Top 20 Billion Dollar Box Office Movies

as if earning all the money wasn't

enough they've also got our adoration

welcome to watchmojo.com uu V's for this

list we're looking at films that cross

the billion dollar threshold at the

global box office and ranking them on

their overall quality

just like before we'll be adjusting for

inflation so as to give older films a

chance for qualification because it's

much more difficult to account for

worldwide grosses in so many different

currencies

note that the figures we're using are

the best estimates we've been able to

calculate based on what information is

available 20 Captain America Civil War

whether you want to call it Captain

America 3 or Avengers 2.5 it's tough

denying how hard-hitting and deeply

personal of a superhero film it is we

may not be perfect but the safest hands

are still hitting a slew of DMC use

finest heroes against one another Civil

War redefined what action sequences and

character development can look like

within the genre pair that with the

dynamic franchise debuts from the likes

of Black Panther and spider-man and

suddenly it's easy to see how this third

entry in the cap Sokka rolled its way to

ten digits at the box office while it

would be surpassed in scope very soon

thereafter even by another film on this

list it still resonates emotionally

every time we watch it he's my friend so

was I number 19

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Part 2 delivering one of the most epic

conclusions in cinematic history the

Harry Potter series had some lofty

expectations to me going into its eighth

installment and what do you know about

the Deathly Hallows in an age where

seemingly every subsequent two-part

finale reeks of nothing but a mere cash

grab definitely Hallows part-2 justified

the approach and made snatching all the

box-office dollars look classy sure it's

got one hell of a show-stopping battle

sequence at the end of it but it also

manages to tie together ten plus years

of movie magic pun intended in a way

that is both seamless and narrative ly

satisfying especially for those who

essentially grew up with the cast of the

film's this one felt particularly

special

come on Tom let's finish this the way we

started together

number 18 avatar will show the sky

people

that they cannot take whatever they want

but can see be in that basic thing this

is all

[Music]

