Explore the captivating world of cinema with our article on the “Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies of All Time.” Dive into the stories, technology, and cultural impact of these cinematic masterpieces.
The movies! One of life’s greatest time-passes. In its century-long history, the highest-grossing movies of all time have been experienced in the sticky seats of a cinema. Nothing compares to sitting in a dark room with a popcorn box the size of a toddler and zero distractions (because no, it’s not okay to get your phone out in the cinema, you monsters).
Cinema may have been ebbing and flowing in recent years thanks to various things like streaming and a little thing called the pandemic, but it doesn’t take Tom Cruise hurtling himself off a building every other Wednesday to prove that the singular experience of communal movie-watching should be preferred. A home entertainment release on DVD (remember those?) and streaming platforms can edge a film over the hallowed line of the world’s biggest film, but that usually comes after a moment of event cinema that knocks it almost entirely out of the park. From big-budget superhero films to animated classics that still bring the family together, here are the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time.
Top 10 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time
In the ever-evolving world of cinema, there’s a prestigious club that only a select few films have the honor of joining—the list of the “Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies of All Time.” These are the movies that have not only captured the hearts of audiences worldwide but have also redefined the boundaries of cinematic success. In this article, we’ll embark on a journey through this exclusive club, exploring the films that have achieved monumental box-office earnings and examining what makes them stand out.
1. Gone with the Wind (1939): $4.192 billion
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American epic historical drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming. It is an adaptation of the 1936 novel of the same name by Margaret Mitchell. The film tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), a Southern belle who struggles to survive the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Gone with the Wind was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $400 million at the box office. It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won eight, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Leigh. The film is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made.
Gone with the Wind was a groundbreaking film in many ways. It was one of the first films to be shot in Technicolor, and its lavish production values were unprecedented. The film also featured a complex and nuanced portrayal of the Civil War and Reconstruction, which was rare for the time.
2. Avatar (2009): $3.824 billion
Avatar is a 2009 American epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, and Giovanni Ribisi. It is set in the mid-22nd century, when humans are colonizing a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system, called Pandora, in order to mine the valuable mineral unobtanium. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local group of Na’vi, a humanoid species indigenous to Pandora.
Avatar was released on December 18, 2009, in the United States and Canada and on December 16, 2009, in other territories. It was the highest-grossing film of all time for nearly ten years until it was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The film has grossed over $3.8 billion worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of all time (unadjusted for inflation).
Avatar was a critical and commercial success, winning three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction and being nominated for six others, including Best Picture and Best Director. It was also praised for its groundbreaking visual effects, which were created using a combination of live-action and computer-generated imagery (CGI).
3. Titanic (1997): $3.485 billion
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. Incorporating both historical and fictionalized aspects, it is based on accounts of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.
Titanic was released on December 19, 1997, by Paramount Pictures. It was a critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time, a record it held for over a decade until being surpassed by Avatar in 2010. The film has grossed over $3.48 billion worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing film of all time (unadjusted for inflation). It was also nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, winning eleven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song for “My Heart Will Go On.”.
4. Star Wars (1977): $3.443 billion
Star Wars, originally released as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and James Earl Jones. It is the first film in the original Star Wars trilogy and the fourth film in the Star Wars franchise overall. The film follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker (Hamill), a young farm boy who joins the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the evil Galactic Empire. Along the way, he is joined by Han Solo (Ford), a smuggler, and Princess Leia (Fisher), a leader of the Rebellion.
Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox. It was a critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time (a record it held for nearly five years until being surpassed by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982). The film has grossed over $3.44 billion worldwide (unadjusted for inflation), making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time.
5. The Avengers: Endgame (2019): $2.797 billion
The Avengers: Endgame is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In Endgame, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse the damage caused by Thanos in Infinity War.
Endgame was released in the United States on April 26, 2019, in IMAX and 4DX. It grossed over $2.797 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of all time (a record it held for two years until being surpassed by Avatar in 2021). The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its scale, ambition, emotional impact, and performances.
6. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): $2.320 billion
Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 American epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. It is the second film in the Avatar franchise, following Avatar (2009), and stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, and Kate Winslet. Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water follows the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their children) as they face new threats to their home and way of life.
