(Photo by © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, © Marvel Studios)
Worldwide box-office gross of over $2.797 billion, Avengers: Endgame is proclaimed to be the "highest-grossing" film, but such claims usually refer to theatrical revenues only and do not take into account home video and television income, which can form a significant portion of a film's earnings. Once revenue from home entertainment is factored in it is not immediately clear which film is the most successful. Titanic earned $1.2 billion from video and DVD sales and rentals, in addition to the $2.2 billion it grossed in theaters. While complete sales data are not available for Avatar, it earned $345 million from the sale of sixteen million DVD and Blu-ray units in North America, and ultimately sold a total of thirty million DVD and Blu-ray units worldwide. After home video income is accounted for, both films have earned over $3 billion each. Television broadcast rights will also substantially add to a film's earnings, with a film often earning as much as 20–25% of its theatrical box-office for a couple of television runs on top of pay-per-view revenues; Titanic earned a further $55 million from the NBC and HBO broadcast rights, equating to about 9% of its North American gross.
When a film is highly exploitable as a commercial property, its ancillary revenues can dwarf its income from direct film sales. The Lion King (1994) earned over $2 billion in box-office and home video sales, but this pales in comparison to the $8 billion earned at box offices around the world by the stage adaptation. Merchandising can be extremely lucrative too: The Lion King also sold $3 billion of merchandise, while Pixar's Cars—which earned $462 million in theatrical revenues and was only a modest hit by comparison to other Pixar films—generated global merchandise sales of over $8 billion in the five years after its 2006 release. Pixar had another huge hit with Toy Story 3, which generated almost $10 billion in merchandise retail sales in addition to the $1 billion it earned at the box office.
On this chart, films are ranked by the revenues from theatrical exhibition at their nominal value, along with the highest positions they attained. Five films in total have grossed in excess of $2 billion worldwide, with Avengers: Endgame ranked in the top position. All of the films have had a theatrical run (including re-releases) in the 21st century, and films that have not played during this period do not appear on the chart because of ticket-price inflation, population size and ticket purchasing trends not being considered.
Top 50 Highest Grossing Movies of all time :
1. $2.798 BILLION
AVENGERS : ENDGAME (2019)
Domestic: $858.4 million (including re-releases)Release date: April 26, 2019
The journey that began in 2008 with Iron Man was coming to an end – at least for some of the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Audiences that had been holding their breath for an entire year after perhaps the biggest cliffhanger since could not wait to buy their tickets – and did they ever buy those tickets when they finally could. Opening weekend for Avengers: Endgame in April 2019 surpassed Infinity War’s year-long record by nearly $100 million. In just eight days, the film had grossed a half-billion domestically. On day 10 it was over $621 million. One by one the records fell, leading many to ignore the words “if” and “can” and focus instead on “when” Avatar’s previous record ($2.787 billion) as the highest-grossing movie would fall. But Endgame began to show signs early in its run that its impressive sprinting start might not be enough for it to ultimately come out ahead of James Cameron’s epic; it only had the second-biggest second weekend ever and the fourth-best third weekend. In the era of the modern blockbuster, even a record-breaker can be front-loaded and only spend three weeks atop the charts. It really all came down to a final dash near the finish line. After just six weeks of release, Endgame was about $73 million away from dethroning Avatar – substantial ground to make up. But then Marvel and Disney re-released the film on June 28 with new goodies over its end credits. And then, over the weekend of July 19, 2019 – its 13th week of release – when another Disney release would begin its run for the top 10 all-time earners (hello, Lion King), Endgame squeaked ahead. It may not have been able to catch The Force Awakensf the all-time domestic leader, but by the time summer was over, it would pull in front of Avatar and become the king of the world (sorry, James).
2. $2.790 BILLION
AVATAR (2009)
Domestic: $760.5 million (including re-releases)Release date: December 18, 2009
The world had to wait some 12 years for James Cameron to follow up the biggest film of all-time with what would become the new biggest film of all time. Nobody believed he was going to surpass Titanic’s numbers with this tale of an alien planet and the paraplegic Marine who teams up with its inhabitants in the battle for Unobtanium. But he did. At the peak of a 3-D reemergence, aided by the filmmaker’s usual technological gamesmanship (and higher ticket prices), Avatar‘s seven straight weekends at number 1 led to over $595 million at the North American box office. Then, two days later on Feb. 2, 2010, its 47th day of release, the movie became the highest domestic earner ever. Avatar held that record for five years and eleven months and went on to become the only film ever to earn $2 billion outside of the U.S. and Canada, making it the world’s highest grosser at the time. It held onto its impressive global record for nearly 10 years. Until Avengers: Endgame.
