Let's get this straight: a high-grossing film does not necessarily mean that it's a flawless work of art (cough, Iron Man 3, cough). But despite this, all of these films do have that signature, blockbuster quality that brings out people in droves to their local movie theaters. From timeless record-breakers like Titanic to recent blockbuster smash hits like Top Gun: Maverick, we've rounded up the 25 highest-grossing movies of all time.
pop culture
The 25 Highest Grossing Movies of All Time
Lucasfilm Ltd.
By: Elizabeth Pagano
Published Sep 15, 2022
25. 'Aquaman' (2018) - $1,148,528,393
Who's in It: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren
Rating: 65% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Jason Momoa stars as the eponymous underwater superhero, Aquaman, which is based on the DC Comics character who first made waves back in 1941. The film follows Aquaman—heir to Atlantis—as he makes a massive effort to stop his half-brother from taking over his kingdom and destroying the entire world. And while this film didn't get the best reviews, it still ultimately became one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
24. 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016) - $1,153,337,496
Who's in It: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman
Rating: 90% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Easily one of the most underrated Marvel films of all time, Captain America: Civil War is exactly what it sounds like: a face-off between the Avengers. Actually, the entire film is basically just another Avengers movie despite the title. And given that status, it basically went without saying that the film would become one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
23. 'Minions' (2015) - $1,159,444,662
Who's in It: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Steve Coogan, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton
Rating: 55% (Rotten Tomatoes)
A spin-off of Despicable Me, the aptly-named Minions tracks the minions from the original film as they attempt to find themselves a new evil master to serve under. While it seems like there are practically a billion minions in creation, this film focuses specifically on Kevin, Bob, and Stuart, who set their sights on Scarlet Overkill, the first female supervillain to ever exist.
22. 'Iron Man 3' (2013) - $1,214,811,252
Who's in It: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle
Rating: 79% (Rotten Tomatoes)
A far cry from the masterpiece that is Iron Man, somehow Iron Man 3 doesn't have a lower rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite that, I do understand the appeal of the film (tons of Iron Man suits, basically) and why it drove that much money to the box office. The movie picks up with a traumatized Tony Stark after the events of The Avengers, though he has to jump back into action almost immediately when a terrorist known as the Mandarin sets off a bunch of explosions.
21. 'The Fate of the Furious' (2017) - $1,236,005,118
Who's in It: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson
Rating: 67% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Just like every other Fast & Furious film, we've got fast cars and things to do. This time around, the "things" include the crew needing to eliminate a cyberterrorist named Cipher, some casual, high-stakes car race gambling, and stealing various software and nuclear devices across the world. Basically, these films are bound to crush it at the box office, as many of them have become some of the highest grossing movies of all time.
20. 'Incredibles 2' (2018) - $1,243,089,244
Who's in It: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Bird, Huck Milner, Sarah Vowell
Rating: 93% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Almost 20 years after The Incredibles, Incredibles 2 finds our OG superhero family right where things left off last time, fighting off the Underminer. However, they're also looking to set better precedence for superheroes as much of their trust has been lost. When an entirely new villain comes their way, the Incredibles jump back into action to try and defeat the Screenslaver, though it ends up being a part of a master plan to eliminate all superheroes in general.
19. 'Beauty and the Beast' (2017) - $1,273,576,220
Who's in It: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Ian McKellen
Rating: 71% (Rotten Tomatoes)
This 2017 iteration of the original 1991 Disney animated film tells the very same story, though everything is done in live-action as opposed to animation. Basically, the crux of the story is that Belle (Emma Watson), a young woman, is being held against her will at the Beast's (Dan Stevens) castle, basically just waiting for him to fall in love with her so that he can turn back into a prince.
18. 'Frozen' (2013) - $1,281,508,100
Who's in It: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Jennifer Lee, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk, Maia Wilson
Rating: 90% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Even if you weren't forced to see Frozen with a toddler, there's a fair chance that you already know a decent amount about the film, which is—in an odd way—a testament to just how successful this movie was when it premiered in 2013. The plot centers around Elsa (Idina Menzel), a princess who's on a mission to put an end to her city's everlasting winter by locating her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell), who's responsible for this occurring. Not only is this one of the highest grossing movies of all time, but it's also one of the most successful children's animated films that we've ever seen.
