Top 11 Highest Grossing Movies Of All Time

Can you believe some movies have grossed almost 3 billion? Yes, you read that right! We are here to talk about the highest-grossing movies of all time. Who doesn’t love watching a movie? Especially the movie that everyone loves. It’s challenging for a movie to be this successful that it grossed billions.

Making a blockbuster movie takes effort, time, and a lot of creativity. Theatrical box-office earnings are the most essential source of revenue. A lot of genres like historical, war, and musicals have garnered attention the most. But superhero movies are standing out. There are around 10+ superhero movies that are included in the highest-grossing movies of all time.

In 1998, Titanic became the first movie to make revenue in billions. But since then there have been a few movies that broke that spectacular record and earned the position in the top three. Now earning a spot in the rundown of the highest-grossing movies of all time is a great deal. You might have heard or seen these movies once in your life. Let’s get to this interesting rundown.

Top 11 Highest-Grossing Movies Of All Time 

The movies have made their success through their creativity, mesmerizing characters, and engaging storylines. Every movie in this rundown has its unique set of characters that spectators love watching.

What’s more engaging is these movies had a particular budget and the revenue is just beyond impressive. They have managed to exceed their budget and earn a lot of profit. In the filmmaking industry, believe it or not, profit is all that matters.

1. Avatar (2009) – $2.923 Billion

It’s not even a doubt that Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all time [if we don’t consider inflation]. Revenue of $2.923 billion is beyond imagination. The movie took 12 years in production to earn this much revenue and it’s worth it. This epic science fiction movie is set in the mid-22nd century.

The budget of Avatar was $237 million and it managed to earn revenue of $2.923 billion. The filming of Avatar was supposed to take place after the legendary movie Titanic in 1997. But things didn’t work out because there wasn’t the right technology for the storyline. There are also other estimates of the movie that cost between $280 million and $310 million for production. Plus it took $150 million for the promotion of the movie.

The groundbreaking array of visual effects in Avatar impressed the watchers. Avatar is also the first movie of all time that grossed $2 billion. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña played the lead character in the movie. The director James Cameron cast Sam because he believed that Sam hasn’t worked in a lot of movies in his life and that will give the character “a quality that is real.”

Avatar revolves around the story of a paraplegic Jake that replaces his twin for a corporate mission on the Na’vi-inhabited Pandora. After that, the natives of the place accept him as one of their own. But Jake must decide where his loyalties lie in times of challenges.

2. Avengers: Endgame (2019) – $2.799 Billion

In the second position of the highest-grossing movies of all time, we have Avengers: Endgame. The movie features everyone’s beloved ensemble Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, and more. We have all the major characters of the Marvel universe in this movie making it more special for the audience. Did you know that Avengers: Endgame was supposed to be a second part of Avengers: Infinity War?

But then things took a turn for good and they changed the title and script. Being amazing the movie is also kind of emotional because it serves as the ending of the story arcs of several characters. Avengers: Endgame grossed $2.798 billion worldwide. The film also surpassed Infinity War’s theatrical run in just eleven days. Not only that, it broke numerous box-office records and stood out against all the movies. Avengers: Endgame is not only the second highest-grossing movie of all time but it’s also one of the most expensive movies ever made.

The movie had an estimated budget of somewhere around $356-400 million and it grossed $2.799 Billion. The movie received praise from the audience for its dramatic storyline, pumping action scenes, emotional weight, performance of the characters, and more. The marketing campaign of the movie cost around $200 million. Avengers: Endgame has also been first on the list of highest-grossing movies of all time until James the director of Avatar re-released the movie in China.

According to sources, the final net profit of the movie is estimated to be around $890 million. The movie is also the fastest movie to gross $2 billion worldwide surpassing the record of Avatar which grossed $2 billion in 47 days. Avengers: Endgame broke this record in only 11 days! Before the release of this movie it already grossed  $120–140 million in pre-sales.

In India, the movie sold around 1 million tickets in just one day and according to calculations, every second 18 tickets were sold. In China, the movie sold around 1 million tickets in just 6 hours. Avengers: Endgame displays that all the characters reunited and assembled to restore the balance.

3. Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022) – $2.315 Billion

On number three of the highest-grossing movies of all time Avatar: The Way Of Water already secured its place. This movie was released in 2022 and is already in the third position. Another Avatar movie on the top of the highest-grossing movies of all time is a real accomplishment. In this second movie, the story of the two continues.

Both Jake Sully and Ney’tir have formed a family and are doing everything they can to stay together. But an ancient threat resurfaces and Jake must now fight a deadly battle against the humans. This sequel features both Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and other characters Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, and CCH Pounder reprising their roles. Following the success of the first movie, a second one is a must.

Avatar: The Way Of Water had an estimated budget of somewhere around $350–460 million. The movie managed to gross around $2.320-2.315 billion. The team of Avatar took impressive advantage of the new technology and created another hit movie. It’s also one of the most expensive movies ever made.

Avatar: The Way Of Water holds a lot of titles including highest grossing film of 2022, the highest-grossing film since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the third-highest-grossing movie of all time! The movie is also the 4th one to reach the $1 billion milestone in the pandemic era. Along with that, it is also the second-fastest movie to gross over $2 billion. According to our sources, the net profit of the movie including production, promotion, etc is around $531.7 million.

4. Titanic (1997) – $2.254 Billion

Titanic revolves around a seventeen-year-old Rose and her journey on Titanic. Rose meets an artist Jack and falls in love with him. But their romance is short-lived due to the biggest disaster. The movie both has fictionalized and historical aspects. It stars everyone’s favorite Kate Winslet as Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack. The movie had an estimated budget of around $200 million and managed to gross $2.254 billion.

Production of Titanic cost around $200 million making it one of the most expensive films ever made at that time. Titanic received multiple accolades and great feedback from the audience. It received both commercial and critical success. The storyline, characters, and portrayal of the incident were highly praised by the audience. Titanic is also the first movie to reach the billion-dollar mark. The movies remained the high-grossing movies of all time until the arrival of Avatar.

Well, the movie has also been re-released a bunch of times and earned around $2.254 billion. The movie also holds a lot of titles like the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide in 1998, and the first film to earn more than $1 billion worldwide. Titanic is also said to have the largest movie-going audience in the whole world. Before the release of Titanic, people believed that it was not going to be that great because its also the most expensive movie of that time.

But things took a turn for good and it was a success. Apart from the emotional incident, the movie received great attention because of the love story of Rose and Jack. According to sources, Titanic has a strong impact on men too making it one of the films that can make men cry. This is an exhilarating movie from the beginning till the end. No matter how many times we watch it, it’s always going to be one of the best movies for the audience.

5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $2.071 Billion

Star Wars: The Force Awakens revolves around Finn, Rey, and Poe, in an adventure to find the last surviving Jedi Lucas. They are also finding a way to stop the threats that are planning to destroy the New Republic. The movie holds the title of the highest-grossing film of 2015, the third-highest-grossing film at the time of its release, and the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada.

On an estimated budget of somewhere between $306–447 million, the movie grossed $2.071 billion. The cast of the movie has been praised by the spectators. Star Wars: The Force Awakens features Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and more. Spectators also liked the combination of old and new characters giving nostalgia.

6. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – $2.052 Billion

We have another Marvel movie on the rundown of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Avengers: Infinity War follows the narrative of The Avengers trying to stop Thanos. Thanos is planning to go anyway to get his hands on the infinity stones. The movie features everyone’s beloved superheroes Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and many more. The budget of the movie is estimated to be around $325–400 million.

The movie grossed $2.052 billion. Avengers: Infinity War broke multiple records and became the first superhero film to gross over $2 billion worldwide. Plus, it received multiple accolades and praises from the spectators. The movie has been hyped since the release of its trailer. Brolin’s performance has been praised by the audience along with the action scenes, visual effects, and more.

7. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – $1.921 Billion

Spider-Man: No Way Home deserves to be on this rundown. The movie revolves around a unique narrative that follows Spider-Man seeking help from Doctor Strange to forget about his exposed secret identity as Peter Parker. But Doctor Strange’s spells go wrong leading to the arrival of unwanted guests in the universe.

The movie features Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, and more amazing characters. Spider-Man: No Way Home grossed around $1.92 billion with a budget of $200 million. The movie set some new box office records by being the highest-grossing film of 2021, the highest-grossing Spider-Man film, and more titles.