3. $2.188 BILLION
TITANIC (1997)
Domestic: $659.4 million (including re-releases)Release date: December 19, 1997
James Cameron makes expensive movies. The Abyss, Terminator 2, and True Lies were all the most expensive movies of their time upon release. In 1997, Cameron blew out the budget again and this time there was worry he may have gone too far. Though delayed from July until December, Titanic nevertheless became a global phenomenon the likes of which the box office had never seen at the time. After 15 straight weeks at number 1, 14 Oscar nominations and 11 statuettes, Titanic, its stars and its song were ingrained in the hearts and tear ducts of the world, and the movie would hold the all-time box office record for 12 years – until Cameron would eclipse himself once again with Avatar.
4. $2.068 BILLION
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII - THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)
Domestic: $936.7 millionRelease date: December 18, 2015
Twelve years after the completion of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, J.J. Abrams was tasked with making Episode VII – a monumental undertaking, and a risky one. Were people still interested after the prequels? Were they burnt out? The approach was to mix the old and the new, and it worked. Abrams gave a brand-new cast of characters the chance to interact with the original trio of Luke, Han, and Leia, and generations of fans were so ready for the adventure that they gave the film the highest opening weekend in history ($247.9 million). In just under three weeks, The Force Awakens became the all-time domestic champion, passing Avatar and joining the $2 billion club within 54 days. It still remains the highest-grossing domestic release of all time.
5. $2.048 BILLION
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018)
Domestic: $678.8 millionRelease date: April 27, 2018
Just shy of 10 years since it began, the Marvel Cinematic Universe gathered nearly every one of its characters for a galaxy-wide showdown with the series’ Big Bad, Thanos. The movie featured one of the gutsiest cliffhangers in any franchise’s history, leaving audiences to wait in shock for an entire year to discover how Phase 3 of the epic series would end. The film bested The Force Awakens’ three-day opening weekend record with $257.6 million, and hit the $2 billion mark in 48 days. Domestically, it would ultimately come up just short of Black Panther, which was released two months prior.
6. $1.672 BILLION
JURASSIC WORLD (2015)
Domestic: $652.3 millionRelease date: June 12, 2015
Twenty-two years after Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park became the Jaws for a new generation, it was time for that generation’s kids to have their own version of dinosaur mayhem. The second-best–reviewed film in the Jurassic series (72% on the Tomatometer vs. the original’s 91%), Jurassic World trampled a competitive summer full of Avengers, Minions, and inner feelings, and became just the third film since Titanic in 1998 to pass $600 million in domestic box office.
7. $1.655 BILLION
THE LION KING (2019)
Domestic: $543.5 million Release date: July 19, 2019
Having found success with its live-action re-imaginings of The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, Disney tripled down in 2019 with three “new” remakes. Dumbo was a bit of a bust, Aladdin was a success, but The Lion King truly roared. That made sense given that the 1994 original, at the time, was one of the studio’s most successful films in the middle of its rebirth, and director Jon Favreau’s CGI-fueled version traced it for a new generation. The result is the highest-grossing domestic release to receive a Rotten score on the Tomatometer, at 53%. But its $191 million opening was the eighth highest of all time and it became the 14th film to pass a half-billion domestically and just the ninth film to rack up $1 billion overseas.
8. $1.519 BILLION
MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS (2012)
Domestic: $623.4 million Release May 4, 2012
Want proof that Avengers work best together? Consider that the first combined outing for Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America bested the $1.4 billion that their origin stories had made combined. Five films into the MCU (including Edward Norton’s The Incredible Hulk), the team was finally assembled for a singular battle against Loki and his inherited army. Joss Whedon’s movie became the first ever to make over $200 million in a single weekend and was Marvel’s first entry into the Billion Dollar Club, which had just 12 members at the time.
9. $1.516 BILLION
FURIOUS 7 (2015)
Domestic: $353 million Rdate: April 3, 2015
What started out as a Point Break derivative – with cars! – became one of the unlikeliest mega franchises ever. Vin Diesel’s return in the series’ fourth film is what really got the Fast and Furious franchise engines revving, and Dwayne Johnson’s addition in the fifth film added some humor and helped get the critics on board. But it was the full embrace of the series’ now-signature bombast, as well as the untimely death of Paul Walker, that brought the combo of curiosity and tribute that helped make James Wan’s Furious 7 the franchise’s most successful entry. It hit with audiences – the opening weekend haul of $147 million was almost $50 million more than any previous entry – as well as with critics (it’s the highest-rated movie in the series at 81% on the Tomatometer).
