema's most iconic characters, Star Wars: The Last Jedi made history, and that helped secure its financial success.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) - $1,342,359,942
One of the most popular multi-media franchises of all time, Harry Potter came to its epic cinematic conclusion in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. As a finale 10 years in the making, its anticipation alone was enough to secure an impressive audience. As the characters of Harry Potter had literally grown up in front of a global audience and made it one of the most iconic movie franchises in existence, the eighth movie proved to be its most financially successful, taking over $1.34 billion against a budget of $250 million, which was shared with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Black Panther (2018) - $1,347,597,973
Black Panther is widely regarded as one of the MCU's finest movies. As well as having all the trappings of an entry in the Marvel franchise, Black Panther boasts significant cultural relevance, as well as positive reviews praising almost every aspect of the film. Against a budget of $200 million, Black Panther earned over $1.34 billion at the box office, $700 million in domestic gross alone. Black Panther's success reflects not just its place within the biggest cinematic franchise ever conceived, but also its groundbreaking celebration of Black and African culture within a major motion picture.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) - $1,402,809,540
The MCU's second major team-up movie, 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, earned over $1.4 billion at the global box office. Made on a budget of $250 million, Age of Ultron continued to establish the MCU's dominance at the box office. As well as reuniting all of the major heroes introduced in previous MCU films, Avengers: Age of Ultron introduced new heroes into the franchise, with Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) joining the fight against Ultron. Though Avengers: Age of Ultron was divisive, its massive success proved that the MCU's crossover potential could consistently translate to a stranglehold on the global box office.
Frozen II (2019) – $1,450,026,933
After the success of Frozen, the even greater accomplishment of its sequel, Frozen II, is unsurprising. Earning $1.45 billion at the box office against a budget of $150 million, Frozen II was a resounding success for Disney. Using the same elements that made the first film so successful, Frozen II was able to capture an audience of all ages, with the original's popularity undoubtedly a contributing factor to its widespread appeal. This was also believed to have been compounded by the general lack of other family-friendly films released in 2019 — Disney's live-action remakes of Aladdin and The Lion King had elements that may have put off families with younger children.
Furious 7 (2015) - $1,515,341,399
The seventh film in the Fast & Furious franchise, simply titled Furious 7, earned a staggering $1.5 billion at the box office. Made on a budget of $190 million, its massive global take can be attributed in part to the tragic and sudden death of star Paul Walker. Furious 7 not only continues the popular Fast Saga series but also offers a tear-jerking final scene in which the franchise says goodbye to Walker. Also marking the introduction of the villain (and future spinoff co-lead) Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Furious 7 proved to be one of the most important entries in the Fast & Furious franchise.
The Avengers (2012) - $1,518,815,515
The MCU's first-ever team-up, The Avengers, is unsurprisingly one of its highest-grossing films. Upon its 2012 release, it was perhaps the most ambitious crossover movie ever made, assembling the six heroes of the MCU's Phase 1 into a single team to fight against Loki and the Chitauri. Made on a budget of $220 million, The Avengers earned over $1.5 billion at the box office, making over $200 million domestic in its opening weekend alone. The appeal of seeing iconic Marvel heroes team up in a live-action movie is what the MCU has built its success on, and The Avengers set the template for the franchise's future.
The Lion King (2019) - $1,662,899,439
The live-action Disney remake of The Lion King tells the familiar story of Simba using photorealistic computer-generated imagery. The massive success of the 2019 film can be largely attributed to the lasting popularity of the 1994 animated version, which is often listed among Disney's best-ever animated films. Earning over $1.66 billion at the global box office against a budget of $260 million, The Lion King may not be considered the best of Disney's live-action movies, but its financial success is undeniable.
