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- Varying movies have dominated the box office over the years, but few have made it onto the list of the highest-grossing films of the century.
- We looks at the top 10 movies which ruled the box office and brought in the big bucks worldwide.
- Thus far, James Cameron is the only director to have three films among the top grossing films of all time, including 1997's Titanic.
From street races in Fast & Furious to superhero crossovers in Avengers and the love story and climatic battle in Avatar and its long-awaited sequel, these are not only firm favourites but the movies that ruled the box office worldwide.
Which brought in the most? We looks at the top 10 highest-grossing films of the century thus far.
10. Fast & Furious 7 (2015) - $1.516 billion
According to Watch Mojo, the Fast & Furious franchise peaked when it released its seventh movie, which became the highest-grossing film ever in China. Its success, the company said, was fueled by solid reviews and sentiment around Paul Walker.
Walker died in a fiery crash when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in crashed into a tree and burst into flames in November 2013. His friend Roger Rodas, who was driving the vehicle, also died.
The movie follows Dominic Toretto, Brian O'Conner and the rest of the crew as they return to the United States to live everyday lives after defeating Owen Shaw and his crew. However, Owen's older brother, Ian, is after Dom to seek revenge for his brother's death, putting them in danger again. The crew then sets out to find the man who killed one of their own before he finds them first.
9. The Avengers (2015) - $ 1.519 billion
The Marvel superhero crossover movie, where iconic superheroes teamed up, reportedly had the "greatest opening weekend" in America.
It saw Marvel superheroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and the Black Widow come together to save the world from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy emerged and threatened global safety and security.
It was the third highest-grossing film at the time of its release.
8. The Lion King (2019) - $1.663 billion
While the 2019 rendition of the film reportedly did not receive the best reviews, it made a bigger mark than the 1994 original. Watch Mojo says it became the highest-grossing musical and animated movie and performed strongly in domestic and international markets.
7. Jurassic World (2015) - $1.672 billion
Over a decade after Jurassic Park was released, the dinosaur thriller movie returned on a larger scale where an entire island, filled with people, was threatened in Jurassic World
Both movie editions hit the $1 billion mark, but the sequel made the fastest in 14 days.
6. Spiderman: No Way Home (2021) - $1.916 billion
Reportedly the first billion-dollar film since Covid, Spiderman: No Way Home raked in $260 million in its opening weekend. It also became the highest-grossing non-Avengers film.
It follows Spiderman, who enlists the help of Doctor Strange to help him make the world forget his identity as Peter Parker when it is exposed. But the spell goes wrong, and unwanted guests enter their universe.
5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - $2.48 billion
Featuring the "who's who" of superheroes, the film was reportedly the first to reach $1 billion and the fourth to surpass the $2 billion mark.
It follows the Avengers as they venture to stop Thanos from getting his hands on all of the infinity stones. But he is prepared to go to any lengths to carry out his plan.
4. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) - $2.69 billion
The continuation of the story, last seen in 1983, saw the movie debut to the highest grossing amount, at the time, of $ 529 million.
Han Solo and his young allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and the First Order 30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire.
3. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - $2.244 billion
The highest-grossing film of 2022 made the franchise a "must-see" and made its director James Cameron the only director to have three films among the top 10 grossing films of all time, including 1997's Titanic.
The visually striking movie, which took viewers to the tribe of the Na'vi, made more than $441 million in its first weekend at the box office.
2. Avengers: Endgame (2019) - $2.798 billion
The then highly-anticipated movie grossed over $1. 2 billion in its opening weekend, became the fastest to make more than $2 billion, and briefly held the top spot as the highest-grossing film ever.
It follows the protagonists as they take on Thanos in a climactic battle on earth and bring back every major hero in a fight for the ages.
1. Avatar (2009) - $2.93 billion
At the time of its premiere, the movie stayed on top of the box office for 11 consecutive weeks.
It followed a paraplegic marine dispatched to the world of Pandora on a unique mission. However, he becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home when a love story develops between him and Na'vi princess, Neytiri.