10. $1.405 BILLION
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)
Domestic: $459 million Rdate: May 1, 2015
If any film in the top 10 could be considered both a success and a disappointment it would be Joss Whedon’s Avengers sequel. Coming up shy of the first film’s record-breaking opening weekend – note that it was still the second-best opening of all time when it was released – the movie never matched its predecessor in dollars or affection. With a 75% Tomatometer rating, it doesn’t even rank among the top 10 Tomatometer scores of the MCU – though we think there’s a case to be made for reassessing its virtues – and it lost the summer of 2015 to the dinosaurs of Jurassic World. Still, it was just the 16th film ever to cross the $400 million line domestically in its initial run.
11. $1.347 BILLION
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
Domestic: $700.1 millionRelease date: February 16, 2018
After an introduction in Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa got his own film in February of 2019. Audiences were hungry for representation on screen and looking for a thrilling re-introduction to the character, and in Ryan Coogler’s action-packed, beautiful-looking epic, they got both. The movie became the fifth film in history to have a $200 million opening weekend, and just the third film ever to gross over $700 million in North America, outlasting even Avengers: Infinity War that summer. Why isn’t it even higher in the list? Because it remains the only post-Avengers film in the MCU to make less money internationally than domestically.
Domestic: $381.2 millionRelease date: July 15, 2011
Domestic: $620.2 millionRelease date: December 15, 2017
Domestic: $417.7 millionRelease date: June 22, 2018
Domestic: $400.7 millionRelease date: November 22, 2013
Domestic: $504 millionRelease date: March 17, 2017
Domestic: $608.6 millionRelease date: June 15, 2018
Domestic: $226 millionRelease date: April 14, 2017
Domestic: $409 millionRelease date: May 3, 2017
Domestic: $336 millionRelease date: July 10, 2015
Domestic: $408.1 millionRelease date: May 6, 2016
Domestic: $335.1 millionRelease date: December 21, 2018
Domestic: $390.5 millionRelease date: July 2, 2019
Domestic: $426.8 millionRelease date: March 8, 2019
Domestic: $352.4 millionRelease date: June 29, 2011
Domestic: $377.8 millionRelease date: December 17, 2003
Domestic: $304.4 millionRelease date: November 9, 2012
Domestic: $245.4 millionRelease date: June 27, 2014
Domestic: $448.1 millionRelease date: July 20, 2012
Domestic: $433.9 millionRelease date: June 21, 2019
12. $1.342 BILLION
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 (2011)
Domestic: $381.2 millionRelease date: July 15, 2011
Fans of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series got to see its characters (and the actors who played them) grow up in front of their eyes. The culmination of the journey that began in 2001 also ushered in a new trend of splitting final chapters in halves. The back half of the Potter finale set the new record for an opening weekend at the time with $169.1 million, and its $960 million international haul ranked only behind Avatar and Titanic. By the end of its run, the eight Harry Potter had films grossed a combined $7.72 billion.
13. $1.333 BILLION
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017)
Domestic: $620.2 millionRelease date: December 15, 2017
One of the more controversial entries in the Star Wars series – don’t get anyone started on the casino planet sequence! – Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi took the standard dip that had afflicted other middle films in the franchise. The Empire Strikes Back made 31.9% less than A New Hope, Attack of the Clones made 34.6% less than The Phantom Menace, and The Last Jedi fell 33.8% off The Force Awakens. Still, Johnson’s film joined Episodes IV, V, and VII in the 90%+ realm on the Tomatometer and may end up being the ultimate bridge to the next generation of Star Wars fans.
14. $1.309 BILLION
JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (2018)
Domestic: $417.7 millionRelease date: June 22, 2018
J.A. Bayona’s follow-up to Colin Trevorrow’s continuation of Steven Spielberg’s series received the weakest Tomatometer score of the franchise to date (48%) and, following the path of many “second” entries in franchises (even if it’s technically the fifth), dropped 36% from Jurassic World in overall domestic box office. But it was still good enough for 23rd all-time in North America and 13th in overseas dollars. It was also the second-highest-grossing domestic film of the 2018 summer season, behind the #17 film on this list.
15. $1.277 BILLION
FROZEN (2013)
Domestic: $400.7 millionRelease date: November 22, 2013
The Oscar-winning song that has tortured parents for nearly a decade was just part of what made Frozen the highest-grossing animated film in history. The story of two sisters searching for happily-ever-after with each other rather than the standard gentlemen suitors also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and bested 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift for the highest international haul for an animated film ever ($875.7 million compared to $715.9 million), a record it holds to this day despite challenges from Minions and Incredibles 2. (If you consider the new Lion King animated though, this is one crown the Arendelle princesses no longer wear.)
