Nothing compares to watching a movie in a theatre. They can take us to an endless number of universes and experience joy, laughter, and tears like never before—both with our loved ones and strangers. Some, though, stand out from the crowd and become unique cultural events that attract countless numbers of people from all walks of life. These individuals will stop at nothing to grab a seat and some popcorn.

These massive blockbusters sell an incredible number of tickets, and if you look at the list, you can start to notice some trends about what it takes to be accepted into this elite group. First and foremost, if James Cameron directs your movie, there’s a good chance it will be included in the top five, which includes Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water.

You can view all of their domestic and international earnings as well as a brief description of what made each of the other big names from the biggest film franchises below. Which one is your favorite? Tell us which upcoming movie you think has a chance to unseat one of these champions!

1. Avatar

With its innovative motion capture and visual effects, amazing 3D technology, and the unveiling of a world in Pandora that would inspire its area of Disney World in addition to plans for at least four sequels, Avatar made a big impression when it debuted in theatres back in 2009. The film was an instant hit with audiences, and ticket sales blasted through until it almost made $3 billion on a budget of about $237 billion. Avatar has remained the highest-grossing movie of all time for nearly 14 years without much opposition.

2. Avengers: Endgame 

The movie Avengers: Endgame, which concluded the nearly 21-year Infinity Saga that started with 2008’s Iron Man and was composed of tales from 21 previous films, is the only one that has ever come close to overthrowing the colossus known as Avatar. The anticipation was unmatched by anything else as fans had to wait an entire year to discover the full ramifications of Thanos’ Snap. Avengers: Endgame had a budget of reportedly between $356 million and $400 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made, even though it doesn’t seem that much when you compare it to its box office receipts.

3. Avatar: The Way of Water

As everyone knows, the 2009 film Avatar’s sequel was never meant to hit theatres until the end of 2022. It was first scheduled for release in 2014. Avatar: The Way of Water hit with such force that it reminded us all to never underestimate James Cameron and the power of Pandora, even though it was beginning to feel like these so-called Avatar sequels might never happen after delay after delay. While it may not have achieved the same heights as the first Avatar, $2.31 billion in worldwide box office receipts is still a respectable sum. Symbol: With an estimated budget of $350 million to $460 million, James Cameron himself stated that The Way of Water would need to be the third or fourth highest-grossing movie in history to make a profit. It did, as you can see here.

4. Titanic

Being one of the two directors of the two highest-grossing films ever is not enough for James Cameron. No, he simply had to have a third with his tragic rendition of the Titanic’s doomed transatlantic voyage, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Before James Cameron’s Avatar shocked the world in 2009, Titanic, released in 1998, was the first movie to ever gross $1 billion globally and the highest-grossing movie of all time. With its 3D rerelease in 2012, Titanic made history by becoming only the second movie ever to gross $2 billion, behind only Avatar.

5. Star Wars: VII

Let us disagree about the conclusion of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but there was much excitement surrounding the announcement and release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. In addition to being the first movie in the series since the contentious prequel trilogy and Revenge of the Sith, it was also the first big project after The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm. In that far-off galaxy without George Lucas, The Force Awakens would forge a new course while simultaneously paying homage to the past and revealing what Star Wars would grow into in the future. This pledge resulted in enormous ticket sales that exceeded $2 billion, making the film one of the most costly productions ever, with a budget of between $300 million and $450 million. The Last Jedi’s $1.03 billion and The Rise of Skywalker’s $1.07 billion, while still noteworthy in comparison to other films, were unable to match The Force Awakens, which would be the pinnacle of Star Wars’ box office success.

6. Avengers: Infinity War

Although Avengers: Infinity War proved to be the film that showed the world that Marvel could succeed, Avengers: Endgame may have outperformed it at the box office. To most accounts, Infinity War lived up to the hype following eighteen films and teases of our heroes teaming up with Thanos for one final battle to save everything. Though that was unknown at the time, the anticipation of what was to come was enough to sell out millions and millions of tickets worldwide, resulting in a $2.05 billion global box office run. At the box office, Avengers: Infinity War became the first superhero movie to make $2 billion, making it the fourth overall.

