$1 Billion Movies Ranked: Part 2
53 in the history of cinema have made over $1 billion at the box office. Yesterday, I shared the bottom movies of the $1 billion movie. Today I’m sharing the top 25 movies that have made over $1 billion at the box office. Let’s get started!
25. Aladdin (2019): I know a lot of people are sick and tired of these Disney Live Action Remakes, as they should be. They’re putting out a bit too much. This one is the best and I think the inherent nature of Aladdin with sorcerer, chases, and big action lends itself to live action. They added enough new material to the movie where it doesn’t feel like a shot for shot remake of the animated film, but it still very much has all of the charm, wit, and magic of the 1992 animated movie. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott as Aladdin and Jasmine fit the personalities really well, they do a really solid job. Will Smith absolutely SLAPS as The Genie.
24. Barbie: The surprise hit of 2023, a movie that everybody on the internet was talking about. That led the movie to be so financially successful and made $1.4 billion at the box office. The movie nails a lot of aspects of the film, mainly the casting, where everybody is giving it their all and having a lot of fun. The two big ones to talk about are Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling who are rightfully getting award season love. The film has a nice sharp sense of humor, where it can be very clever and witty with the way it does the humor. I saw this movie opening night with a packed crowd of people, this was such a fun movie to see with that environment.
23. Avatar: The Way of Water: I really wasn’t sure how well this movie was going to do. Of course the first film is the highest grossing movie of all time, but 13 years later the first film wasn’t talked about a lot. Well the movie made another $2 billion, so obviously people were interested and went out to see it. Both films are worth seeing on the big screen, that’s how James Cameron designs them and that’s how he delivers them. He emerges you into this world and it’s remarkable seeing it on the big screen. I saw the film in 3D and it’s worth it, I don’t normally do that but I think 3D for this movie really works.
22. Black Panther: A movie that feels so unique and different inside of the MCU. Ryan Coogler really put his mark on this movie, it’s a movie that feels like it’s directed by one person. It shows how great of a director and storyteller Ryan Coogler really is. The big positive is the world building for Wakanda is fantastic, it’s such an interesting world that you want to know more about. We understand that it has this rich history inside of it. Killmonger, top tier MCU villain with a very interesting motivation inside of it. The CGI doesn’t hold up, very clearly Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan was on the green screen in the finale. But overall, a rock solid MCU movie.
21. Frozen: The most celebrated and praised animated movie of the 2010s and one that is a mainstay in pop culture. Everything about the songs and characters are so iconic, everybody knows the songs and it’s stayed popular for good reason. The songs and characters are really good, this has one of the best soundtracks for a Disney movie. All of the characters are so much fun and lively, Olaf being the stand out. And it takes a bunch of the tropes of the genre and turns them on its head. There actually are some solid twists and turns as you go through-out the movie that work and make sense. The film can be funny and emotional too, everything the movie needs to be it can do very well.
20. Incredibles 2: I know a lot of people were disappointed and underwhelmed by this movie, fair enough. I don’t think the movie is as good as the first one. It’s not a Pixar classic, but it’s a solid Pixar sequel that has a lot of what you enjoyed about the first film in this film. Brad Bird does fantastic world building where he creates this world of superheroes that has this 1960s, James Bond vibe to the entire thing. This movie can expand the world with more superheroes and different organizations getting involved. The film is entertaining from beginning to end, it’s always funny and charming. The villain isn’t the best, she’s not terrible but not incredibly memorable either. Overall, I think this is a very solid continuation of the franchise. Pixar, give us a third film!
19. Zootopia: A movie that mixes the buddy cop formula with animals and you get a movie that is formulaic but very fun and charming. It mixes a whole bunch of different genres together to get a movie that is a very fun adventure. You care about our two lead characters and the chemistry they have with each other. The film has a lot of jokes that are poking fun at pop culture like The Godfather and Breaking Bad, but it’s done with a sense of fun that puts a smile on your face. This is another movie that lends itself to a sequel. The nature of our leads being police officers, there’s a lot of other police and cop stories to tell. And I’m glad they announced a sequel is happening, hopefully it happens so.
18. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: I know a lot of people will have this movie in the top 10, top 5 on this list. I think the movie is great, however I’ve only seen the movie one time. It’s fantastic, it’s big and epic in scale but it’s not even my favorite of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It’s remarkable how big this movie is, it’s over 20 years old now and the visual effects are fantastic. The battle sequences are so memorable, they pop because they’re handled so well. The score is fantastic, Howard Stone does a fantastic job with the score in all three of the films. I think the movie has one to many endings, plus it being over 3 hours long seems a bit much. But overall, this is still a great movie and I really do enjoy it.
17. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens: This movie will always have a special place in my heart. This was the first Star Wars movie I ever saw in the theater. From beginning to end I find the movie to be very entertaining, J.J. Abrams might have several issues as a storyteller but he can make really good roller coaster movies. This movie starts off very fast paced and never lets up until the credits roll. The movie balances the new characters and the legacy characters really well. I like the new set of characters with Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kyle Ren in here they’re very good. Getting to see Han Solo, Leia, and Chewbacca back on the big screen is always a lot of fun. I think this movie’s reputation would be a lot better if The Rise of Skywalker was better and didn’t burn a lot of people.