16. $1.264 BILLION
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)
Domestic: $504 millionRelease date: March 17, 2017
Speaking of Disney soundtracks, it was the 2017 live-action redo and not the Best Picture-nominated animated Beauty and the Beast from 1991 that really broke the bank and remains in the record books. Bill Condon’s version of the tale as old as 1991, starring Emma Watson, was not the first of Disney’s splashy re-imaginings, but it certainly was the most successful at the time, becoming the seventh film to cross a half-billion in North America and the 16th to pass three-quarters of a billion overseas.
17. $1.243 BILLION
INCREDIBLES 2 (2018)
Domestic: $608.6 millionRelease date: June 15, 2018
Brad Bird’s The Incredibles debuted a full four years before the MCU began, a time when the Pixar brand was as close to a guarantee of success (and quality) as the industry had. Fourteen years later and deep into the superhero cinematic explosion, Bird’s sequel more than doubled the original’s box office and became the highest-grossing animated film ever at the domestic box office. It was the ninth film to cross the $600 million mark in North America and remains in the top 10 all-time earners domestically.
18. $1.236 BILLION
THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)
Domestic: $226 millionRelease date: April 14, 2017
A half-billion dollars was put into the production of the seventh and eighth chapters of this franchise and they made a combined $2.75 billion globally. F. Gary Gray’s film was a bit of a comedown from the highs of James Wan’s Furious 7. It even fell behind the sixth Furious film domestically, but did incredibly well abroad: it was the sixth film ever to make a cool billion outside the U.S. and Canada alone. It was the lowest-scored Fast and Furious movie among critics since the fourth film.
19. $1.215 BILLION
IRON MAN 3 (2013)
Domestic: $409 millionRelease date: May 3, 2017
The first Marvel film released following the massive success of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers was also the most successful of the individual Iron Man films. Robert Downey Jr.’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director, Shane Black, took over for Jon Favreau and put a twist on some comic-book lore in ways that still draws out disappointment from some fans. The general moviegoing public ate it up, though. Iron Man 3 was just the 13th film to reach $400 million domestic in its initial run, and is the highest-grossing non-Avengers film in the MCU overseas with over $805 million. (And, if you are are keeping track, it is the 12th Disney property in the top 20.)
20. $1.159 BILLION
MINIONS (2015)
Domestic: $336 millionRelease date: July 10, 2015
After two successful Despicable Me films it was time to give Gru’s kooky supporting yellow folk their own story. Smart move. Minions had the largest opening for Illumination Entertainment ever, earning $115.7 million on its first weekend. Though it came up shy domestically of Despicable Me 2 ($336 million vs. $368 million) it can still boast the second-best overseas return for any animated film ($823.4 million), behind only Disney’s Frozen, and stands as the company’s biggest global success to date.
21. $1.153 BILLION
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)
Domestic: $408.1 millionRelease date: May 6, 2016
It was not officially an Avengers film, but Civil War may as well have been. Thor and Hulk were AWOL, sure, but Spider-Man received his welcomed introduction into the MCU, as did Black Panther. The movie’s run kicked off with the fifth-highest opening in history, earning $179.1 million on opening weekend (that’s now the 11th-highest opening). Another $745 million internationally made this the fourth MCU film to reach $1 billion. Another fun fact: Anthony and Joe Russo are one of only two filmmakers/filmmaking pairs on this list to have three films in the top 50
22. $1.148 BILLION
AQUAMAN (2018)
Domestic: $335.1 millionRelease date: December 21, 2018
How could the DCEU get to $1 billion? Adding Batman into their Superman storyline couldn’t do it. Wonder Woman’s solid domestic numbers were nearly matched internationally, but even those figures came up short of Suicide Squad – and the goal. It would take Aquaman to crack the $1 billion mark for the DC Extended Universe. James Wan’s second billion-dollar film on the list may have had the second-smallest opening weekend of the Universe, but its prolonged success through the holiday season and beyond – the movie made nearly five-times its opening – was greater than any DC property since Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989.
23. $1.132 BILLION
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019)
Domestic: $390.5 millionRelease date: July 2, 2019
No wonder Disney and Sony made up: 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, which might have been the end of their association had they not moved past their impasse, is Sony’s highest-grossing film of all time. Six of the studio’s eight highest-grossing films ever have involved Spider-Man (or Venom), but this was the first Sony flick to cross the $1 billion line, and the ninth film in the MCU to do it. (Spider-Man appeared in four of the MCU’s other members of the $1 Billion Club). It was also the fifth stand-alone Spider-Man film (live-action or animated) to register at 90% or higher on the Tomatometer – critics love their web-slinger.