17. 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' (2018) - $1,310,466,296
Who's in It: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith, BD Wong
Rating: 47% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Despite this film critically tanking, practically everyone still went out to see it—myself included. A sequel to 2015's Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom focuses on Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), who's on a rescue mission—alongside Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard)—to locate and extract the dinosaurs trapped on Isla Nublar as a massive volcano on the island is about to erupt.
16. 'Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' (2017) - $1,332,698,830
Who's in It: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Kelly Marie Tran, Gwendoline Christie
Rating: 91% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Even though a great deal of Star Wars fans find this movie to be one of the worst of the series, it's still hanging on to a pretty high critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A sequel to The Force Awakens, this film picks up right where its predecessor left off, with Rey beginning her training under Luke Skywalker on his remote island, Ahch-To. In an effort to destroy the First Order's tracking device, members of the Resistance head after it while others carry out a different mission, though neither goes exactly as planned.
15. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' (2011) - $1,342,359,942
Who's in It: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Bonnie Wright
Rating: 96% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Ah, the long-running Harry Potter film series finally comes to a close with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which was broken up into two parts solely for the movies. Regarded as one of the best films of the entire series, our favorite crew, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) come face-to-face with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) one last time in an epic final battle to end his grip on their world. Given that this was the last installation in one of the most successful film series ever, it's no surprise that it became one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
14. 'Black Panther' (2018) - $1,347,597,973
Who's in It: Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett
Rating: 96% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Is Black Panther the best Marvel film we've seen to date? I'd argue so.
While this isn't the Black Panther's first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is his first solo film, which tracks the king of Wakanda, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), as he has to defend his kingdom when Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) has other plans for Wakanda.
13. 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015) - $1,402,809,540
Who's in It: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson
Rating: 76% (Rotten Tomatoes)
The second in the Avengers series and a direct sequel to the 2012 original film, it's no surprise that Avengers: Age of Ultron smashed some massive records given the success of the first movie. This time around, we find our Avengers crew up against Ultron (James Spader), a sentient piece of artificial intelligence that's threatening to end human life altogether.
12. 'Frozen 2' (2019) - $1,450,026,933
Who's in It: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Jason Ritter
Rating: 77% (Rotten Tomatoes)
While this sequel to Frozen didn't receive exactly the same high marks as the original film did, Frozen 2 certainly was able to make a major dent in the box office with a higher gross value than its predecessor. This time around, we find both Elsa and Anna together working alongside their buddies, Olaf, Sven, and Kristoff, to figure out exactly where Elsa's powers came from.
11. 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022) - $1,453,708,229
Who's in It: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer
Rating: 96% (Rotten Tomatoes)
A sequel taking place almost 40 years after the original Top Gun was released in 1986, Top Gun: Maverick tracks our beloved Maverick (Tom Cruise) as he heads up the Top Gun program, training an elite group of pilots for a specific mission. The only problem, however, is that his late best friend and flying partner's son, Rooster (Miles Teller), is one of the students in his class and blames Maverick for his father's death.
10. 'Furious 7' (2015) - $1,515,341,399
Who's in It: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ronda Rousey, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham
Rating: 81% (Rotten Tomatoes)
In his last film role ever, Paul Walker stars in the seventh installment of the Fast & Furious saga once again as Brian O'Conner. Furious 7 tracks the crew as they're finally getting back to the normal swing of things after being released from the crimes of their past, though that doesn't last too long when Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), an assassin, begins to seek out the gang.
9. 'The Avengers' (2012) - $1,518,815,515
Who's in It: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders
Rating: 91% (Rotten Tomatoes)
It's the film that started it all, which makes it unsurprising that The Avengers would become one of the highest grossing movies of all time. When the movie was released 10 years ago, it changed the entire scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making it no surprise that it did so incredibly well at the box office. The film tracks the creation of the Avengers, which was Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) idea to stop Loki (Tom Hiddleston) from taking complete control over Earth.