nowadays if you want to be the

highest-grossing film of all time it's

almost a necessity to rely on previously

established IP to get the job done yet

that's exactly what James Cameron didn't

do with avatar which exploded onto the

movie-going scene in 2009 making

technological advancements in 3d and

cinematography we at the time thought

years and years away the film stunned

audiences with its lavish visuals and

dynamic world building while it's

popularity has waned in recent years

with some criticism aimed at narrative

derivative Necedah neide the impact it

had on the industry plus with four

sequels mapped out to be released in

relatively quick succession we might

just see the franchise's return to box

office dominance number 17 Skyfall

but a hell of you be enjoying death

double-oh-seven reporting for duty with

2006's casino royale we'd already seen

when a dark and gritty James Bond could

look like with Daniel Craig leading the

charge

it wasn't until 2012 that we saw the

absolute perfection of that approach in

the form of Skyfall a stark narrative

Lee challenging spy caper that hit

closer to home than we expected you see

what comes of all this running around Mr

Bond

is jumping and fighting

exhausting while it benefited hugely

from a delectably sinister villainous

turn from Javier Bardem the film's

greatest contributor comes arguably in

the form of incoming franchise director

Sam Mendes who grounded yet supercharged

the kinetic action scenes also we're

sure that oscar-winning Adele intro song

helped to get some butts in seats to

number 16 black panther sure at this

point we expect the Avengers films and

those of the MC use flagship heroes to

break a billion dollars but Black

Panther was the smash cultural sensation

that few saw coming trade alive killed

just aside from a supporting role in the

affirmation Captain America Civil War

the title character of this entry not to

mention his esoteric Millia had not been

familiarized to audiences that didn't

stop buzz from growing exponentially

however as black panther quickly

established itself as an exhilarating

and socially profound blockbuster the

likes of which we had never seen from

the astounding production design to a

dynamic score the outing instantly

resonated with fans earning a whopping

seven hundred million dollars in North

America alone yes we'd say it deserves a

sequel just don't please when you see

hit what are you talking about number 15

The Lion King everything the light

touches is our kingdom coming out in the

thick of the Disney Renaissance The Lion

King was following up some classics in

their own rights like Beauty and the

Beast and Aladdin yet with a dynamite

voice cast in music maestro Elton John

in tow this reimagining of a Shakespeare

Tale set a new benchmark for animation

everywhere everything seemed to click

into place from the music to the

sweeping visuals to the personable

characters etc while an offensive Lee

live-action remake made even more money

decades later it didn't capture our

hearts quite like the original did and

technically didn't sell as many tickets

things really did come up Hakuna Matata

for Disney in 1994 repeat after me

Hakuna Matata what kuna Matata

it means no worries Hakuna Matata now

14 Joker the most recent film on our

list 2019 s Joker smashed all barriers

as to what comic-book adaptations can

look like and achieved you just ask the

same questions every week how's your job

are you having any negative thoughts I

have words like tense shrewd visceral

and horrifying can all be used to

describe it as the zeitgeist some morbid

fascination with it drove it to become a

surprise member of the billion dollar

club earning a whopping 11 Oscar

nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards

including one for Best Picture the film

divided audiences but looked oh so cool

while doing it what was seemingly

universally agreed upon was Joaquin

Phoenix's Laird disturbing and unnerving

least sympathetic performance in the

titular role one that won him a

well-deserved golden statuette of his

own Murray one small thing yeah when you

bring me out can you introduce me as

Joker number 13 the Avengers

it may seem old hat now but the bringing

together of a Cinematic Universe was

essentially unheard of back in 2008 when

a post-credits scene in Iron Man teased

the possibility of one

needless to say comic book fans were

ecstatic and their patience paid off

tenfold with the release of 2012's The

Avengers

that's what we call ourselves sort of

like a team Earth's Mightiest Heroes

timeframe bringing together a sextet of

superheroes after most received their

own standalone film the crossover event

wowed moviegoers with its bombastic

visuals and dynamic interpersonal

characterizations that's my secret

I'm always angry almost too big to fail

the movie altered franchise filmmaking

as we know it for good spurring Studios

everywhere to replicate its success to

largely middling results one thing is

for certain though the Avengers

assembled and it was glorious number 12

Jurassic Park welcome to Jurassic Park

[Music]

even with decades of visual effects

innovations separating 1993's Jurassic

Park from its sequels some of which

would earn a billion dollars as well

seemingly nothing will top our first

encounter with dinosaurs filled to the

brim with scientific wonder and intrigue

this adaptation of the Michael Crichton

novel of the same name

enchanted viewers of all ages with a

palpable sense of adventure quickly

becoming the venn highest-grossing film

of all time

Jurassic Park pushed the boundaries of

both technical achievements and

narrative ones cementing itself as a

heavyweight classic amidst a crowded

Steven Spielberg filmography that's full

of them number 11

et the extra-terrestrial speaking of

Spielberg classics the film that

Jurassic Park took the ultimate

box-office crown from was this

delightful family sci-fi film about a

boy who befriends of being from another

world

full of iconic moments that give us

goosebumps to this day such as the

levitating bike sequence ET the

extra-terrestrial is both whimsical and

heartfelt through and through not only

that it managed to make grown adults cry

at the potential death of a highly

emotive alien puppet who just wants to

go home if that's not emotional

attachment and we don't know what is

[Music]

number 10 Raiders of the Lost Ark yep

for our third Steven Spielberg movie in

a row no not our last

we have 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark a

swashbuckling ode to film serials of old

that introduced the world to a

little-known character by the name of

Indiana Jones it's important Marion

trust me in all seriousness though if

Raiders didn't invent the

action-adventure genre as we know it

today

it definitely perfected it starring

Harrison Ford and what is arguably his

finest role the Indiana Jones series is

the encapsulation of spirit and fun

though none more so than the first

outing winning a whopping five Oscars

the movie is infectiously vibrant and

one that we can't help but revisit even

today number nine

Titanic aptly titled due to the sheer

magnitude of its impact Titanic stirred

up a box-office storm the likes of which

the world hadn't yet seen doubling what

Jurassic Park had made just four years

prior and while we were subsequently

subjected to having my heart will go on

stuck in our heads for the next five

years the fervor for it was right on the

money

[Music]

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boasting jaw-dropping set pieces that

stand the test of time decades later the

movie seemingly satisfied everyone with

a romantic disaster story that did go on

to win a record-tying 11 Oscars

including Best Picture with that kind of

passion going on both in front of and

behind the cameras it's hard to argue

with those results number eight the Lord

of the Rings The Return of the King

once again tying the record for most

Oscars comes this trilogy capping

fantasy epic from Peter Jackson while

following two equally impressive

adventures that retroactively Lee

crossed the billion dollar milestone

this one did it in its own time while

clocking in at a whopping

201 minutes or 252 with the extended cut

neither version feels at the length when

it counts as JRR Tolkien's breathtaking

vision comes to a magnificent conclusion

with visual effects that would put most

of today's offerings to shame Return of

the King is as epic as it gets and the

fact that it's only number eight really

says something of what's to come number

seven Avengers endgame

[Music]

