At least, for a little while. 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. Subscribe to our newsletter and get more features, news, and guides in your inbox every week. 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. © 2021 Deutsche Welle | Grossing over US$874 million, making it the highest grossing non-English movies of all time. Domestic: $303 million After two successful Despicable Me films it was time to give Gru’s kooky supporting yellow folk their own story. It was no slacker overseas, either: When Return finished its run, only Titanic had a greater number outside of the U.S. and Canada. 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. 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. 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. ), If Quentin Tarantino could do it, why not Harry Potter? She reunited with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk and the rest of the Marvel Comics crew to once again save the world. Bay’s fifth film of the franchise, The Last Knight, fell 47% in overall domestic and nearly 45% internationally. We included dollars earned in re-releases, and in each of our descriptions, we look at where the film stood record-wise at the time of its run, and dive into things like critical and audience reception. How could the DCEU get to $1 billion? Frozen (2013) 90% After just six weeks of release, Endgame was about $73 million away from dethroning Avatar – substantial ground to make up. Domestic: $620.2 million Here are the 10 highest-grossing movie franchises of all time, based on worldwide box office stats, courtesy of The Numbers. 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. It became just the seventh film to clear a half-billion dollars in domestic box office. Though still Fresh (67% on the Tomatometer), it was the lowest-scored Fast and Furious movie among critics since the fourth film. It was also the most expensive Chinese project at its time, and it brought profit multiple times of its production budget. Domestic: $415 million Controversy couldn't sink Noah The Passion of the Christ was an unexpected … For almost two years it was the second-highest–grossing domestic release in Disney’s history; by 2019 it was 16th. Movies with 40 or more critic … 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. Domestic: $335.1 million 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. The series would have gone out with a box-office bang, too. 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. On the glass-half-full side, Jackson’s first four Tolkien films grossed a combined $3.938 billion globally. 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. 15. 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. Domestic: $226 million Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) 53% and Jurassic Park at the all-time domestic 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. The seventh film in the Star Wars franchise made $2.07 billion at the box office following its much-hyped 2015 release. 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: $400.7 million Release date: December 16, 2016 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. Release date: December 20, 2019 – Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi took the standard dip that had afflicted other middle films in the franchise. 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. 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 Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) 64% 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. By the end of that summer, the only animated film to have grossed more money worldwide was Toy Story 3. But combined it remains the champion overall in worldwide gross (and bonus for the studio: it had one of the series’ lowest budgets). 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. During the week of January 12, 2020, it became the seventh film released by Disney in 2019 to break the $1 billion barrier – it reached that marker in 28 days, whereas The Last Jedi did it in less than three weeks. 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. 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. The Transformers series was beginning to show its age in North America in 2014, but around the world it was more popular than ever. Domestic: $459 million Beauty and the Beast (2017) 71% 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. Dumbo was a bit of a bust, Aladdin was a success, but The Lion King truly roared. 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. Domestic: $352.4 million 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. 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. 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. The films included here are G-rated, signifying that they are children’s films, although the recently successful Hop was rated PG for “mild crude humor”. 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. Disney's superhero blockbuster has claimed the crown with $2.79 billion (€2.48 billion), and there is still room for growth after running for just 13 weeks. 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. Release date: November 22, 2019 At 18% on the Tomatometer, Age of Extinction has the lowest Tomatometer score of the top 50 biggest films at the worldwide box office. Originals could also break through, with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune eyed as major contenders to make a box office dent. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) 84% 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 approach was to mix the old and the new, and it worked. We’ll be here to track the progress of new blockbusters and regularly update this list of top box office performers. Release date: December 18, 2009 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. While not quite as well-received as the first film critically (77% vs. 90% on the Tomatometer), Frozen II virtually demanded that parents bring their children for a second adventure. 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. Wonder Woman’s solid domestic numbers were nearly matched internationally, but even those figures came up short of Suicide Squad – and the goal. Release date: March 4, 2016 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. Domestic: $659.4 million (including re-releases) Another $745 million internationally made this the fourth MCU film to reach $1 billion. A $90.2 million opening weekend crushed the previous title holder from four years earlier, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, by over $18 million. 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. 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. 