The Top 100 Highest Grossing Movies Of All Time

When it comes to the highest-grossing movies of all time, you probably won’t be surprised by any of the names. Although films generate revenues through a number of different streams, box office earnings are the main metric used to determine how successful a film is. So even if you haven’t watched these multi-million dollar movies, you have certainly heard about them.

Over the past decade, franchises have performed particularly well and inched their way into the top of the list. While war films and historical dramas also tend to place well, the Marvel Universe and Star Wars have been top-earners for years. Now that the main Avengers storyline is closed, we can expect new movies to chart in the top ten in years to come.

The movie industry is one of the most competitive markets in the world. While each year brings with it a large number of new releases, only a handful will be able to make a significant impact at the box office. In order to reach this coveted spot, movies need to possess all of the qualities that make them attractive to moviegoers. One such quality is the star power of their leading men and women.

While stars can help propel movies into success, they can also be a hindrance. Many famous actors have failed to produce quality work over time and have had negative impacts on box office earnings. Fortunately for moviegoers, there are still plenty of stars who continue to entertain fans and provide entertainment throughout their careers.

Studios like Paramount, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, and 20th Century Fox are continually bringing out a number of blockbuster movies every year. This helps to keep the movie industry at the top of the market and gives actors and actresses a great deal of opportunities to shine.

In addition, directors such as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and George Lucas have continued to produce hit movies throughout their careers. Each of these directors have had huge impacts on the industry and continue to produce blockbusters that are guaranteed to please moviegoers.

From Disney’s Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Toy Story to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there are many iconic actors who have helped their respective movies become top grossing hits. As a result, we have compiled a list of the five highest grossing movies of all time, with a few notes on the stars and directors that helped make them such hits.

The highest grossing movies of all time: The top 5

Let’s take a deeper look at the top 5 highest grossing movies of all time.

1. Avengers: Endgame

Lifetime Gross Earnings: $2,797,800,564
Release Date: April 26, 2019
Budget: $356 million USD
Directors: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

Avengers: Endgame had a ton of buzz around it before it even launched, so Hollywood insiders already knew the movie was going to be big. Audiences were ready for the resolution of the one-year long cliffhanger and the ending of a journey that started in 2008 with the original Iron Man. Still, nobody expected the movie to earn a stunning $1.2 billion on its first weekend out.

While domestic box office earnings top the list with a grossing of $858,373,000, the movie also did extremely well in China ($614,316,021), the UK ($114,995,529), and South Korea ($100,016,554). This was the first movie to ever achieve the seemingly impossible: dethrone Avatar from first place position after years of many other movies trying (and failing).

Starring Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Mark Ruffalo, Danai Gurira, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and Bradley Cooper, Avengers: Endgame is undoubtly one of the most anticipated movies of 2019.

Endgame picks up where Infinity War left off, following the heroes as they attempt to save their universe from destruction. The film stars a number of well-known actors, including Tom Holland. In addition, the actor’s Spider-Man franchises (Spider-Man: No Way Home and
Spider-Man: Far From Home) were also released to great acclaim, with Holland being praised for his performance.

The late Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed Black Panther, also appears in the film. Brie Larson, who has had a number of impressive roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays Captain Marvel. In addition, stars such as Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson are also featured in the film.

Endgame’s success can be attributed to the return of a number of the original Avengers. In addition to having the film’s prequels in place (including Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Iron Man 3), it also has a well-rounded cast that allows the movie to remain entertaining throughout.

Marvel Studio’s blockbuster has been known to pull in huge numbers at the worldwide box office. Endgame is one of the highest grossing movies of all time, and one of the highest grossing superhero movies ever.

Trailer:

2. Avatar

Lifetime Gross Earnings: $2,790,439,000
Release date: December 18, 2009
Director: James Cameron
Budget: 237 million USD

Avatar held on to position #1 on the list of top-grossing movies for an incredible 10 years. Avatar is also a unique case because the movie earned an impressive 72.7% of its box office grossing overseas, an amount higher than usual for most movies. James Cameron’s film took over second place by dethroning Titanic – which is also directed by Cameron. Until Avengers: End Game came out and broke every possible movie record in history, Avatar was also the highest domestic earning movie ever.

Trailer:

3. Titanic

Lifetime Gross Earnings: $2,194,439,542
Release date: November 18, 1997
Director: James Cameron
Budget: 200 million USD

Titanic is the oldest movie on the top ten list of high-earnings films. It came out in 1997 and was only recently pushed to third place place because of the new Avengers movie. Titanic was a very expensive movie to make at $200 million. According to CBC, it was, at the time, the most expensive movie ever made. Avengers: End Game did, of course, cost more – but that was many years later and with a large cast of very expensive stars.

