Only 51 movies have ever hit $1 billion at the box office — here they all are

Tom Cruise may be the last sure-fire bankable movie star at the box office. Paramount. Without adjusting for inflation, 50 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, including “Frozen 2” and “Joker. ” “Jurassic World Dominion” is the latest film to join the elite club since the pandemic. 51.

“Jurassic World Dominion” (2022)The original and new casts joined forces in the third “Jurassic World” film. Universal StudiosTotal gross revenue: $1,000,000,000Poor 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. 50. “The Dark Knight” (2008)Heath Ledger was unforgettable as the Joker.

WB via YouTubeTotal gross revenue: $1,006,102,277Back 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. 49.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (2012)Martin Freeman was a perfect Bilbo Baggins. Warner Bros. Total gross revenue: $1,017,030,651When 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. 48.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001)Daniel Radcliffe as the titular Harry Potter in the first franchise film. Warner Bros. Total gross revenue: $1,022,290,019Nineteen years after it’s 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.

 47. “Zootopia” (2016)”Zootopia” won the Oscar for best animated picture. DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,024,121,104″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. 46. “Alice In Wonderland” (2010)Johnny Depp is in a lot of billion-dollar movies.

Disney via YouTubeTotal gross revenue: $1,025,468,216When 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. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (2016) grossed $299,500,000 worldwide.

 45. “Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace” (1999)The “Star Wars” prequels had a lot of hype. YouTube/LucasFilmTotal gross revenue: $1,027,082,707″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. 44. “Finding Dory” (2016)Ellen DeGeneres came back as Dory for her spinoff movie.

DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,028,570,942Moviegoers 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.

  43. “Despicable Me 3″ (2017)People seriously love those Minions. UniversalTotal Gross Revenue: $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 clearly a smart move. 42.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011)Oh look, Johnny Depp again!DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,045,713,802There 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 particular Disney franchise. 41.

“Aladdin” (2019)Will Smith as the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin. “DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,050,693,953Like 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.

40. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)Felicity Jones starred as Jyn Erso. Disney/LucasfilmTotal gross revenue: $1,056,057,720 “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. It’s also worth noting that all four billion-dollar movies of 2016 were Disney releases.  39.

“The Lion King” (1994)”The Lion King” joined the billion-dollar club inDisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,063,611,805The 1994 Disney Oscar-winning picture grossed $968. 5 million by the end of its theatrical run. Several rereleases of the film helped push it over the $1 billion mark.

38. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006)And yet again. DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,066,179,747Back 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. 37. “Toy Story 3” (2010)No wonder they made “Toy Story 4.

“PixarTotal gross revenue: $1,066,970,811The 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. Read more: 10 things you didn’t know about ‘Toy Story 4’36.

“Toy Story 4″ (2019)”Toy Story 4” introduced a new character named Forky. Disney/PixarTotal gross revenue: $1,073,394,593 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.

“35. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019)Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. “LucasfilmTotal gross revenue: $1,074,149,279The 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. 34. “Joker” (2019)Joaquin Phoenix stars as Arthur Fleck, aka Joker, in “Joker.

“Niko Tavernise/Warner BrosTotal gross revenue: $1,074,445,730This 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.

33. “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)Tom Hardy nailed his role as Bane. Warner Bros.

Total gross revenue: $1,081,153,097 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. 32.

“Jurassic Park” (1993)A 2013 re-release of Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur classic helped the film join the billion-dollar club. UniversalTotal gross revenue: $1,099,699,003Similar 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. 31.

“Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014)Moviegoers around the world can’t get enough of the Autobots. Courtesy Paramount PicturesTotal gross revenue: $1,104,054,072Ah 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. 30. “Skyfall” (2012)Daniel Craig broke the mold as the first blonde Bond.

SonyTotal gross revenue: $1,108,569,499At 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.

29. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011)More “Transformers” on our list. ParamountTotal gross revenue: $1,123,794,079The third “Transformers” movie was the first Paramount picture to reach $1 billion at the box office.

Just like with “Age of Extinction,” the boost in ticket sales came largely from international movie audiences. This was the last “Transformers” movie which starred Shia LaBeouf.  28.

“Captain Marvel” (2019)Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel. Disney/MarvelTotal gross revenue: $1,128,462,972And 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.

27. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019)Zendaya and Tom Holland star as MJ and Peter Parker in “Spider-Man: Far From Home. “Sony PicturesTotal gross revenue: $1,131,927,996The 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.

26. “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)The final installment of this epic trilogy won basically all the awards. New Line CinemaTotal gross revenue: $1,146,436,214People 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.

25. “Aquaman” (2018)Jason Momoa and Amber Heard star in “Aquaman. “Warner Bros.

Total gross revenue: $1,148,528,393″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 March 2023.

24. “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)Marvel is stepping up its game when it comes to movies. MarvelTotal gross revenue: $1,153,337,496″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. 23. “Minions” (2015)Yes, those little yellow creatures are raking in billions.

IlluminationTotal gross revenue: $1,159,444,662The 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.  22.

