The 50 Movies That Have Grossed Over $1 Billion At The Box Office

Surpassing the billion-dollar mark in cinema is a feat that very few films manage to achieve. To reach that figure at the box office, the stories that they show us on the screen must have a mixture of genres that can attract the attention of the public and that, in addition, have directors who are not afraid of being called sell-outs.

In this 2022, "Top Gun: Maverick" became the 50th film to overcome that barrier with a plot full of action and nostalgia, since it is the sequel to an 80's classic. As of the date of this article, the film starring Tom Cruise has raised $1,115,975,367 according to reports from the Box Office Mojo portal . It is also worth mentioning that two other titles that are still on display could also be added to this list: "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ($951,467,185) and "Jurassic World: Dominion" ($831,441,935).

Blockbuster Superheroes

It is no secret to anyone that superhero films are among the most attractive for all kinds of audiences. This subgenre of cinema is currently having a great impact thanks to the extensive Marvel project with its cinematographic universe. "Avengers" ($1,518,815,515) set a precedent that the studio did not hesitate to repeat, and not surprisingly received another hit with "Avengers: Age of Ultron" ($1,402,809,540). 

But if it is necessary to mention a UCM superhero that has given the studio the most profitability, it is Spider-Man. Tom Holland's Peter Parker has been the only one to pass the billion dollars with "Far From Home" ($ 1,131,927,966) and "No Way Home" ($ 1,901,207,419). 

In turn, "Black Panther" ($1,347,597,973) is the only one of this category that managed to collect more at the North American box office than at the international box office by a small margin. Other successful Marvel titles include: "Iron Man 3" ($1,214,811,252), "Captain America: Civil War" ($1,153,337,496) and "Captain Marvel" ($1,128,462,972).

For its part, the most gothic touch of DC Comics has only made four of its films have been able to spend a billion dollars at the box office. The solo debuts of "Aquaman" ($1,148,485,886) and "Joker" ($1,074,419,384) were unexpected successes. While the Batman of the Nolan trilogy was an example to follow with "The Dark Knight Rises" ($1,084,439,099) and "The Dark Knight" ($1,006,102,277).

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The contribution of Disney and Pixar

What would cinema be without the emotional stories that Disney and Pixar give us? There is no age for animated films and this has been demonstrated over time, since every adult has a child within himself. The Pixar studio has given us world-famous jewels such as "Incredibles 2" ($1,244,639,527), "Toy Story 4" ($1,073,394,593), "Toy Story 3" ($1,066,970,811) and "Finding Dory" ($1,028). .570,942).

As for Disney, we find two peculiarities. The first are "Frozen" ( $1,281,508,100) and "Frozen 2" ($1,450,026,933) as the only sequels to be present. While "The Lion King" ($1,063,611,805) appears alongside his 2019 live action counterpart ($1,662,899,439). To close we have "Zootopia" ($1,024,121,104) as one of the revelations of the last five years.

However, not everything is animation at Disney. When calculating, the live-action films are the ones that have actually stood up for the studio and we see that with "Beauty and the Beast" ($1,264,434,525), "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($1,066 179,747), "Aladdin" ($1,050,693,953), "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" ($1,045,713,802) and "Alice in Wonderland" ($1,025,468,216).

Last but not least, Universal Pictures and the production company Illumination Entertainment created an animated saga that has received excellent reviews for its style and good humor. Of course, we are talking about the deliveries of "Despicable Me 3" ($1,034,800,131) and "Minions" ($1,159,444,662).

Other great franchises

Given the box office success of certain films, the different distributors have opened the doors to more plots to start new film franchises. Such has been the case of the overflowing action by Vin Diesel in the saga of "Furious 7" ($1,515,341,399) and "The Fate of the Furious" ($1,236,005,118); with James Bond in "Skyfall" ($1,108,569,499); and adaptations of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" ($1,123,794,079) and "Transformers: Age of Extinction" ($1,104,054,072).

In turn, stories with dinosaurs remain in the hearts of the audience. "Jurassic Park" ($1,099,699,003) took the first step in 1993 to be overtaken by its successors "Jurassic World" ($1,670,516,444) and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" ($1,310,466,296) in the last decade.

But, certainly, there is no greater franchise that represents moviegoers than Star Wars. The story that began in the 70's has not stopped expanding its universe over the years, having several titles with more than $1 billion at the box office : "Episode VIII – The Last Jedi" ($1,332,698,830), "Episode IX – The The Rise of Skywalker" ($1,074,232,589), "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" ($1,056,057,720) and "Episode I – The Phantom Menace" ($1,027,082,707)

Finally, magic and epic fantasy could not be left out and are represented by two of the franchises with the largest followers in the world . This list includes "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" ($1,342,321,665), "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" ($1,022,290,019), "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" ($1,017,003,568) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($1,146,030,912)

The $2 Billion Club

If it is already difficult to reach a billion dollars at the box office, doubling that figure can only be achieved by a select few. Only five films passed the $2 billion mark, and that was partly due to the huge hype they generated months before their theatrical release. As a curious fact, only two of those five have nothing to do with a franchise.

"Avengers: Infinity War" ($2,048,359,754) and "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens" ($2,069,521,700) fell short in trying to top "Titanic" ($2,201,647,264), a classic from the 90's that continues to sail in our hearts. However, it was "Avengers: Endgame" ($2,797,501,328) and "Avatar" ($2,847,397,339) that managed to break box office records and thus become the highest-grossing movies in history.