Only 54 movies have ever hit $1 billion at the box office — here they all are
Disney/Pixar
- Without adjusting for inflation, 54 movies have grossed $1 billion or more at the box office.
- Using data from Box Office Mojo, we compiled a list of the highest-grossing movies worldwide.
- "Inside Out 2" is the latest film to join the elite club.
Note: Kirsten Acuna and Kim Renfro contributed to previous versions of this post.
Universal Studios
Worldwide gross: $1,001,978,080
Poor reviews didn't stop people from seeing the third "Jurassic World" outing.
It took over three months, but "Jurassic World Dominion" crossed $1 billion worldwide. The sequel likely crossed the number thanks, in part, to the original "Jurassic Park" cast returning to the big screen and teaming up with the newer "Jurassic World" cast in this entry.
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,008,524,647
Back in July of 2008, people began speculating that Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" sequel starring Heath Ledger as the Joker might have the box-office power to set a world record. "There are even whispers starting whether 'Dark Knight' can beat the incredible worldwide numbers posted by the all-time $1.8 billion benchmark of 'Titanic,'" Deadline reported.
At the time, the film broke several box-office records, including highest-grossing opening weekend, highest Friday midnight showings, and highest-opening day record. "TDK" went on to become the highest-grossing movie of 2008.
The film's successful viral marketing campaign and box-office performance really set the bar for what a superhero movie could be. Many consider it a blueprint for the success of superhero movies that came afterwards. Unfortunately, instead of DC catapulting into the stratosphere from here on out, Marvel took the lead, appearing on this list 10 times compared to DC's four.
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,017,106,749
When Peter Jackson's first "Hobbit" movie crossed the $1 billion mark, it looked like a good indication that the subsequent two sequels would perform equally well, if not better, at the box office.
But neither of the second two "Hobbit" films wound up crossing that box-office landmark. Both "The Desolation of Smaug" and "Battle of the Five Armies" grossed around $960,000,000 each.
Disney via YouTube
Worldwide gross: $1,025,468,216
When Tim Burton's take on the original Disney classic hit $1 billion at the box office in 2010, it was only the sixth ever film to do so. In the years since, more than 20 other films have joined the club — but the sequel to this live-action "Alice In Wonderland" was not among them. 2016's "Alice Through the Looking Glass" grossed over $299 million worldwide.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,025,521,689
"Zootopia" became a surprise hit for Walt Disney Animation. At the time, it set a record for the biggest animated March opening weekend of all time.
A long-awaited sequel is in the works.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,029,266,989
Moviegoers flocked back to theaters in the summer of 2016 for Disney Pixar's "Finding Nemo" sequel. It was the second animated feature of 2016 to pass the $1 billion mark ("Zootopia" is the other).
At the time, the box-office numbers also made "Finding Dory" the fifth highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,034,800,131
"Despicable Me 3" was a sleeper hit of 2017. With the return of Gru, Lucy, and of course the Minions, this is the second movie in the franchise to gross over one billion dollars. The introduction of "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker as a new villain was a smart move.
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,037,913,579
Nineteen years after its initial 2001 release, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" managed to cross the $1 billion mark only after it was given a theatrical re-release in China.
Deadline reported that the movie had grossed $13.6 million over the course of three-days after it was released in theaters with a "remastered 4K 3D" version. It's the second movie in the "Harry Potter" franchise to gross more than $1 billion.
YouTube/LucasFilm
Worldwide gross: $1,046,515,409
"The Phantom Menace" was the first "Star Wars" movie to earn $1 billion, thanks to its 3D re-release in theaters 13 years after the original debut. Without that second surge of ticket purchases, the film would have stayed under $1 billion along with the original three movies.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,046,721,266
There are four total "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies in the franchise — and two of them have joined the billion-dollar club. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" sits behind the "Dead Man's Chest" installment of this Disney franchise.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,054,304,000
Like many of the Disney live-action versions of animated classics, "Aladdin" did very well at the box office. "Aladdin" became one of Disney's record-breaking seven movies to hit $1 billion in 2019.
Disney/Lucasfilm
Worldwide gross: $1,058,684,742
"Rogue One" cemented its place in the "Star Wars" franchise by raking in $1 billion just 39 days after its global release. The spinoff became the fourth and final movie of 2016 to make $1 billion at the box office. All four billion-dollar movies of 2016 were Disney releases.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,066,179,747
Back in 2006, when the sequel to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" hit theaters, it took just three months for the movie to make $1 billion at the box office. At that time, it was the third ever film to do so.