7. Spider-Man

Even though Spider-Man: No Way Home wasn’t an Avengers film, it felt like one because it featured so many characters from the Spider-Man universe and turned into almost as much of a phenomenon as any other movie. Even though it wasn’t confirmed until the movie’s premiere, fans all over the world assumed it would feature Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning to accompany Tom Holland on an amazing journey, which is what drew them in. The story as a whole had certain problems, but it was nostalgic and made the audience cheer uniquely in the theatre. The highest-grossing Spider-Man movie, No Way Home also happened to be the biggest earner of 2021 and the first movie to cross $1 billion at the global box office since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, following 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

8. Jurassic World

The films from legendary franchises that reappear years later with some of the original cast still present are a surefire way to generate huge ticket sales at the box office, as this list makes abundantly evident. All of that, plus everyone’s affection for enormous dinosaurs, made Jurassic World a compelling film. After opening with a $978.16 million run in the first Jurassic Park and a $368.78 million run in the third, Jurassic World returned with a massive $1.67 billion box office performance. Although neither of the new trilogy’s sequels was able to quite match the original, they did both gross over $1 billion and demonstrate that dinosaurs are here to stay.

9. The Lion King

With $968.51 million in worldwide box office receipts, the 1994 original The Lion King is regarded by many as one of Disney’s best films ever made. It was also one of its most successful. It’s a good thing they decided to give it a live-action remake because, as I’m sure the House of Mouse would have loved, it blew past that goal on its way to a $1.66 billion run. At #9, The Lion King is the first official Disney movie on the list. Frozen 2, with a $1.40 billion box office receipt, comes in second. The movie was well-received overall, even though we thought it was good.

10. The Avengers

There was an idea, to quote the legendary Nick Fury. The plan was to create a cinematic universe unmatched by anything that had come before by developing the MCU and uniting the greatest heroes and villains from Marvel comics. That concept was demonstrated to be among the best by the 2012 film The Avengers. Marvel Studios proved they could successfully land an ambitious project before embarking on many more when the first of many team-ups between our heroes, with a global gross of $1.52 billion, was a thrilling success.

11. Furious 7

With each new installment since The Fast and the Furious debuted in 2001, the action and racing franchise—which is just about family—has grown larger and flashier. Even though they’ve all done quite well at the box office worldwide, only two movies—Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious—have managed to place among the top 100 highest-grossing movies ever made worldwide. The movie that was the farewell to the late Paul Walker and his character Brian O’Connor, Furious 7, shot past all the others and ended up earning $1.51 billion. Fast cars, top-notch action, and an emotional beat all combined to create a very profitable box office run. With $1.24 billion in global box office receipts, Furious 7’s follow-up The Fate of the Furious is currently ranked 22nd, and Fast & Furious 6 comes in at number 106 with $788 million.

12. Top Gun: Maverick

Many anticipated that Top Gun: Maverick would be a huge hit, but I doubt many realized how big of an impact it would turn out to be. Tom Cruise returned for the Top Gun sequel in 1986, and the film’s creative team created an acclaimed plot that included both new and recurring characters. The story itself had a great deal of heart, but it was the fast-paced fighter jet scenes—achieved with hitherto unheard-of practical effects—that made the movie a hit that continued to sell tickets weeks after it opened. With a total gross of $1.49 billion, it currently holds a prominent position among the highest-grossing films ever made.

13. Frozen II

When the movie Frozen was first released in 2013, its song Let It Go became an instant classic, being played millions of times. However, its sequel, which debuted earlier in the top 15, managed to surpass the original song. Please understand that while Frozen’s $1.28 billion global total is still pretty good, it did contribute to the film’s sequel’s $1.45 billion total, which allowed it to surpass films like Black Panther and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Only the live-action version of The Lion King was able to surpass Frozen 2 on the global stage within the Disney universe, despite The Incredibles 2, Finding Dory, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake all-surpassing it in the domestic box office.

14. Barbie

The Barbie film quickly rose to the top of the box office, despite being paired in theatres with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Additionally, we watched as the two films combined to create “Barbenheimer,” a cultural theatre production that went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of 2023. At over 600 million, the movie became the highest-grossing domestic release in Warner Bros. history in addition to surpassing the $1 billion mark globally. Additionally, it’s among the best Margot films to date in her career.

15. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron brought in $1.40 billion, which was not enough to make it into the top 15, even though it was the least successful Avengers movie overall. Together with Jurassic World, Furious 7, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it was one of the four 2015 films to rank among the top 15. Considering that Avengers: Age of Ultron was one of the most expensive films ever made, Marvel was undoubtedly pleased with the end product, having spent about $365 million on it.

Fun Fact:

Because Avengers: Age of Ultron debuted on the same weekend as Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao’s boxing match, some analysts speculate that the film’s opening box office earnings may have been a little lower than they could have been.