NOTE: From #16 to #1, these are all movies I’d give an A- and above to. I love the rest of the movies, so it’s getting hard to rank some of these movies.
16. Skyfall: The movie that was designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. No. So they had a lot of pressure to make a movie that worked and beloved and they did. This is one of Daniel Craig’s best James Bond movies where it’s filled with great action, a great Bond song from Adele. A villain that is interesting and threatening, he doesn’t have a lot of screen time but makes the most with the screen time he does have. The story is very emotional and personal to James Bond, when things happen you feel them. This movie gave me everything I wanted from a James Bond movie, so it’s one of the franchise’s best.
15. Titanic: It’s such an interesting movie to make $2 billion. Because it’s not a big action film, it’s not a franchise film. It’s a 3 hour long movie about a real life event focused around a love story. The magic of James Cameron was there in 1997 with this movie. He created a movie that sucks you in with this romance between Jack and Rose that is compelling. And then once the iceberg hits the ship the movie becomes so tense and thrilling. Cameron finds all of these ways to add tension and tension on top of one another. The music and soundtrack are fantastic, they’ve become iconic in movie history. Plus it’s the film that really made Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet famous.
14. Toy Story 4: Like most people, I wasn’t really on board for another trip to the toy chest. I was optimistic though because Pixar and Toy Story have a fantastic track record. That record remains great and fantastic. I love this movie. What I think this movie didn’t market the best was the actual story and arc for Woody. Toy Story 3 ended the Toy Story and Andy character arc. But Toy Story 4, is a movie more focused on Woody and his adventures. They find another very emotional conclusion that always makes me tear up while watching. You get great new characters with Duke Kaboom, Forky, Ducky, and Bunny. All around, I love this movie.
13. The Dark Knight Rises: This is a movie that is widely regarded as the worst of The Dark Knight trilogy. Fair enough, I can see why that’s just never been my experience with the film. This is one of the first comic book movies I remember seeing on the big screen. I have more nostalgia for this movie than most people do. I love how Christopher Nolan is able to make this movie feel big in size, but not have CGI and be about an alien invasion. It’s a story that spans months and you feel the scope for what Nolan was going for. The movie wraps up the trilogy in a very satisfying way, there’s a lot of emotional moments that come from those final moments. Tom Hardy’s version of Bane is fantastic and iconic.
12. Furious 7: This might shock some people with how high this movie is. But this is my personal ranking and I think this movie is fantastic. For me, this is the most well rounded and watchable Fast and Furious movie. The movie is silly and stupid, but it didn’t go over the top with some of it. It still felt grounded and reasonable while being silly. And they balanced it nicely with the death of Paul Walker and how they ended Brian’s character arc. They handled it very nicely and done in a way that feels satisfying and tugs at the heartstrings. Jason Statham is a lot of fun as our villain, obviously became an important character later on. Kurt Russell brings a fun energy to the entire thing. From beginning to end, this is a movie that entertains me with action and makes me emotional in the final moments.
11. Toy Story 3: All four Toy Story movies are fantastic, all of them work for me but I think this is the best of the bunch. What works so well about this movie is it mixes the Pixar charm and magic with a prison escape story. Where our toys are locked in this day care and we start to realize there’s a lot of secrets with what's going on. It has everything you love about Toy Story, but changes stuff up just enough to make it fun and interesting. Lotso is our best Toy Story villain, maybe the best Pixar villain. Where they really give him layers and depth that make him interesting and one you sympathize with. All leading up to a finale where we’re worried that our favorite toys might die, maybe not quite that far since it’s a movie designed for kids.
10. The Avengers: It was really the triple punch of this movie, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises that made me love comic book movies. This is a movie that wasn’t an easy bet when it was first announced, a movie like this had never been done before. Joss Whedon had directed movies before but not big ensembles like this one. It’s been 12 years since this movie came out and it worked quite well. They nailed the format and template so much so that it caused WB to rush the DCEU and that failed in the process. Kevin Feige, Joss Whedon, and Marvel Studios worked their magic and created a movie that is so much fun to watch. It delivers a big slam bang third act finale that gives every character a moment to be heroic and to be put in the spotlight. This is a movie that I’ve always loved and will continue to love.
9. Joker: Another fantastic comic book movie but it’s fantastic in a very different way from how The Avengers is fantastic. That movie was fantastic for being so entertaining and pulling off an ensemble of superhero movies. This movie is fantastic because it’s a great character study of a guy descending into madness because of the society around him. Society was not good to him, so this normal guy going dark is so fascinating and interesting to watch. It’s a movie that works as a comic book movie starring The Joker, but it also works on its own with all of the DC elements taken out. Because it did work with Taxi Driver 43 years earlier. Joaquin Phoenix absolutely deserved to win the Oscar, he rivals Heath Ledger as the best interpretation of the Joker. I’m very excited yet curious about the sequel coming out in October.