Pixar
Worldwide gross: $1,067,316,101
The third movie in the "Toy Story" franchise crossed the $1 billion mark in 2010 and made Disney history as Pixar's highest-grossing film of all time. The success of "Toy Story 3" helped push a fourth movie into Disney's animated movie plan.
Disney/Pixar
Worldwide gross: $1,073,841,394
With "Toy Story 4" also crossing this milestone, Disney became the first movie studio to create seven billion-dollar movies in a single year. The movie joined its Disney comrades "Captain Marvel," "Aladdin," "Avengers: Endgame," "The Lion King," "Frozen II," and "The Rise of Skywalker."
CEO Bob Iger recently announced a fifth "Toy Story" movie is in the works.
Lucasfilm
Worldwide gross: $1,077,022,372
The ninth episode in the "Star Wars" Skywalker saga, "The Rise of Skywalker," crossed the $1 billion mark on Tuesday, January 14.
As reported by Variety, it took this film 28 days to hit this milestone, while "The Force Awakens" did it in 12 days and "The Last Jedi" managed it in 19 days.
Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros
Worldwide gross: $1,078,958,629
This DC comic movie is the first R-rated movie to ever make $1 billion at the box office. Deadline announced the milestone, which came about six weeks after the movie premiered worldwide.
Marvel's "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds snarkily congratulated "Joker" on becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,081,289,416
Christopher Nolan's follow-up to "The Dark Knight" had became the 13th film in history to reach $1 billion in 2012. This achievement was remarkable, especially given concerns that the movie's success would be dampened after the Aurora theater shooting took place during a midnight screening of the film.
Universal
Worldwide gross: 1,103,086,582
Similar to "The Phantom Menace," a 3D re-release is responsible for putting "Jurassic Park" over the edge and into the $1 billion club. "Jurassic Park" wasn't originally released in China in 1993, according to a report from The Wrap. But the 20th anniversary international re-release included China — and the difference in ticket sales showed.
A few more pandemic re-releases in 2020 and 2022 helped send it up the chart even more.
Courtesy Paramount Pictures
Worldwide gross: $1,104,054,072
Ah yes, the unstoppable box-office power of the "Transformers" franchise. According to The Wrap, "Age of Extinction" (the fourth movie) was made specifically with international audiences in mind — and it paid off. Almost a third of the total box-office revenue came from China alone.
Sony
Worldwide gross: $1,108,594,137
At the time of its release, "Skyfall" was Sony's highest-grossing movie worldwide and the first Bond movie to surpass $1 billion at the box office. It became the second highest-grossing film of 2012 (behind "Avengers").
It also helped that Adele recorded a banger of a theme song for the film, which won the Academy Award for best original song.
Paramount
Worldwide gross: $1,123,794,079
The third "Transformers" movie was Paramount's first film to reach $1 billion at the box office. Similar to "Age of Extinction," the boost in ticket sales came largely from international movie audiences. This was the last "Transformers" movie which starred Shia LaBeouf.
Disney/Marvel
Worldwide gross: $1,131,416,446
And here we begin with the seemingly unstoppable success of Marvel universe movies. Just over three weeks after its release date and record-breaking opening weekend, "Captain Marvel" crossed the billion-dollar mark for global box office sales.
Sony Pictures
Worldwide gross: $1,132,679,685
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of this new milestone for the Spider-Man franchise as "Spider-Man: Far From Home" crossed the one-billion mark less than a month after its US premiere on July 2.
New Line Cinema
Worldwide gross: $1,151,462,071
People came out in droves for the final installment of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. After only 10 weeks in theaters, "Return of the King" became the second movie ever in history to make $1 billion ("Titanic" was the first in 1997). The film went on to break an Academy Award record by sweeping all 11 categories for which it was nominated.
The film's 2021 re-release in theaters during the pandemic in nine markets, including China, helped move it a few spots up this list.
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,152,028,393
"Aquaman" became the first DC superhero movie to make $1 billion dollars at the box office. The movie was already breaking records in China before it had opened in the US in early December, and clearly it was all up from there.
A sequel is set for December 2023 with Amber Heard reportedly in a pared-down role.
Marvel
Worldwide gross: $1,155,046,416
"Captain America: Civil War" was a blockbuster hit in 2016, and the first movie of that year to rake in $1 billion. The wild success of Cap's third outing came from it playing more like an Avengers film thanks to a large superhero roster, including Iron Man, and the introduction of Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
Illumination
Worldwide gross: $1,159,457,503
The 2015 prequel to "Despicable Me" focused only on the overall-wearing Minions the world had come to love. People clearly appreciated the yellow henchman's standalone film, since neither of the two "Despicable Me" movies have breached $1 billion.