24. $1.128 BILLION
CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019)
Domestic: $426.8 millionRelease date: March 8, 2019
After getting tag-teased at the end of Infinity War, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers made her debut in the MCU as the universe’s first headlining female superhero in 2019’s Captain Marvel. Outgrossing DC’s Wonder Woman around the world and at home, the breakthrough film was embraced by critics (though its Certified Fresh score of 78% ranks 18th out of the MCU’s 23 films). The space epic was only one of two films in 2018-19 to spend 10 straight weeks in the top 10 (the other being Black Panther), and was the seventh MCU film to reach $1 billion at the box office globally.
25. $1.124 BILLION
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (2011)
Domestic: $352.4 millionRelease date: June 29, 2011
The only Transformers sequel under the direction of Michael Bay to rank higher than 20% on the Tomatometer (a whopping 35%!) is not the series’ biggest domestic or international earner. But combined it remains the champion overall in worldwide gross (and bonus for the studio: it had one of the series’ lowest budgets). Only the final Harry Potter chapter could beat it in the summer of 2011, when they were the only films to pass $300 million domestic.
26. $1.120 BILLION
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
Domestic: $377.8 millionRelease date: December 17, 2003
Peter Jackson’s (first) epic trilogy unfolded over three straight holiday seasons and its finale was rewarded in every fashion: Return of the King historically won all 11 Oscars that it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director; it was one of the best-reviewed films of the year (Certified Fresh at 93%); and it became the fourth-highest domestic grosser of all time behind just Titanic, The Phantom Menace, and Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film. It was no slacker overseas, either: When Return finished its run, only Titanic had a greater number outside of the U.S. and Canada.
27. $1.109 BILLION
SKYFALL (2012)
Domestic: $304.4 millionRelease date: November 9, 2012
The James Bond franchise got a boost with Pierce Brosnan and an even larger one with Daniel Craig. But there was no bigger boost to the long-running franchise than Craig’s Skyfall, the first film to cross $300 million domestically and $1 billion globally. A series that has existed for 50-plus years is going to get a little help from inflation – Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice would have been $300 million grossers today – but we’re not doing inflation here. Skyfall was also a gold standard for Bond beyond the box office: It stands amongst the series’ top five scores on the Tomatometer, Certified Fresh at 92%.
28. $1.104 BILLION
TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (2014)
Domestic: $245.4 millionRelease date: June 27, 2014
The Transformers series was beginning to show its age in North America in 2014, but around the world it was more popular than ever. Shia LaBeouf was replaced with Mark Wahlberg as the franchise’s central hero, and the fourth film from Michael Bay approached a near three-hour running time at 165 minutes. But even as it dipped below $300 million for the first time at home, its $858 million international haul was still the sixth-highest total for any movie outside the U.S. and Canada at the time. (It is now 16th.) Bay’s fifth film of the franchise, The Last Knight, fell 47% in overall domestic and nearly 45% internationally. At 18% on the Tomatometer, Age of Extinction has the lowest Tomatometer score of the top 50 biggest films at the worldwide box office.
29. $1.085 BILLION
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)
Domestic: $448.1 millionRelease date: July 20, 2012
The conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy gave us Bane, Catwoman, and even a surprise along the way. By the end of that summer only four films had grossed more domestically in their initial runs than The Dark Knight Rises: Avatar, Titanic, The Dark Knight, and Marvel’s The Avengers, which was the only film to eclipse Rises in all of 2012. When all was said and done, Nolan’s trilogy had grossed over $2.46 billion worldwide.
30. $1.073 BILLION
TOY STORY 4 (2019)
Domestic: $433.9 millionRelease date: June 21, 2019
When the fourth entry of Pixar’s signature series opened to “only” $120 million, many labeled it “a disappointment.” Some had expected Toy Story 4 to have the studio’s biggest opening ever, and the film was then written off – by some – as part of a string of failed sequels in the summer of 2019. Well, Woody and the gang proved them all wrong. The movie went on to outgross the third film by over $12 million domestically. Even if it came up a bit short internationally, it still became the fourth billion-dollar grosser in Pixar’s history and their third-highest–grossing film overall.