assemblé

speaking of epic Avengers endgame made

the first Avengers film look like the

minor leagues sure it was put in a

perfect position to do so by the

similarly impressive Avengers infinity

war but this one features a

show-stopping finale that is Marvel

Comics come to life the film did a

brilliant job of bookending 11 plus

years of filmmaking in a way that's both

cathartic and appreciative of the fans

that made it possible not only that it

does service to character arcs in a way

that's both masterful and realistic

making us shed multiple tears in the

process also is it just us or does its

time-travel logic actually make a lot of

sense think about it if you travel to

the past that pass becomes your future

and your former present becomes the past

which can't now be changed by your new

future number six

The Exorcist one of the few horror films

that broke out both commercially and

critically in the way it did William

Friedkin's The Exorcist reshaped the jar

for generations to come

genuinely chilling moments of bound due

in large part to stellar cinematography

and a strikingly convincing performance

from Linda Blair as a young girl

possessed by a demon studio expectations

weren't very high for this one but a

burgeoning popularity with audiences

prompted expansion and Rhee releases the

latter of which was enough to place it

on this list even nearly a half a

century later we can still hear that

eerie jack Nietzsche score which gave

the overall mood and energy of the piece

the proper undertone of dread number 5

The Dark Knight

strange a while its sequel The Dark

Knight Rises similarly had the turnout

in reception that might classified for

this list The Dark Knight may forever be

considered the quintessential superhero

movie in an era of superhero movies also

serving as a rousing crime epic the

movie spun a dynamic and unpredictable

narrative about chaos and corruption

worthy of the Caped Crusader's

reputation what's more it gave us one of

the most captivating and disturbing

supporting performances in Heath

Ledger's portrayal of the Joker which

saw him earn a much deserved posthumous

Oscar in short the Dark Knight is an

eminently rewatchable masterclass in

cinema that transcends its sharra and

onto this list number four The Godfather

I'm gonna make them an offer you can't

refuse

if you want to talk about mood playing

an important role in relaying a story

look no further than 1972's The

Godfather lifted from Mario Puzo's novel

of the same name this family centric

crime epic is about as powerful a movie

as one could hope for from the direction

to the score to the acting to the

dialogue the whole picture coalesce is

into something that is wholly palpable

and compelling no my older brother and I

love you but don't ever take sides with

anyone against the family again

succeeded by an equally riveting part to

that surprisingly only grossed about a

third of the revenue

The Godfather sits perhaps a top

director Francis Ford Coppola 'he's

illustrious filmography in terms of

cinematic prowess in short watching it

is an offer you can't refuse

number 3 jaws yep the king of all

Spielberg masterpieces bests the others

for the third spot on our list you're

gonna need a bigger potion often cited

as the movie that made the concept of

summer blockbusters a reality

Joss quietly snuck up on an unsuspecting

public until it caused a fervor that saw

it claim its status as the

highest-grossing film from our previous

entry while perhaps more of a thriller

than a horror movie it's still horrified

audiences

with sheer anticipation in that killer

John Williams score say what you will of

the special effects but the set pieces

hold up incredibly well making any who

watch it apprehensive of treading open

waters number two

Gone with the Wind if this were simply a

list of the highest grossing films

adjusted for inflation this would sit at

the top of the list no I don't think I

will kiss you although you need kissing

belly however even at number two Gone

with the Wind remains a cultural

touchstone in the history of cinema and

a cornerstone for that matter in terms

of epic filmmaking captivating Lee acted

by Vivien Leigh Clark Gable and company

who chew up the scenery with every line

there is nary a moment in the 221 minute

masterpiece that isn't suffused with

sheer hot-blooded passion even the set

decoration is astounding in its own

right

making audiences thankful it was

released in full breathtaking color

[Music]

frankly my here I don't give a damn

you know I watched Gone with the Wind

for the first time a few years ago and

to be honest I was expecting to be bored

but I get it I mean it's obviously dated

in some respects but it is seriously

worth watching now I'm sure I do not

have to tell you to give our number one

pick at Rice so let's run through the

honorable mentions and then we'll unveil

our top billion dollar box office movie

no woody he's been my pal for as long as

I can remember he's brave like a cowboy

should be and kind and smart but the

thing that makes Woody's special is

he'll never give up on you if I'm I'm so

sorry

see I suffer from short-term memory loss

short-term memory loss

I don't believe it's know it's true I

forget things almost instantly I won't

let you down we'll know soon enough you

have a mission

[Music]

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notifications number one Star Wars

Episode four a new hope forget all the

other entries this movie changed

filmmaking as we know it while pretty

much every live-action Star Wars film

has retro actively crossed 1 billion

dollars save for so low it was this

little 1977 sci-fi space adventure that

could that captured the hearts and

imaginations of all those who saw it

somehow grounded in a farm boys big

dreams of a wider world and impressive

in scope the likes of which we've never

seen this one set the gold standard for

franchise starters forever

these aren't the droids with a plethora

of endearing characters both human and

droids alike Star Wars weaved an

intergalactic adventure that feels both

avant-garde and traditional in its

storytelling techniques so engaging we

can't help but get swept up in its

incomparable spirit do you agree with

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