“Iron Man 3” (2013)Robert Downey Jr. is iconic as Tony Stark. Disney / MarvelTotal gross revenue: $1,214,811,252Tony 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.

21. “The Fate of the Furious” (2017)”F8″ (as fans called it) was a huge movie for 2017. UniversalTotal gross revenue: $1,236,005,118In 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. 20.

“Incredibles 2” (2018)The Parr family returned for Pixar’s sequel to 2004’s “The Incredibles. “DisneyTotal Gross Revenue: $1,243,089,244Despite 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. 19.

“Beauty and the Beast” (2017)Emma Watson and Dan Stevens starred in “Beauty and the Beast. “DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,273,576,220Also 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.

 18. “Frozen” (2013)Disney hit the jackpot with its story rooted in sisterhood. DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,281,508,100″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.

17. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (2018)Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard star in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. “UniversalTotal Gross Revenue: $1,310,466,296The second installment in Universal’s rebooted “Jurassic Park” trilogy had an impressive opening weekend and then quickly grossed $1 billion after two weeks.

 16. “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022)Tom Cruise may be the last sure-fire bankable movie star at the box office. Paramount.

Total Gross Revenue: $1,463,980,685Pushing back Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun” sequel two years during the pandemic was the right move for Paramount. Far superior to the original with an actual focus on the Top Gun training program instead of a romance, the film became the second pandemic movie to cross $1 billion.  The film’s Memorial Day opening weekend of $248 million worldwide became Cruise’s career-best passing 2005’s “War of the Worlds” ($64.

9 million). The movie has had massive staying power at the box office for 10 weeks and counting, only dropping 29% in its second weekend. (Usually, films will drop around 50% in week two.

)Its $709 million at the domestic box office makes it the fifth highest-grossing domestic film of all time ahead of “Black Panther” and “Titanic. ” “Maverick” is currently the highest-grossing movie of 2022. For its success, Cruise is getting at least a $100 million payday.

15. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017)Daisy Ridley as Rey and Mark Hamill in “The Last Jedi. “LucasfilmTotal Gross Revenue: $1,332,698,830″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. 14. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two” (2011)Notice a trend? A lot of series on this list.

Warner Bros. Total gross revenue: $1,342,359,942Following 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. 13.

“Black Panther” (2018)Chadwick Boseman plays King T’Challa in “Black Panther. “DisneyTotal Gross Revenue: $1,347,597,973″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.

 12. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)Marvel strikes again. MarvelTotal gross revenue: $1,402,809,540″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. 11. “Frozen II” (2019)Elsa and Anna returned in a new adventure in 2019.

DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,450,026,933The 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. 10.

“Furious 7” (2015)We’re expecting the eighth “Fast and Furious” movie to get on this list, too. UniversalTotal gross revenue: $1,515,341,399″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.  9.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012)The Avengers are unstoppable at the box office. MarvelTotal gross revenue: $1,518,815,515The 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.

“8. “The Lion King” (2019)Disney’s remakes of its classic animated films continue paying off. DisneyTotal gross revenue: $1,663,250,487 After just under three weeks in theaters, Disney’s remake of “The Lion King” crossed $1 billion dollars in total box-office gross.

This was the fourth movie of 2019 to join the billion-dollar club. The first three were “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Captain Marvel. “7.

“Jurassic World” (2015)Another reboot on our list. UniversalTotal gross revenue: $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. 6. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021)Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland, and Andrew Garfield in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.

“Sony PicturesTotal gross revenue: $1,901,232,550Spider-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.  5.

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)Marvel touted this movie as the biggest crossover event in history. MarvelTotal gross revenue: $2,048,359,754The 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.

4. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)This is the third “Star Wars” movie on the list. LucasfilmTotal gross revenue: $2,069,521,700The 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. 3. “Titanic” (1997)James Cameron is the king of $1 billion movies.

20th Century FoxTotal gross revenue: $2,201,647,264Two decades later, James Cameron’s “Titanic” is holding steady in its number-three spot for box-office records. The movie made around $1. 8 billion during its initial 1997 release, and then topped $2 billion after it was re-released in 3D in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the iconic ship’s sinking.

2. “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)Thanos leading his army in “Avengers: Endgame. “DisneyTotal gross revenue: $2,797,501,328Marvel’s major endcap to its run of 22 comic-book based films broke the record for fastest movie to reach one-billion dollars in international box-office totals.

 On the Sunday of its opening weekend, Disney estimated “Avengers: Endgame” had made $1,209,000,000 within the first five days of its global debut.  It became the highest-grossing movie of all time until Disney re-released “Avatar” in China in 2021. 1.

“Avatar” (2009)There are four more “Avatar” movies in the works. FoxTotal gross revenue: $2,847,397,339With 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) re-released the film in China in spring 2021. Now that Disney owns the rights to the two highest-grossing movies of all time, the company has the power to control which movie is in the top spot by simply re-releasing either film whenever it benefits the Mouse.

Don’t be surprised with more “Avatar” re-releases as the long-awaited sequel hits theaters this December. Promoting “Avatar 2” as the sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time sounds way better than the sequel to the second highest-grossing film of all time. Read the original article on Insider.