Jurassic World (2015) - $1,671,537,444
After a 14-year hiatus, the Jurassic Park franchise was revived with Jurassic World. Featuring all-new characters in essentially the same predicament, Jurassic World brought the franchise into the modern age of blockbusters, earning a massive $1.67 billion worldwide on a production budget of $150 million. Jurassic World's box office success is a combination of factors: its new stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are an undeniable draw, and the long-awaited return to the franchise was able to both revive and further its narrative, and as a result, Jurassic World proved to be popular indeed.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - $1,892,667,830
Spider-Man is one of the most popular and iconic superheroes of all time, and the massive success of Spider-Man: No Way Home evidences just how beloved the character really is. Combining Spider-Man's cinematic legacy by having Tom Holland's MCU version of the character meet previous iterations played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, Spider-Man: No Way Home yet again proved that the MCU's crossover potential will always clean up at the box office. Earning just under $1.9 billion at the global box office against a budget of $200 million, No Way Home proved Spider-Man can achieve massive success even when he's relatively independent of other MCU heroes.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - $2,048,359,754
The first in the two-part finale of the MCU's Infinity Saga, Avengers: Infinity War, quickly put previous team-up movies to shame. Gathering the full might of the MCU's many heroes, Infinity War pit the entirety of the franchise against Thanos, and also delivered a shocking cliffhanger ending by having the Mad Titan win, erasing half of all life from the universe. Earning over $2 billion at the box office on a budget of somewhere between $300-400 million, Avengers: Infinity War was the first half of one of the most ambitious events in cinematic history.
Avengers: Infinity War's shocking ending contributed to its success, as attempting to avoid spoilers pushed ticket sales like never before. This, combined with the MCU's well-established trick of packing its movies with Easter eggs, made it a perfect film to see multiple times. The epic nature of its story, and the impact it had on the wider MCU, made Avengers: Infinity War both an important movie, and an incredibly successful one.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - $2,069,521,700
After the divisive Star Wars prequel trilogy, the franchise took a hiatus from big-budget movies until Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. It was after this that the Star Wars sequels were announced, continuing the Skywalker Saga for a new generation after the events of Return of the Jedi. The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens marked the revival and the reshaping of the entire Star Wars franchise, and naturally, it proved to be a massive financial success.
Though the general narrative direction of the Star Wars sequels is often criticized, The Force Awakens was a colossal box office success. Earning $2.069 billion against a production budget of $245 million, The Force Awakens proved that the franchise was very much alive and could continue to be incredibly profitable. The Force Awakens certainly owes most of its success to the Star Wars name, as well as the fact that it brought back Luke, Han, and Leia after their very long absence.
Titanic (1997) - $2,201,647,264
James Cameron's Titanic spent a considerable period of time ranked as the highest-grossing movie ever made. This is primarily thanks to Titanic's heartbreaking real-life story, excellent production value, and pitch-perfect performances from its cast. Earning over $2.2 billion worldwide against a $200 million budget, Titanic's legacy as one of the most profitable films ever made lives on over two decades later — even if it isn't even director James Cameron's highest-grossing film.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) - $2,797,501,328
The final entry in the MCU's Infinity Saga was its biggest and most ambitious film to date. Paying off the build-up of the 21 films that came before, Avengers: Endgame saw the surviving heroes of the MCU go up against Thanos one last time in a story that saw the franchise revisit key moments from previous movies. Earning just shy of $2.8 billion against a $356 million budget, Avengers: Endgame spent a time as the highest-grossing movie ever made.
The box office success of Avengers: Endgame can mostly be attributed to the perfect feat of planning and marketing. Recognizing the demand for large-scale crossover movies telling epic stories of good vs. evil, Endgame captures the essence of what modern audiences look for in a blockbuster. With a host of stars playing iconic comic book heroes and practically stuffed with Easter eggs and references to other movies, Avengers: Endgame is the pinnacle of using fan service in modern cinema to ensure a healthy profit.
Avatar (2009) - $2,847,397,339
After spending a decade as the highest-grossing movie of all time, James Cameron's Avatar was briefly dethroned by Avengers: Endgame before a Chinese re-release pushed it back over to reclaim the top spot. Avatar reclaiming its box office record is indicative of the lasting power of the movie, and why it was so popular upon its release. Telling the immersive story of humanity's attempts to exploit the natural resources of the breathtaking world of Pandora, Avatar was widely celebrated upon its release for its groundbreaking visuals. Earning a total of over $2.8 billion at the box office, so far, against a production budget of $237 million, Avatar is one of the most profitable movies ever made — and it's again and currently the highest-grossing movie of all time.
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