While the movie earned an impressive amount of money when it came out, the earnings got even bigger in 2012, when a 3D version of the movie was released on the day of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. Titanic has been re-released multiple times since its initial release, with the latest version hitting theaters in 2010. It is also available to watch on Netflix. The re-release and remake versions of the movie were also considered to be some of the best remakes of all time.

Trailer:

4. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Lifetime Gross Earnings: $2,068,223,624
Release date: December 18, 2015
Director: J.J. Abrams
Budget: 306 million USD

Before the explosive world of the Avengers took over the box office, Star Wars had a few movies as earning leaders. Right now, only 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is in the top 10 – though there’s another Star Wars movie in position #14: 2017’s The Last Jedi. Like the last Avengers movie, The Force Awakens was eagerly awaited by fans. It came out twelve years after the ending of the prequel trilogy and it promised a brand-new world that would also answer many old questions.

As one of the most successful franchises in history, Star Wars (directed by J.J. Abrams) has seen its fair share of successful movies. The sci-fi franchise has been responsible for the creation of many popular characters, including Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. The franchise has also given rise to one of the most popular movie series of all time, which is based on the original trilogy.

The franchise’s latest installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was a massive success, which resulted in the movie becoming the highest grossing movie of all time. In order to bring this hit franchise back to life, Disney decided to bring back the original stars of the franchise, including Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher.

Trailer:

5. Avengers: Infinity War

Lifetime Gross Earnings: $1,670,400,637
Release date: April 27, 2018
Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Budget: 316 million USD

It’s perhaps no surprise that another Avengers movie is sitting near the top. Especially when that movie is the first half of the stunning showdown that finally gets resolved in End Game. While domestically the movie didn’t do better than other films lower on the top 10 list, it had a stunning international debut, breaking all kinds of records in the first month it was out.

Marvel Studios is in the business of making sure their movies are seen by as many people as possible, and that means setting records for the largest grosses in history. DC’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was also a success, but not quite as much of one as Infinity War. That’s likely because of the anticipation surrounding Infinity War, which is a phenomenon in and of itself.

Although there are many fans of the Batman movie, The Dark Knight was not as well received by critics and moviegoers alike. It also didn’t perform as well in the box office, even though it had a number of great actors and actresses in it. Compared to Infinity War and Endgame, the two were just not able to match the box office of their predecessors.

Trailer:

Highest-grossing Films Adjusted for Inflation

Including old films in a list of high-earning movies is tricky. A movie released in the 1950s would show much smaller earnings than one released two years ago. But once you adjust for inflation, it’s entirely possible that movie earned much more for its release time. Experts sometimes take to the task, adjusting for inflation and changes in ticket price –but the system isn’t perfect, especially when you’re trying to include worldwide grosses and currency exchange rates come into play.

The short version? An inflation adjusted list is not very accurate.

All that said, most movie experts agree that Gone with the Wind can safely be declared the highest-grossing inflation-adjusted film at the global post office. According to the Guinness World of Records, the 1939 film earned “just” US$393.4 million around the world at the time, but once you adjust those numbers for inflation, they rise to a total gross of $3.44 billion. This would put Gone with the Wind on position #1 in our previous list.

While other inflation-adjusted movies aren’t much of a surprise (Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, and Titanic are still near the top), a list including inflation-adjusted films would include two nice surprises: 1965’s The Sound of Music and 1982’s E.T. the Extraterrestrial in positions 6th and 7th.

Top 100 Highest Grossing Films Of All Time

Movies like Jaws, Spider-Man, and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have helped make the list of highest grossing movies of all time. It is worth to note that some of the movies on this list have been released multiple times and have earned billions of dollars.

While new blockbusters might one day change the winners on this list, some movies will be very hard to beat for years to come. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (from the Jurassic Park franchise), Fast and Furious 7, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Incredibles 2, The Jungle Book, Aquaman, Frozen II, Despicable Me, Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, The Fate of the Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Guardians of The Galaxy and Transformers: Dark of the Moon are also included on this list. Here is a full list of the top 100 most successful blockbuster films of all time.

Final Thoughts

While it is impossible to rank all of the movies that have ever been released, many of these movies have been part of blockbuster franchises. Some gained success due to their stars, while others have made the most of their budgets and have become big box office hits. Some Oscar winners, such as Titanic, have gone on to become classics that are still loved by many moviegoers.

Other movies were simply successful due to their unique concepts and themes. These movies have made a significant impact on the industry and continue to be relevant to moviegoers today. Marvel’s The Avengers franchise has become one of the most popular franchises in the world, and its stars continue to be a major draw for moviegoers. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has also had a significant impact on the industry and continues to be popular with moviegoers.

At the end of the day, these movies continue to be relevant and are a large part of the entertainment industry. While many of these movies have become classics, others have simply gone on to become highly regarded by moviegoers. No matter what the quality of these movies, they continue to break records and provide entertainment for moviegoers around the world.