Ranking every movie to make over $2billion at the box office
No matter what the likes of Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve suggest, the bottom line is that the movie business is a numbers game. You could make the best movie of all time, but if it makes no money, then it’s not of interest to the major movie studios or the independent production companies that need to make their money back on every investment.
Indeed, making movies is all about making money, with production budgeting, marketing costs and actor salaries each being worked out to a fine art by the likes of Disney, who have turned modern moviemaking into an efficient production line of content. For this reason, the ‘House of Mouse’ dominates the list of the highest-grossing films of all time, being responsible for four of the six movies that have earned over $2billion dollars at the box office.
Including highlights of each of the Marvel, Star Wars and Avatar universes, the exclusive $2billion club is reserved for movies that enrapture the entire world, with audiences in China especially pivotal to the success of contemporary Hollywood films. For example, whilst the 2009 effort Avatar earned $785,221,649 domestically, it managed a staggering $2,138,484,377 in foreign markets, with $262,125,748 coming directly from China.
Still, we believe every movie should be held to critical account, even if they are terrifying financial juggernauts.
Ranking every $2billion movie:
6. Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron, 2022)
It’s undoubtedly true that the American filmmaker James Cameron is box office gold, with the director directly responsible for half the movies on this list. His worst, yet arguably most impressive feat, is Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time that stands up to its predecessor in terms of box office numbers and technological prowess.
Many doubted that Cameron could strike gold twice in the same franchise. Yet, the director created a movie that broke $2billion again, despite being released over a decade after the original film was released. It may be profitable, but Avatar: The Way of Water failed to reach any critical heights.
5. Titanic (James Cameron, 1997)
Heralding a new dawn for blockbuster cinema in 1997 with the release of the romantic epic Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, this extraordinary movie became an international sensation and broke all records at the time. As well as claiming the top spot as the highest-grossing movie of the time, Titanic was also a critical hit, earning 11 Academy Awards in total, including ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Picture’.
Whilst it might be adored by fans worldwide, we don’t think much of this overly earnest weepy, with the three-hour movie being an utter chore to watch, even though DiCaprio and Winslet give a good crack at keeping you engaged.
4. Avengers: Endgame (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, 2019)
Closing the book on a significant part of the Marvel universe, Avengers: Endgame is one of the most triumphant endings to any franchise ever, even if the first half of the finale is considered far better than the latter. Still, Avengers: Endgame was an utter treat to behold for any superhero fan and undisputed gobbledegook for anyone who hadn’t been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a pad of paper to hand.
With a glittering cast of Hollywood stars, including Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, the film was always destined for greatness.
3. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams, 2015)
George Lucas’ Star Wars universe returned with a bang in 2015 with the release of the J.J. Abrams flick The Force Awakens. Though it might have clung to the boundaries of creative safety a little too tightly, being a film that was essentially exactly the same as 1977s A New Hope, Disney’s reboot of the franchise went down a treat with critics and audiences alike, earning a little over $2billion at the box office.
Disney has since let their creative control on the franchise slip, with quality dipping considerably as a result. Looking back at the modern history of Star Wars, The Force Awakens stands as one of the most recent glimmers of hope.
2. Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)
The highest-grossing movie of all time is a box office anomaly. A film so enormous it sparked a new market obsession with 3D goggles, Avatar earned a staggering $2.9billion in 2009, prompting the studio to re-release the movie three further times in theatres where it now lies just $762,939,74 shy of the dazzling $3billion mark. With all its bells and whistles, it’s easy to forget how great the film was, too, presenting a magical fantasy world of blue creatures and an overt capitalist message.
Starring Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez, the movie tells the story of a paraplegic Marine who is dispatched to the glowing world of Pandora to take on a special mission.
1. Avengers: Infinity War (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, 2018)
When people discuss the finale of Marvel’s ‘Infinity Saga’, fans often state that part one of the two-part final, Avengers: Infinity War, is far better than the sequel. Hyped up by the studio over the course of multiple movies over several years, Infinity War is the culmination of many different story arcs, drawn together with masterful planning and precision by directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, as well as screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
Setting up multiple storylines and an epic conclusion whilst also being a solid action movie in its own right, Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most impressive superhero movies ever made.