Domestic: $415 millionRelease date: June 18, 2010
Domestic: $423.3 millionRelease date: July 7, 2006
Domestic: $532.2 millionRelease date: December 16, 2016
Domestic: $332.14 millionRelease date: October 3, 2019
Domestic: $355.6 millionRelease date: May 24, 2019
Domestic: $241.1 millionRelease date: May 20, 2011
Domestic: $264.6 millionRelease date: June 30, 2017
Domestic: $366.54 millionRelease date: November 22, 2019
Domestic: $402.8 million (including re-releases)Release date: June 11, 1993
Domestic: $486.3 millionRelease date: June 17, 2016
Domestic: $474.5 million (including re-releases)Release date: May 19, 1999
Domestic: $334.2 millionRelease date: March 5, 2010
Domestic: $341.3 millionRelease date: March 4, 2016
Domestic: $303 millionRelease date: December 14, 2012
Domestic: $535.2 millionRelease date: July 18, 2008
Domestic: $317.9 millionRelease date: November 16, 2001
Domestic: $368.1 millionRelease date: July 3, 2013
Domestic: $422.8 millionRelease date: June 15, 1994
Domestic: $346 millionRelease date: April 15, 2016
Domestic: $309.4 millionRelease date: May 25, 2007
31. $1.067 BILLION
TOY STORY 3 (2010)
Domestic: $415 millionRelease date: June 18, 2010
We all assumed it was the end for Woody, Buzz, and all their toy friends – that bittersweet finish was just so perfect. The series would have gone out with a box-office bang, too. The first summer release for the Toy Story franchise turned into the first $100 million opening weekend for Pixar as well as the studio’s first $400 domestic tally and first worldwide haul of $1 billion. For almost two years it was the second-highest–grossing domestic release in Disney’s history; by 2019 it was 16th.
32. $1.0662 BILLION
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (2006)
Domestic: $423.3 millionRelease date: July 7, 2006
Everyone mocked the concept of Disney turning one of their classic rides into a feature-length film. Well, some $300 million and an Oscar nomination for Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow later, we were looking at a franchise with a modicum of respect. At least, for a little while. Critics went from disdain for the concept before the first film was released to disdain for its epic-length and earnestness in the space of just two films, with the original movie’s score of 79% dropping to 53% on the Tomatometer for the sequel. But audiences went the other direction, giving Dead Man’s Chest a 38.6% boost in domestic earnings and an 84.2% boost internationally. It was Disney’s first $100-plus million opening ($135 million to be precise), and the studio has had 20 more since then. From 2006 until Toy Story 3 was released in 2010, Dead Man’s Chest was the highest-grossing domestic release in Disney’s history.
33. $1.056 BILLION
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016)
Domestic: $532.2 millionRelease date: December 16, 2016
A year after J.J. Abrams launched the record-breaking continuation of George Lucas’ Skywalker saga, audiences were given a go-between tale to help fill in the gaps that led to the destruction of the first Death Star. The Magnificent Seven-like story was an instant favorite for some and an average side-trip for others. It became just the seventh film to clear a half-billion dollars in domestic box office. A nearly-equal international haul filled in the other half needed for Rogue One to join the $1 Billion Club, a goal that Solo: A Star Wars Story came up more than $600 million short of.
34. $1.055 BILLION
JOKER (2019)
Domestic: $332.14 millionRelease date: October 3, 2019
The director of The Hangover films wanted to make an origin story out of Batman’s most infamous nemesis. The project was met with skepticism, and then it began a run on the festival circuit. Venice awarded the film its top prize in the Golden Lion; some critics were hailing it a masterpiece. Though its Tomatometer score is among the lower scores in the Top 50 (69%), Todd Phillips’ Joker had the highest-opening ever in the month of October (passing the previous years’ Venom) and ultimately became the highest-grossing film ever released in that month in North America, surpassing Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity domestically. The film has just taken over Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Jurassic Park, Finding Dory, The Phantom Menace, Aladdin, and Warner Bros’ The Dark Knight on this list, and also earns a place as one of its most profitable films of all time.
35. $1.051 BILLION
ALADDIN (2019)
Domestic: $355.6 millionRelease date: May 24, 2019
Aladdin wasn’t always a sure bet: A blue Will Smith was mocked in early reveals of his Genie character and Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo proved to be a bust just two months before Aladdin‘s release. But Guy Ritchie’s new version of the beloved 1992 animated film took advantage of other 2019 summer under-performers like Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Dark Phoenix, and Men In Black International, gobbling them all up and staying in the top five at the box office for seven straight weeks. Its international haul was only $70 million less than 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, and was even higher than several films above it on this list including Black Panther, Incredibles 2, and numbers 29-32.
36. $1.046 BILLION
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (2011)
Domestic: $241.1 millionRelease date: May 20, 2011
After Gore Verbinski’s Pirates trilogy grossed a combined $2.68 billion worldwide, Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer were not about to let the series sail into the sunset. The third film’s bloated length of 168 mins was roundly criticized (its Tomatometer score is just 45%), and this fourth film fared even worse with reviewers (33%), but it did the job at the box office. Domestic audiences showed up for the revamped outing with Jack Sparrow, just not in the expected droves, and a mammoth international total ($804.6 million) kept Stranger Tides in the record books.