8. 'The Lion King' (2019) - $1,663,250,487
Who's in It: James Earl Jones, Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, JD McCrary, John Oliver
Rating: 52% (Rotten Tomatoes)
An almost too-lifelike animated remake of the 1994 original film of the same name, this 2019 iteration features an absolute stacked cast in all of the classic animal roles. Donald Glover voices Simba, a young lion who becomes the king of his land after his father is tragically murdered by his very own uncle, Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor). While this film didn't do too well critically, it still smashed the box office, thus becoming one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
7. 'Jurassic World' (2015) - $1,671,537,444
Who's in It: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson
Rating: 71% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Just around 20 years following the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World picks up with an entirely new cast, headed by Chris Pratt portraying the Velociraptor export, Owen Grady, who works at Jurassic World, a theme park featuring cloned dinosaurs. As always, the dinosaurs never stay where they're supposed to, meaning that they all end up escaping, forcing Grady and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), the operations manager of the park, to attempt to stop them.
6. 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021) - $1,913,973,665
Who's in It: Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, Jon Favreau, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Thomas Haden Church, Rhys Ifans, Marisa Tomei
Rating: 93% (Rotten Tomatoes)
A film that crushed it at the box office for weeks and weeks (and weeks), Spider-Man: No Way Home is the long-awaited third installment in the new Spider-Man series, featuring Tom Holland as our beloved Peter Parker. This time, he has to work alongside two Spider-Men from the multiverse when all of their multiverse villains become loose in his universe.
5. 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018) - $2,048,359,754
Who's in It: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Mackie, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Samuel L. Jackson, Zoe Saldaña, Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Josh Brolin
Rating: 85% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Third in the line of the Avengers films, Avengers: Infinity War introduces our infamous, massive purple buddy, Thanos (Josh Brolin), who's on a mission to retrieve the six infinity stones in an effort to destroy half of humanity. Given this, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy try to put an end to his plan and keep the infinity stones safe from his grip.
4. 'Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens' (2015) - $2,069,521,700
Who's in It: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong'o, Mark Hamill
Rating: 93% (Rotten Tomatoes)
It was the first Star Wars film in almost 10 years, so, yeah, it was basically a given that this would become one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
Definitely the best installment in the newest Star Wars trilogy, we're introduced to an (almost) entirely new cast of characters, save for Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and (briefly) Luke Skywalker. We track three different stories coming together: the first is of Rey (Daisy Ridley), a young woman who has a deep connection to the Force; the second is of Finn (John Boyega), a stormtrooper who decides to leave the First Order and fight for the Resistance; the final story is with BB-8, a droid owned by the pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), that holds the missing piece of the map to find Luke Skywalker
3. 'Titanic' (1997) - $2,201,647,264
Who's in It: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton
Rating: 87% (Rotten Tomatoes)
A film based on the events of the infamous maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912, Titanic tracks Rose (Kate Winslet), who's set to be married to a well-off man, and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a lowly young artist, as they meet on the boat and quickly develop feelings for one another. The film takes place over the four days on the ship, ultimately leading to its sinking as well as the end of the pair's relationship.
2. 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019) - $2,797,501,328
Who's in It: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Mackie, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, Zoe Saldaña, Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Josh Brolin
Rating: 94% (Rotten Tomatoes)
The long-awaited fourth film of the Avengers series, Avengers: Endgame, was supposed to be the last of the films, though we now know that we already have two confirmed Avengers movies coming out in the next few years. And trust me, I'm not complaining.
Avengers: Endgame brings us back with Thanos as everyone's reeling from the damage that he's done following his retrieval of all six infinity stones. After Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) returns from being jolted into the quantum realm, he reunites with the remaining Avengers and attempts to save the others by creating a time travel device to locate the infinity stones before Thanos was able to destroy them.
1. 'Avatar' (2009) - $2,880,033,102
Who's in It: Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez
Rating: 81% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Avatar changed the way that people viewed science fiction films, creating a cinematographically gorgeous movie that's set in the future world as the moon of Pandora is being taken over by a slew of humans. Given this, the Na'vi tribe who call Pandora home are threatened, though the humans create an Avatar (genetically modified body to look like a Na'vi) in order to become close with the tribe.
Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo.
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