The film was released in the United States on December 16, 2022, by 20th Century Studios. It has grossed over $2.320 billion worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of all time (unadjusted for inflation). The film has received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its visual effects and production values but criticized its plot, screenplay, and runtime.
7. Avengers: Infinity War (2018): $2.048 billion
Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team, the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Tom Holland, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. In Infinity War, the Avengers and their allies team up to stop the supervillain Thanos from collecting the six Infinity Stones and using them to wipe out half of all life in the universe.
8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015): $2.068 billion
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed, written, and co-produced by J. J. Abrams. It is the first installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the seventh main installment of the Star Wars franchise. The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max von Sydow, Gwendoline Christie, and Simon Pegg. Set thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), The Force Awakens follows Rey (Ridley), a scavenger who finds herself thrust into a galactic conflict between the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Fisher), and the First Order, a successor to the Galactic Empire led by Kylo Ren (Driver).
The Force Awakens was released in the United States on December 18, 2015, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It became the highest-grossing film of all time in North America, a record it held for over a year until being surpassed by Avatar in 2021. The film also became the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, a record it held for over two years until being surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The Force Awakens received positive reviews from critics, who praised its action sequences, special effects, performances, and Abrams’ direction.
9. Jurassic World (2015): $1.671 billion
Jurassic World is a 2015 American science fiction adventure film directed by Colin Trevorrow and written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Derek Connolly, and Trevorrow. It is the sequel to Jurassic Park (1993) and the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, B. D. Wong, Irrfan Khan, and Judy Greer. Set twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World follows Owen Grady (Pratt), a velociraptor trainer, and Claire Dearing (Howard), a park operations manager, as they attempt to deal with the consequences of a new dinosaur escaping from its enclosure.
Jurassic World was released in the United States on June 12, 2015, by Universal Pictures. It became the highest-grossing film of 2015 and the third-highest-grossing film of all time (a record it held for over a year until being surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019). The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its visual effects and action sequences but criticized its plot, screenplay, and characters.
10. The Lion King (2019): $1.663 billion
The Lion King (2019) is a computer-animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is a photorealistic remake of Disney’s 1994 traditionally animated film of the same name, which itself is a retelling of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. The film is directed by Jon Favreau, who also co-produced it with Jeffrey Silver and Karen Gilchrist, and written by Jeff Nathanson. The voice cast includes Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, James Earl Jones, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Seth Rogen, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Florence Kasumba, Eric Andre, Keegan-Michael Key, J. D. McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, John Kani, and Beyonce’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.
The Lion King (2019) was released in the United States on July 19, 2019, in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX. It became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the highest-grossing musical film of all time, the highest-grossing remake of all time, the second-highest-grossing film of 2019, and the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time (unadjusted for inflation). The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its visual effects, music, and voice acting but criticized its lack of originality and emotional depth.
FAQs
Q. What is the highest-grossing movie of all time?
“Avengers: Endgame” currently holds the title as the highest-grossing movie of all time, surpassing “Avatar.”
Q. How do these films achieve such high earnings?
These movies often combine captivating storytelling, cutting-edge visuals, and beloved franchises, attracting a wide range of audiences.
Q. Are there upcoming films that could join this list?
With the ever-evolving film industry, it’s likely that future blockbusters will vie for a spot on this list, driven by innovation and storytelling.
Q. What impact do these movies have on the film industry?
They often set new benchmarks for box office success, influencing production trends and encouraging studios to invest in ambitious projects.
Q. How has technology influenced the success of these films?
Advancements in CGI and filmmaking technology have enabled these movies to create immersive and visually stunning worlds.
Q. What makes a film successful in the long term?
A successful film not only generates revenue but also resonates with audiences, leaving a lasting impact and earning a place in cinematic history.
Conclusion
The “Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies of all Time” represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement, blending storytelling prowess, technological innovation, and a touch of magic. As we await the next blockbuster to break into this exclusive club, these films continue to inspire and entertain audiences around the globe. Their enduring allure reminds us of the transformative power of storytelling on the silver screen.