37. $1.035 BILLION
DESPICABLE ME 3 (2017)
Domestic: $264.6 millionRelease date: June 30, 2017
Though the third film in the Despicable Me franchise made just $13 million more than the original at the domestic box office, internationally the Despicable Me films had a 164% increase from the first film ($543.1 million) to the third ($1.035 billion). Released in 4,529 theaters, Gru’s third chapter did manage to have the largest launch in film history in North America until Avengers: Endgame came along. Four other films during the summer of 2019 also exceeded its one-time-record theater count.
38. $1.032 BILLION
FROZEN II (2019)
Domestic: $366.54 millionRelease date: November 22, 2019
When a film becomes not just a global phenomenon but the highest-grossing film in your canon of animated entertainment, a sequel is inevitable. While not quite as well-received as the first film critically (78% vs. 90%), Frozen II virtually demanded that parents bring their children for a second adventure. It began with the third-highest opening weekend for an animated film (after Pixar sequels Incredibles 2 and Finding Dory) — $130.26 million — and then became the highest-grossing film over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday, which was all the more impressive given it had opened the prior weekend. In its fourth weekend of release, it became Disney’s sixth billion-dollar film of 2019, pushing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle out of the Top 50 on the same weekend that its sequel The Next Level opened. With $666 million outside of the U.S. it has amassed the 7th-highest international total ever to date for an animated release.
39. $1.030 BILLION
JURASSIC PARK (1993)
Domestic: $402.8 million (including re-releases)Release date: June 11, 1993
Before James Cameron owned the top two spots in all-time domestic box office (for a period), it was Steven Spielberg who had pulled off that feat. His adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel, Jurassic Park, was a return to the revered popcorn blockbusters he made his name on and it replaced the previous year’s Batman Returns as the top opener ever with $47 million and went on to gross over $357 million that summer. That was just a couple million dollars shy of his 1982 classic, E.T., but re-releases in 2-D and 3-D over the years have put the film over $400 million domestic and $1 billion worldwide.
40. $1.029 BILLION
FINDING DORY (2016)
Domestic: $486.3 millionRelease date: June 17, 2016
Thirteen years after Finding Nemo became Pixar’s first $300 million domestic grosser and its biggest hit, the sequel focusing on Ellen Degeneres’ beloved memory-challenged sidekick reclaimed the throne, becoming again the animation house’s highest domestic grosser ever. The movie bested Toy Story 3 by over $71 million at home – even if it came up a bit short of that film internationally – and showed Pixar’s sequel business was really starting to thrive.
41. $1.027 BILLION
STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)
Domestic: $474.5 million (including re-releases)Release date: May 19, 1999
George Lucas returned to the director’s chair after more than two decades to give fans what they thought they wanted 16 years after the release of Return of the Jedi. Fans certainly turned over their money but many left with a sense of disappointment that would help taint the prequel trilogy for decades to come. Phantom Menace was the highest-grossing film domestically to earn a Rotten score 55% (until 2019’s The Lion King came along). The $431 million earned in its initial run was enough to make it second only to Titanic all-time in North America; it took re-releases to push it over $1 billion globally. In 1999, it was the first film to clear $100 million in five days, beating the previous record holder, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which earned $98.6 million in the same amount of time.
42. $1.026 BILLION
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)
Domestic: $334.2 millionRelease date: March 5, 2010
Among the first five attempts Disney had made to bring its classic cartoons to life by 2010, Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland was by far the most successful. Its $116.1 million start was the sixth-largest movie opening ever at the time and the second-highest for Disney behind the second Pirates film. It was Burton’s seventh collaboration with Johnny Depp and the director has not had a film gross as much domestically in total as Alice made in its first three days since – not even with his attempt to replicate the success with Dumbo in 2019, which grossed a total of $114.7 million. But back in 2010, only Avatar, Titanic, and The Return of the King had made more money outside of North America than Alice did.
43. $1.024 BILLION
ZOOTOPIA (2016)
Domestic: $341.3 millionRelease date: March 4, 2016
To this day, Zootopia remains the second-highest–grossing animated Disney film not connected with Pixar. Since Frozen spent 16 straight weeks in the top 10, only three films have come as close, with 13 straight weeks in that top 10: Black Panther, La La Land, and yes, Zootopia. Its $682 million overseas is the sixth-best ever for an animated film, the second-best for any Disney animated film, Pixar or otherwise. Also, it is just one of four films on this list to receive a Tomatometer score of 97%.
