Making movies has truly grown into one of the most lucrative businesses of all time. Whether you prefer the action blockbuster or a more dramatic movie, there seems to be something for everyone in cinema, as long as they prefer visual media. However, while there is something for everyone, some things appeal to more people than others. And, as such, those movies make bank at the box office. These are some of the highest grossing movies of all time.
25. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
The sequel to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film on this list, Far From Home features the titular character as he travels to Europe on a school trip. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a vacation goes awry with appearance of Mysterio and the Elementals, as SHIELD requires his help to deal with the threat. This movie grossed $1,131,927,996. While it’s top placement as far as highest grossing films goes was only 24, it’s still impressive as a more recent film. This is also the highest grossing Spider-Man film of all time.
24. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
The ending to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King was highly anticipated before release. Everyone wanting to see the ending probably contributed to why everyone wanted to see this movie. The film has grossed $1,146,030,912, the highest amount in the trilogy and the highest grossing film in Peter Jackson’s career. The Return of the King has likely the highest drop in the ranking as far as these films go, having peaked at the number two position.
23. Aquaman (2018)
Right off the back of films like 2017’s Justice League and 2015’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the number of people that expected a movie about the water guy from DC Comics to actually be good was rather small. While not a perfect film, it certainly had its moments, and was entertaining enough that it grossed $1,148,485,886 and helped revitalize DC’s cinematic universe. While 23rd now, not too long ago it was the 20th highest grossing film ever, before a couple other big blockbusters knocked it down a few pegs. A sequel’s already in production and is set to be released December 16th 2022.
22. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The third film in the Captain America film franchise and the 12th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Civil War’s big draw was the cast of The Avengers going at it over a disagreement over superhuman registration. Not only did big name actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson in their iconic roles, but this also served to be the debut film for beloved characters such as Black Panther and Spider-Man in the MCU. While its 22 in the ranking for highest grossing films, its all-time high twelfth place. With its big audience draw, the film grossed $1,153,329,473.
21. Minions (2015)
You’ll probably be hard-pressed to find an adult that enjoyed this movie, but kids loved it. And enough of them managed to convince their parents to take them to see this that Minions ended up becoming the 21st highest grossing film of all time. Even better, it had an all time high of tenth. This makes it far outshine the other films in the Despicable Me franchise, from which this film spun-off. This film grossed $1,159,398,397.
20. Iron Man 3 (2013)
Coming right off the back of The Avengers, and featuring one of the most popular characters in the the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Iron Man 3 is the highest grossing film in the Iron Man trilogy. The film’s twist proved to have some controversy, but it was otherwise a very enjoyable film that kicked off Marvel’s Phase Two of films. While in 20th place now, Iron Man 3 was once the fifth highest grossing film of all time. The film has grossed $1,214,811,252.
19. The Fate Of The Furious (2017)
The first film in The Fast and The Furious franchise following Paul Walker’s tragic passing, the eighth film in the franchise certainly didn’t pull any punches. Once again including the strong themes of family and togetherness, while combining it with the ridiculous action of the franchise, there’s not much to say that people wouldn’t already know. While the 19th highest grossing film of all time now, it peaked at 11th, having managed to rake in $1,238,764,765.
18. Incredibles 2 (2018)
The highly anticipated sequel to the 2004 hit, Pixar waited 14 years before releasing this smash hit. While people don’t exactly agree on the quality of this film in comparison to the first one, Incredibles 2 certainly outgrossed the original. Initially being the 15th highest grossing film of all time, its since settled at 18, with a total gross of $1,242,805,359.
17. Beauty And The Beast (2017)
The first reboot on this film, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast outgrossed the animated classic by a wide margin. Like with Minions, Beauty and the Beast had an all0time high placement at 10th place in the highest grossing films list. Although, it now rests at 17th. This film grossed $1,263,521,126.
16. Frozen (2013)
When Frozen was first released, everyone sung its praises. Disney doubled down on merchandise immediately because of how popular it had become. It certainly seemed as though all of their other iconic characters in the illustrious Disney Princess merchandising line had been immediately outshined by the ice queen Elsa, and her younger sister Anna. While the 16th highest grossing film now, Frozen peaked on the charts at fifth place. Its grossed around $1,290,000,000 since its release.
15. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
The sequel to the franchise sequel/reboot, Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom wasn’t nearly as beloved as the original Jurassic Park was. However, that didn’t stop it from grossing $1,309,484,461 since its debut. While the 15th highest grossing film now, it was once a few rungs higher at 12th place.
14. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
As if the idea of the sequel trilogy of Star Wars wasn’t polarizing enough, The Last Jedi served to cut the entire fandom in half. Some people hated it and said it ruined Star Wars. Others liked its more subversive take. No matter how people felt about it, a ton of people went to see it. It was once the ninth highest grossing film ever made, before dropping to 14th, having grossed $1,332,539,889.
13. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows — Part 2 (2011)
The Harry Potter film and book franchise are some of the most beloved fantasy media to ever be created. So it’s not much of a surprise that the series’ amazing conclusion managed to make this list. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows — Part 2 was once the third highest grossing film of all time, although its dropped 10 places since then. The film has grossed $1,342,025,430.
12. Black Panther (2018)
While Black Panther has dropped a few rungs, from ninth to 12th, on the highest grossing movies list, it’s still the highest grossing film to feature a primarily black cast. The eighteenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther, featuring the character of the same name, proved to be a smash hit. The film has grossed $1,347,280,838.
11. Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
It was hard for Age of Ultron to live up the the hype its predecessor made for it. However, this film still managed to make quite the wad of cash. The eleventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe grossed $1,402,805,868. It was once the fifth highest grossing film of all time, before dropping to 11th.
10. Frozen II (2019)
Basically as soon as the first Frozen film was released that people started expecting a sequel. And it was this excitement that helped get butts into seats when Frozen II came out. This film grossed $1,402,805,868, about $200,000,o00 more than the original film.
9. Furious 7 (2015)
The other The Fast and the Furious film to make this list, Furious 7 featured Paul Walker’s final performance. While his passing was tragic, its possible that it helped to sell more tickets and home video releases, as the film’s grossed $1,516,045,911, around $300,000,000 more than its sequel. It was also once the fourth highest grossing film of all time, before falling somewhat to ninth.
8. The Avengers (2012)
It shouldn’t be very surprising that The Avengers is in the top ten. While Iron Man is the film that kicked off the MCU, The Avengers is the one that made each of their films major blockbusters. While it’s the eighth now, this film was once the third highest grossing film of all time. Its grossed $1,518,812,988.
7. The Lion King (2019)
The second and final remake on this list, The Lion King is the “live-action” remake of the 1994 classic. Featuring computer-generated characters in realistic backgrounds, it was certainly a nostalgic trip. The 2019 version of The Lion King grossed $1,656,943,394.
6. Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic World is the film in the Jurassic Park franchise to have grossed the highest amount of money. It certainly added a new level of danger, as, with the park being open, there was a lot higher chance of civilian casualties than in the original. The film’s all-time high for highest grossing films was third, but it has since dropped to sixth. It has grossed $1,671,713,208.
5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Infinity War was being heralded as the culmination of everything that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had been building up for ten years. It was a cultural phenomena like The Avengers before it, which served to not only generate hype for the next film but make people rewatch this one over and over again. Infinity War has grossed $2,048,359,754, the first of these films to break $2,000,000,000 on this list. While it’s in fifth place now for the highest grossing films of all time, it used to be one place higher at fourth.
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
The highest grossing film in the most poplar media franchise of all time. The Force Awakens, no matter what you think about it, brought forth a resurgence in Star Wars media. As the fourth (formerly third) highest grossing film in history, it made $2,068,223,624.
3. Titanic (1997)
At this point, the last three remaining films all have had the pleasure of being in the number one spot at one point. So, starting with that group is Titanic. It’s probably the highest-grossing drama of all time, and certainly stands apart from all the other films on this list. It’s also the oldest film on this list, having managed to hold onto its crown until 2009. Currently, it’s grossed $2,187,425,379.
2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Avengers: Endgame was able to briefly take a hold of the number one spot, but it has since been barely edged out of the position. Like the other films in the Avengers franchise, Endgame was a cultural phenomenon. The true culmination of all that came before it, it managed to cap off the MCU’s Infinity Saga while also leaving it open for continuation. We had to say goodbye to many beloved characters, but there’s still so much more in store. This film has grossed $2,797,501,328.
1. Avatar (2009)
James Cameron’s Avatar isn’t the movie one would first guess was the highest grossing film of all time, not unless they already knew. While it was widely recognized for its time for its advancements in visual effects, the film’s plot hasn’t stood up as much to scrutiny. Nevertheless, this is the film that’s made more money than any other. It’s why Disney bought the rights and are planning to release a few sequels in the next few years. Avatar has grossed $2,847,246,203.