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. You can find more information in our data protection declaration. Almost a decade after wrapping up his landmark Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson returned to the world of J.R.R. Frozen II (2019) 78% 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. Warner Bros. tried to maximize their profits by splitting J.K. Rowling’s final book into two films. 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. 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. Pixar is the most represented studio on the list with 15 films. Domestic: $334.2 million Copyright © 2018 Fandango. To this day, Zootopia remains the second-highest–grossing animated Disney film not connected with Pixar. Because it remains the only post-Avengers film in the MCU to make less money internationally than domestically. Privacy Policy | 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. Why isn’t it even higher in the list? Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, the epic sci-fi film is set in a 22nd-century mining colony on a moon called Pandora, and portrays a conflict with the original inhabitants, the Na'vi. Though still Fresh (67% on the Tomatometer), it was the lowest-scored Fast and Furious movie among critics since the fourth film. The director of The Hangover films wanted to make an origin story out of Batman’s most infamous nemesis. 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. 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). It was the central piece of what is considered one of the greatest comic-book films ever made. 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. Domestic: $608.6 million That will be remembered far longer than having the 12th-highest opening of all-time – The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were numbers one and two until Avengers: Infinity War opened – or that it had one of the lowest Tomatometer scores among the nine films. Travis Clark. 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 opening is still 17th all-time and the movie’s domestic total haul is the 12th-highest ever. WALL-E (2008) It held onto its impressive global record for nearly 10 years. 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. Domestically, it would ultimately come up just short of Black Panther, which was released two months prior. All rights reserved. (Photo by © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, © Marvel Studios). 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. Skywalker film – which has now passed $1 billion globally – underperformed expectations. The Marvel Comics superhero team not only prevented the destruction of the universe, but the film also grossed $2.05 billion at the box office worldwide. By the end of its run, the eight Harry Potter had films grossed a combined $7.72 billion. 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. 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. 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. 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. 1. 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. In 1997, Cameron blew out the budget again and this time there was worry he may have gone too far. Release date: March 5, 2010 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. Release date: June 17, 2016 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. Domestic: $623.4 million Release date: April 3, 2015 2019 may not have been the biggest year ever at the box office, but it had a number of massive films that entered the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time – including one that took out the number 1 slot. Aquaman (2018) 65% 5. We use cookies to improve our service for you. Incredibles 2 (2018) 93% Domestic: $417.7 million The series would have gone out with a box-office bang, too. 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. Finding Dory (2016) 94% 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. Skyfall (2012) 92% We all assumed it was the end for Woody, Buzz, and all their toy friends – that bittersweet finish was just so perfect. Venice awarded the film its top prize in the Golden Lion; some critics were hailing it a masterpiece. It was no slacker overseas, either: When Return finished its run, only Titanic had a greater number outside of the U.S. and Canada. Domestic: $335 million Release date: December 18, 2015 Release date: June 22, 2018 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. Domestic: $296 million Well, Woody and the gang proved them all wrong. 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. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) 85% All these monster movies found a way to bring a huge audience into the box office with the intent of having them suspend their disbelief. 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. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) 75% But back in 2010, only Avatar, Titanic, and The Return of the King had made more money outside of North America than Alice did. It was the ninth film to cross the $600 million mark in North America and remains in the top 10 all-time earners domestically. It still remains the highest-grossing domestic release of all time. 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. The 100 Best Sequels of All Time. The culmination of the journey that began in 2001 also ushered in a new trend of splitting final chapters in halves. 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. Like this? But audiences went the other direction, giving Dead Man’s Chest a 38.6% boost in domestic earnings and an 84.2% boost internationally. Two of James Cameron's works are record-breaking titles, but overall, the "Avengers" films dominate the list of the world's top 10 box-office hits. Perhaps biggest box office surprise of 2019 – and maybe even its biggest box office story – was the phenomenal success of Warner Bros.’ R-rated Joker, the standalone DC film starring Joaquin Phoenix that is currently at number 31 on this list, having surpassed Aladdin, The Dark Knight, Jurassic Park, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and Rogue One. 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. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) 90% We all assumed it was the end for Woody, Buzz, and all their toy friends – that bittersweet finish was just so perfect. These are the most successful horror films of all time, ranked by net profit. The eye-popping epic made $1.4 billion at the box office. Their critical success was due to their high quality of writing, acting, and direction. 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. After just six weeks of release, Endgame was about $73 million away from dethroning Avatar – substantial ground to make up. 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.