44. $1.021 BILLION
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY (2012)
Domestic: $303 millionRelease date: December 14, 2012
Almost a decade after wrapping up his landmark Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson returned to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien to give audiences the Bilbo Baggins tale. A planned two-parter turned into a full-blown trilogy and critics were feeling the bloat: While Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films all scored over 90% on the Tomatometer, the Hobbit films never rose above 74%, with the first film right in the middle with 64%. Audiences were not tired just yet, though, even if this was the last of the Middle-earth series to hit $300 million domestic and $1 billion worldwide. On the glass-half-full side, Jackson’s first four Tolkien films grossed a combined $3.938 billion globally.
45. $1.005 BILLION
THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
Domestic: $535.2 millionRelease date: July 18, 2008
The untimely passing of Heath Ledger in January 2008 was a gut punch, but it made anticipation for what would become his iconic, Oscar-winning portrayal of Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker, even more feverish. It was the central piece of what is considered one of the greatest comic-book films ever made. The movie’s $158 million opening weekend broke the previous record-holder, Spider-Man 3, by more than $7 million, and Dark Knight held the record for nearly three years to the day until the final Harry Potter chapter was released. The opening is still 17th all-time and the movie’s domestic total haul is the 12th-highest ever.
46. $975.1 MILLION
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (2001)
Domestic: $317.9 millionRelease date: November 16, 2001
Four years after the publication of J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book, Chris Columbus brought it to the big screen and its legions of fans turned up in record numbers. A $90.2 million opening weekend crushed the previous title holder from four years earlier, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, by over $18 million. The Sorcerer’s Stone‘s final domestic total ranked sixth all-time behind the initial runs of Titanic, The Phantom Menace, E.T., Jurassic Park, and Forrest Gump. That total remained the highest of the series until Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011.
47. $970.8 MILLION
DESPICABLE ME 2 (2013)
Domestic: $368.1 millionRelease date: July 3, 2013
Despicable Me was a surprise hit in 2010, announcing the arrival of Illumination Entertainment as a major player in the animation game. So, after the losses of Hop and the decent success of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, the studio doubled down on their biggest hit and struck gold. Another $325,000 and the film would be its highest domestic grosser instead of The Secret Life of Pets, which, along with Minions, would follow Despicable Me 2 with $100-plus million openings. By the end of that summer, the only animated film to have grossed more money worldwide was Toy Story 3. Also if you had guessed earlier that maybe Steven Spielberg or George Lucas were the other director/s – along with the Russo Bros. and their ilk – with a trifecta on this list, you would have been wrong, because the correct answer is Pierre Coffin, who directed (or co-directed) all three Despicable Me films, as well as Minions.
48. $968.5 MILLION
THE LION KING (1994)
Domestic: $422.8 millionRelease date: June 15, 1994
For 25 years, this film has remained relevant in pop culture through an acclaimed stage show, direct-to-video sequels, spinoffs, television series, and that mammoth re-imagination. The original Lion King was the second-highest–grossing film of 1994 behind Forrest Gump, which was – at the time – third only to the initial runs of E.T. and Jurassic Park at the all-time domestic box office. That made The Lion King the fourth highest-grossing film ever (not counting re-releases) and the number 1 domestic animated release of all time, a title it held for nine years until Finding Nemo.
49. $966.6 MILLION
THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016)
Domestic: $346 millionRelease date: April 15, 2016
Neither Jon Favreau’s Iron Man nor Iron Man 2 from the MCU made the top 50, but his live-action/CGI re-imagining of Disney’s 1967 animated classic truly connected with audiences. Until the early summer releases of Infinity War and Endgame laid waste to the record, Favreau’s The Jungle Book was the highest-grossing domestic film ever released in April. It was also the 13th Disney film to open with a $100-plus million weekend and, until the 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast was released, it was the highest-grossing remake ever and among the 21 Disney films to gross over $600 million outside of North America. So. Many. Records. Favreau also is just one of three directors on this list, along with James Cameron and James Wan, as owners of multiple spots for films that do not exist in the same franchise or universe. (Although live-action remakes run pretty close.)
50. $963.4 MILLION
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLDS END (2007)
Domestic: $309.4 millionRelease date: May 25, 2007
In 2006 and 2007, Gore Verbinski’s second and third chapters of his Pirates trilogy were amongst the top five openings of all the releases in those years with $135.6 and $114.7 million, respectively. The other three films were all part threes – Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, and X-Men: The Last Stand. At World’s End may have tired out audiences and critics (it sits at 44% on the Tomatometer), but it was still the fifth-highest–grossing domestic film in either year. On top of that, it had grossed more money internationally ($654 million) by the end of 2017 than any film ever made except for Titanic, The Return of the King, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
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