8. Captain America: Civil War: This movie is a great example of the MCU’s long range storytelling. The central conflict between Captain America and Iron Man is established in the previous MCU entries. We understand both of the world views of our character and why they would fight. The movie can deliver both big fun action, mainly the airport sequence with big emotions mainly with the finale. The finale of the movie isn’t the biggest finale in the MCU, but it’s so personal and emotional. You feel that emotion when you see two former friends fight each other over Bucky. This is a movie that wouldn’t have worked if the MCU didn’t do such a great job of building up the characters of Captain America and Iron Man. For a while, this was my favorite movie of all time, it’s not anymore.
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Harry Potter and The Wizarding World is one my favorite film franchises of all time. They closed out the Harry Potter era of The Wizarding World so well in such a satisfying way. The whole franchise was building up to the final fight between Harry and Voldemort, this movie delivered that. You feel the weight and big epic scope of the battle of Hogwarts. Everybody gets a moment where they get to be the hero. They give Neville, this character who was introduced as this chubby lonely kid and gets to have a heroic moment in the finale. You get some of Snape’s best scenes in the entire franchise, Alan Rickman is fantastic as he always is. This is a movie that absolutely sticks the landing.
6. Spider-Man: No Way Home: One of the best theatrical experiences I’ve ever had. Seeing this movie on opening night with a packed crowd, is an experience I’ll never forget. The audience, the room was so excited every time we got something big on the screen. Seeing the audience react to Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s introduction was really really cool. They’re there not just as fun cameos, but as characters in the movie. They help Tom Holland grow and change and learn “with great power, comes great responsibility”. The movie does a really good job of balancing the fan service and the emotional core here. So overall, this movie provides a fantastic Spider-Man experience that is entertaining everytime I watch it.
5. Top Gun: Maverick: A sequel that came out 36 years after the first film, but was so worth the wait. It’s a sequel that really is better than the first film, which is a movie that I already love. This is a movie where they went for it by creating an incredibly entertaining movie that also has an emotional core. Tom Cruise created technology in order to have cameras on the outside of real jet fighter jets to create sequences that make you feel like you’re in the fighter jets with these characters. You care about all of them, even though you hate Hangman you love that he gets a victorious moment in the finale. This movie was so much better than I originally thought when this was first announced.
4. Avengers Infinity War: The columination of 10 years of set-up and it all paid off so well with this movie. The previous 18 films did such a good job of building up these characters and their arcs, all leading to this movie. I think the movie does a really nice job of balancing all of the heroes, everybody gets a moment to shine. Since our heroes are already established and set-up this movie can focus on Thanos and make him this compelling and layered villain. He has a motivation that makes sense, we understand why he’s doing it. It’s the way he’s going about it, maybe not the best idea. This all leads up to a shocking finale that ends with maybe the greatest cliffhanger in cinematic history. Our heroes lose, but they’ll win in the next movie.
3. Jurassic Park: Even though I was born 4,145 days after this movie came out, I’ve managed to see this movie twice on the big screen. That’s a great way to experience this movie, Spielberg made it for the big screen and it’s awesome. It’s easy to forget the dinosaur mayhem doesn’t start till an hour into the movie. But the first hour establishes all of the characters, the movie explores what Hammond is doing from all of these different perspectives. Everybody’s worldview is different, you like and care about the characters. Then once the dinosaur action does start, it’s fantastic. Spielberg keeps on adding tension upon tension so every sequence is memorable. Some of the all time best movie scenes are in this movie. John Williams’ score is pretty fantastic, depending on the day that’s my favorite of Williams’ scores.
2. Avengers Endgame: A movie that only could have worked as well as it did, because the MCU did such a great job of setting everything up. The Infinity Saga was my childhood, it was all leading up to this movie. If this movie disappointed me, I wouldn’t have been happy, but luckily I still was happy (until The Rise of Skywalker came out). The final hour of this movie provided so much fan service, it’s one of the best hours of a movie of all time. They pay off little throw away moments from Age of Ultron of Captain America, possibly picking up Thor’s hammer. And turn that into an epic moment in the third act. One of the biggest Oscar snubs, Alan Silverstri not getting nominated for the score, insane. This is a movie that will always have a special play in my heart, it’s the best theater experience I’ve ever had.
1. The Dark Knight: I know, I know a comic book fan boy who only likes comic book movies. False, it’s just the way the ranking played out. If you know me, you know this is my favorite movie of all time and how much I love Batman. This entire trilogy helped shape my love of movies, the best of that fantastic trilogy would be The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan crafted something truly special, that feels so unlike any other comic book movie. He makes a very thematic movie that explores that sometimes the good guys aren’t always good and the bad guys aren’t always bad. Nolan explores this idea through Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent, it’s done so well. Of course, Heath Ledger gives one of the best movie performances of all time. Christian Bale is my Batman and always will be my Batman. I love this movie.
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