Only 27 movies have ever hit $1 billion at the box office
Yes — the "Minions" movie made $1 billion.Illumination
With movie-ticket prices increasing and the resurgence of franchises like "Star Wars," films earning over $1 billion worldwide may become commonplace. But for now, there are only 27 movies from the past 25 years that have managed to join this exclusive club.
Using data from Box Office Mojo, we compiled a list of the highest-grossing movies that made $1 billion or more.
From "Minions" to "Furious 7" and more, keep reading for a look at the box-office hits.
27. "The Dark Knight" (2008)
Total gross revenue: $1,004,600,000
Back in July 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.
"The Dark Knight" remains in the 27th spot when it comes to highest-grossing movies of all time.
26. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012)
Total gross revenue: $1,021,100,000
When Peter Jackson's first "Hobbit" movie crossed the $1 billion mark, it appeared a good indication 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" made about $960,000,000 each.
25. "Zootopia" (2016)
Total gross revenue: $1,023,800,000
Disney's "Zootopia" is one of four animated features the studio has made that have crossed the $1 billion mark.
"Not only did it earn Disney Animation's biggest opening ever — debuting to $75 million," Entertainment Weekly reported in July 2016, "but it also set a record for the biggest animated March opening of all time."
24. "Alice In Wonderland" (2010)
Total gross revenue: $1,025,500,000
When 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.
23. "Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace" (1999)
Total gross revenue: $1,027,000,000
"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.
22. "Finding Dory" (2016)
Total gross revenue: $1,027,900,000
Moviegoers 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). The box-office numbers also make "Finding Dory" the fifth highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
21. "Jurassic Park" (1993)
Total gross revenue: $1,029,200,000
Similar to "The Phantom Menace," a 3D rerelease 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 rerelease included China — and the difference in ticket sales showed.
20. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011)
Total gross revenue: $1,045,700,000
There are four "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies (soon to be five), and two of them have joined the billion-dollar club. 2011's "On Stranger Tides" holds 20th place, while the second movie in the franchise is right above it.
19. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006)
Total gross revenue: $1,066,200,000
Back in 2006, when the sequel to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribben: 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.
18. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
Total gross revenue: $1,067,000,000
The 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. After a couple of delays, "Toy Story 4" is now expected in 2019.
17. "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)
Total gross revenue: $1,084,900,000
Christopher Nolan's follow-up to "The Dark Knight" had become 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.
16. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014)
Total gross revenue: $1,104,000,000
Ah 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.
15. "Skyfall" (2012)
Total gross revenue: $1,108,600,000
"Skyfall" is the only James Bond movie in history that has cracked the $1 billion ceiling. It remains Sony's biggest hit of all time, and holds the record as the first movie to ever cross the 100 million pound mark in the UK.
14. "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
Total gross revenue: $1,119,900,000
People 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 ("Titantic" 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.
13. "Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon" (2011)
Total gross revenue: $1,123,800,000
The 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 that starred Shia LaBeouf.
12. "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)
Total gross revenue: $1,153,300,000
And here we begin with the seemingly unstoppable success of Marvel universe movies. "Captain America: Civil War" was a blockbuster hit in 2016, and the first movie of that year to rake in $1 billion.
11. "Minions" (2015)
Total gross revenue: $1,159,400,000
The 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 has breached $1 billion.
10. "Iron Man 3" (2013)
Total gross revenue: $1,214,800,000
Tony 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 before, this movie was the final confirmation of his vital role in Marvel's franchise.
9. "Frozen" (2013)
Total gross revenue: $1,276,500,000
The global success of "Frozen" continues to maintain records for Disney. The movie holds the #1 spot as the highest-grossing animated feature of all time. "Frozen" joined the billion-dollar club in the same week it nabbed two Oscars as well.
8. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two" (2011)
Total gross revenue: $1,341,500,000
Following the trend of some other franchises in our top list, the final "Harry Potter" film is the only one of the bunch that raked in $1 billion or more. The only other movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling's work that came close was "Sorcerer's Stone," which remains at $975 million total.
7. "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
Total gross revenue: $1,405,400,000
"Transformers," "The Dark Knight," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are three franchises for which each has two movies in the billion-dollar club (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 No. 1 spot around the world.
6. "Furious 7" (2015)
Total gross revenue: $1,516,000,000
"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.
5. "Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)
Total gross revenue: $1,518,800,000
The 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."
4. "Jurassic World" (2015)
Total gross revenue: $1,670,400,000
Just like its 1993 predecessor, "Jurassic World" is in the billion-dollar club, but this reboot of the franchise did it in one sweep, no rerelease required.
"Jurassic World" broke all sorts of records. It bumped "Furious 7" out of the No. 1 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.
3. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015)
Total gross revenue: $2,068,200,000
The 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 more than $2 billion, solidifying its No. 3 place on our list and becoming the highest-grossing "Star Wars" movie of all time.
2. "Titanic" (1997)
Total gross revenue: $2,186,800,000
Two decades later, James Cameron's "Titanic" is still untouchable at its No. 2 spot for box-office records. The movie made about $1.8 billion during its initial 1997 release and then topped $2 billion after it was rereleased in 3D in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the iconic ship's sinking.
1. "Avatar" (2009)
Total gross revenue: $2,788,000,000
James Cameron's "Avatar" is also sitting pretty as the highest-grossing movie of all time. With more than $2.7 billion in box office revenue, it's miles ahead of other films on the list. But as ticket prices increase and billion-dollar movies become more common, we'll have to wait and see how many more years "Avatar" can claim the No. 1 spot.
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