Disney / Marvel
Worldwide gross: $1,215,577,205
Tony Stark swept away comic fans with the third movie of his trilogy, "Iron Man 3." It only took 23 days in the box office for the film to hit $1 billion. If anyone doubted the power of Robert Downey Jr.'s success as Iron Man, this movie, which grossed nearly double of the actor's second solo outing as the character, was the final confirmation of his vital role in Marvel's franchise.
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,236,009,236
In April 2017, the eighth movie in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise joined the billion-dollar club. Clearly Vin Diesel's creative control of these action-packed movies is paying off along with its diverse cast. This is the second movie from the franchise to make more than $1 billion.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,243,225,667
Despite the 14-year gap between the first Pixar original movie "The Incredibles" and its sequel, the critically acclaimed "Incredibles 2" created a new record as fastest animated film to gross $1 billion at the box office.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,266,115,964
Also in April 2017, Walt Disney Studios announced that its live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" had officially passed the $1 billion mark for global box-office sales. Its total revenue makes "Beauty and the Beast" the highest-grossing film of 2017.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,285,048,126
"Frozen" maintained the top spot for the highest-grossing animated feature of all time until the release of its sequel in 2019. The film joined the billion dollar club in the same week it nabbed two Oscars.
After its initial release, it became Walt Disney Pictures' third highest-grossing film of all time. According to Deadline, the film earned a profit of over $400 million for Disney.
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,310,469,037
The second installment in Universal's rebooted "Jurassic Park" trilogy had an impressive opening weekend and then quickly grossed $1 billion after two weeks.
Lucasfilm
Worldwide gross: $1,334,407,706
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" crossed the $1 billion mark just three weeks after its release. This second installment in the new franchise made $500 million in its first weekend alone — though "The Force Awakens" still holds the record for biggest "Star Wars" opening weekend of all time with $529 million.
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,342,480,797
Following the trend of some other franchises in our top list, the final "Harry Potter" film was the only one of the bunch that raked in $1 billion or more until "Sorcerer's Stone" was given a theatrical release in China.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,349,926,083
"Black Panther" crossed this milestone in just 26 days after breaking the record for best February opening weekend of all time. This movie was the 16th Disney film to gross over one billion dollars.
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,361,992,475
Universal Pictures' adaptation of the Nintendo game crossed $1 billion in just 26 days, making it the first film of 2023 to cross the threshold and the studio's seventh-largest film.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is the fifth film released during the pandemic to hit $1 billion theatrically and the first animated movie to do so.
Marvel
Worldwide gross: $1,405,018,048
"Transformers," "The Dark Knight," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are three franchises which each have two movies in the billion dollar club — and you can add "The Avengers" to that list.
The 2015 follow-up ensemble movie added James Spader as the terrifying new villain, and (surprising no one) "Age of Ultron" opened in the number one spot around the world.
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,445,638,421
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" has been unstoppable in theaters since its release. Not only did the film earn 2023's highest-grossing domestic opening weekend, but it also contributed to the fourth-largest box-office weekend of all time.
When it crossed the billion-dollar mark in 17 days, Gerwig became the first solo female director to have a movie cross that threshold. Every other $1 billion movie directed by a woman has a male codirector.
"Barbie" is now the highest-grossing movie of 2023.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,453,683,476
The highly-anticipated sequel to the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, 2013's "Frozen," easily surpassed the box-office gross of its predecessor. "Frozen II" became Disney's sixth (out of seven total) movies to cross $1 billion in 2019 after 24 days.
A third "Frozen" movie is currently in the works.
Disney/Pixar
Worldwide gross: $1,462,000,000
After relegating titles like "Luca" and "Turning Red" to direct-to-streaming releases during the pandemic, which led to frustration and low morale within the company, Pixar is back on top.
"Inside Out 2" hit the $1 billion global mark in 19 days, the fastest ever for an animated movie. It's also the only movie released in 2024 that has crossed the $1 billion mark.
We wouldn't be shocked if Pixar is already crafting another sequel for Joy, Anxiety, and all of Riley's other feelings.
Paramount
Worldwide gross: $1,495,696,292
The highest-grossing movie of Tom Cruise's career, the sequel to the 1986 film crossed $1 billion in just 31 days.