This movie is packed with the right action, emotion, and surprises. The audience loved the chemistry between Tom Holland and Zendaya and has been shipping them ever since.

8. Jurassic World (2015) – $1.671 Billion

Jurassic World released in 2015 revolves around the adventure between humans and dinosaurs. The tourist’s life turns into a nightmare when genetically-engineered dinosaurs wreak havoc. One of the dinosaurs escapes and an ex-military animal expert takes a step forward to save the day.

This epic science fiction movie is set 22 years after the happenings of Jurassic Park. Jurassic World had a budget of around $150 to $215 million and grossed $1.671 billion. That’s the real achievement. According to the spectators, Jurassic World is one of the best movies in the Jurassic Park universe.

The movie earned a few titles including the third highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release, the second-highest-grossing film of 2015, the highest-grossing in the series, and the highest-grossing film released by Universal. During the time of its release, Jurassic World set a box office record by being the first movie to generate over $500 million in a single weekend.

The movie’s net profit is calculated to be around $474 million including productions, promotions, and more. Jurassic World also features an amazing ensemble that adds to its success. The cast list follows Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, Vincent D’Onofrio as Vic Hoskins, Ty Simpkins as Gray Mitchell, and more amazing members. The movie holds a really special place in the spectator’s heart.

9. The Lion King (2019) – $1.663 Billion

The Lion King released a few years ago in 2019 features a young lion prince Simba that escapes his kingdom after the murder of his father Mufasa. But a few years later the escape, Simba is encouraged to come back to take what is with the help of Nala, a lioness. We all loved watching The Lion King of 1994. But this remake grabbed the attention of the spectators.

The movie had an estimated budget of $250-260 million and grossed around $1.663 billion. It’s also considered one of the most expensive movies of all time. Along with that, The Lion King earned a lot of titles too because of its success. The Lion King is said to be the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the second-highest-grossing film of 2019, and more.

Spectators of the movie praised the new storyline, visual effects, and voice performances of the ensemble especially Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon. The movie also features Donald Glover as Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Kani as Rafiki, and more amazing characters. After the success of this movie, a prequel is in the talks and is set to release on July 5, 2024. The prequel is titled Mufasa: The Lion King.

10. The Avengers (2012) – $1.520 Billion

The Avengers released in 2012 revolves around the story of Nick Fury that is forced to release the Avengers Initiative when Loki is possessing a threat to Earth. Then the squad of the superheroes comes to light and is trying to accomplish the task. Marvel’s The Avengers or The Avengers features Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, and more characters.

According to our reports, Robert earned $50 million from the movie. Evans, Mark, Chris, and Jeremy, earned around $2-3 million. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand earned $4–6 million with the movie. The movie grossed around $1.520 billion from a budget of $220–225 million.

It holds the title of the highest-grossing comic book adaptation, the highest-grossing film of 2012, the highest-grossing superhero film, one of the highest-grossing films released by Walt Disney Studios ever, and more. It’s also the first Marvel production ever to generate around $1 billion in ticket sales.

11. Furious 7 (2015) – $1.515 Billion

Furious 7 revolves around the story of Dominic and his family. They are trapped in a quagmire when Shaw is seeking bloody revenge. Now they have two tasks not only to defeat their enemies but also to protect an essential program from falling into the wrong hands. This movie becomes Paul Walker’s final role.

It grossed around $1.515 billion with an estimated budget of $190-250 million. The movie received an amazing response from the spectators for its engaging narrative, the performance of the actors, and many more aspects. Furious 7 is also the highest-grossing film of 2015, and the second-highest opening weekend of its time.

The movie’s net profit is estimated to be around $354 million. It features Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, and more characters.

Conclusion

Lastly, more movies made up to the rundown of the highest-grossing movies of all time. If we consider the highest-grossing movies of all time if adjusted by inflation then Gone with the Wind (1939) remains at the top. This movie is also considered to be one of the most successful ones. Now the competition is also rising while more movies are making their way into the industry.

Let us see which movie will be the highest-grossing movie in 2023. You are welcome to stay tuned with us for more updates. Which one is your favorite movie? Feel free to drop them in the comment section below.