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,515,342,457
"Furious 7" broke records when it raced past the $1 billion box-office mark in just 17 days. As Entertainment Weekly reported "that makes 'Furious' 7 the fastest live-action film to reach that number." But two other 2015 movies (coming later on our list) eventually bumped it to third place.
This was the last "Fast and Furious" movie to include Paul Walker, which some believe helped boost box-office numbers.
Marvel
Worldwide gross: $1,520,538,536
The first "Avengers" movie brought together an all-star cast of comic book heroes — and Marvel's efforts were rewarded at the box office. The film passed $1 billion in ticket sales in just 19 days — which means it's tied for third place in the list of fastest grossing movies alongside "Avatar" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two."
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,663,079,059
"Jurassic World" broke all sorts of records. It bumped "Furious 7" out of the number one spot for fastest movie to make $1 billion when it broke the record in only 13 days. At the time it also stunned box-office analysts with the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time, besting "Marvel's The Avengers," with $208.8 million. Worldwide, it opened to over $500 million, making it the first movie to ever crack that number opening weekend.
That record didn't last long, however.
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,671,537,444
"Jurassic World" broke all sorts of records. It bumped "Furious 7" out of the number one spot for fastest movie to make $1 billion when it broke the record in only 13 days. At the time it also stunned box-office analysts with the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time, besting "Marvel's The Avengers," with $208.8 million. Worldwide, it opened to over $500 million, making it the first movie to ever crack that number opening weekend.
That record didn't last long, however.
Sony Pictures
Worldwide gross: $1,936,189,791
Spider-Man broke the pandemic curse. "No Way Home" became the first film since 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" to cross $1 billion at the box office. The Tom Holland-starring film crossed $1 billion in just 12 days and become the highest-grossing movie of 2021.
According to Forbes, it's only the fifth film to cross $1 billion without a China release. If it ever does open there, it will likely cross $2 billion.
Marvel
Worldwide gross: $2,052,415,039
The third "Avengers" film broke the all-time world record with a $630 million opening weekend, proving the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise is stronger than ever. By mid-June, "Avengers: Infinity War" became only the fourth movie to ever crack the two-billion dollar ceiling as well.
Lucasfilm
Worldwide gross: $2,071,310,218
The seventh movie in the "Star Wars" franchise broke the "Jurassic World" records when box-office numbers tallied $1 billion after only 12 days. And it didn't stop there — "The Force Awakens" went on rake in more than $2 billion, solidifying its number four spot on our list and becoming the highest-grossing "Star Wars" movie of all time.
20th Century Fox
Worldwide gross: $2,264,750,694
"Titanic" is one of three movies on this list from director James Cameron.
More than two decades later, Cameron's "Titanic" is holding steady as one of the biggest box-office hits of all time. The movie made around $1.8 billion during its initial 1997 release and then topped $2 billion after it was rereleased in 3D in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the iconic ship's sinking.
20th Century Studios
Worldwide gross: $2,320,250,281
Two weeks after its premiere in movie theaters, Cameron's first "Avatar" sequel had already grossed more than $1 billion at the box office, a rare feat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It then became the second-fastest movie to cross $2 billion in just 39 days.
While discussing the digital release of "Avatar: The Way of Water," out March 28, producer Jon Landau told Insider he and Cameron wondered if the sequel to the 2009 film would reach the number "Titanic" crossed at the box office.
"I was never nervous that people would lose interest because I didn't think they needed to have interest. I thought we were making a new movie," Landau said when asked if he was nervous that audiences may lose interest in an "Avatar" sequel after waiting more than a decade for it.
"I looked at this almost like an original piece of content that happened to be with known characters in a known world, but we were showing them in a new way. So I was nervous about how the movie would do because when you stop being nervous, you stop caring. But I was never worried," Landau added of the movie's strong box-office performance.
Disney
Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100
Marvel's major endcap to its run of 22 comic-book-based films broke the record for the fastest movie to reach $1 billion dollars in international box-office totals.
On the Sunday of its opening weekend, Disney estimated "Avengers: Endgame" had made $1.2 billion within the first five days of its global debut.
It became the highest-grossing movie of all time until Disney rereleased "Avatar" in China in 2021.
Fox
Worldwide gross: $2,923,706,026
With more than $2.7 billion in box-office revenue, James Cameron's "Avatar" was miles ahead of other films on the list.
Disney's epic Marvel adventure "Avengers: Endgame" knocked it out of the top spot in the summer of 2019.
However, "Avatar" retook the top spot when Disney (which now owns the rights after the Fox acquisition) rereleased the film in China in spring 2021.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/ZXAmJRT
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