What are the top 10 movies in history? What are the top 10 box office movies? What are the top 10 movies by their revenue? I have seen this kind of question when we handle our social media page for cinema reviews. So, I decided to write an article about “Top 10 box-office hits in the World”.
The cinema industry is still among the top industries in the world despite the technological revolution that happened during the last decade. Even though many industries are struggling due to tech innovations and high-tech replacements, the Cinema industry is still thriving with the support of the tech industry. At the moment of composing this article, I heard that there is an ongoing strike in Hollywood against AI involvement in movies and the cinema industry. But I do not believe that AI can replace key elements of movies and would affect professions that involve in the cinema industry. But, AI would affect some animation and non-realistic movies. But it is safe to say that it would be a low effect compared to other industries like banking or tech services.
So, let’s move to the list and discuss the highest-grossing movies all the time even though we talk about these movies in the past tense, it doesn’t mean that these movies lasted their show yet. Still, these movies are performing really well in other platforms other than our ‘Big Screen’.
Avatar (2009)
Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all time.
- Release date: December 18, 2009
- Director: James Cameron
- Earned revenue: $2.92 billion
- Production budget: $237 million
- Main cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver
Avatar is a Si-Fi (Science Fiction) epic set in the mid-22nd century when the human species is colonizing Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the alpha century star (solar) system. Earth forces are mining that moon “Pandora’s resources, which are poisonous to the native Na’ve people. Jake Sully, a paraplegic former Marine, is sent to Pandora on a mission to infiltrate the Na’vi and convince them to move off their land. However, Jake falls in Love with Neytri, a Na’vi woman, and starts to question the human species’ motives.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Release date: April 26, 2019
- Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- Earned revenue: $2.79 billion
- Production budget: $356 million
- Main cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, Josh Brolin
Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga. The film follows the Avengers as they try to undo the damage caused by Thanos, who snapped his fingers and wiped out half of all life in the universe. The film is a massive ensemble piece that features dozens of Marvel characters. Even though it is a hardcore Si-Fi scenario, kids and teens are happy to enter the MCU dimensions.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
- Release date: December 16, 2022
- Director: James Cameron
- Earned revenue: $2.31 billion
- Production budget: $250 million
- Main cast: Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Kate Winslet
Avatar: The Way of Water is the sequel to the 2009. The film set is more than a decade after the events of the first film and follows the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids) as they fight to protect their home on Pandora from a new threat. The film is visually stunning, with some of the most realistic CGI (computer-generated imagery) ever applied to real-life movies in history. It is also a powerful story about family and the importance of supporting nature. The movie was created as a 3D movie making the movie one of the biggest cinema projects ever done on Planet Earth. Also, they issued 2D copies to the theatres that cannot meet the 3D projection requirements.
Titanic (1997)
- Release date: December 19, 1997
- Director: James Cameron
- Earned revenue: $2.26 billion
- Production budget: $200 million
- Main cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bernard Hill, Gloria Stuart
Titanic, is probably the most influential movie that ever created that could last its influence for more than two decades. Titanic stayed screening in US Theatres for almost 10 months. It was released on the 19th of December 1997 and its final day was the 1st of October 1998. Even though it was produced 25+ years ago, still people watch, talk, read and are interested in this movie. This movie is based on the RMS Titanic and its tragedy of sinking on its maiden voyage. The film follows the star-crossed love story between Jack Dawson, a poor artist, and Rose DeWitt Bukater, a wealthy socialite. The film is a visual spectacle with some of the most iconic scenes in film history. It is also a moving love story that has resonated with audiences for generations.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Release date: December 17, 2021
- Director: Jon Watts
- Earned revenue: $1.92 billion
- Production budget: $200 million
- Main cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx
Spider-Man: No Way Home is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In No Way Home, Parker asks Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) to help him make his identity as Spider-Man a secret again after Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) revealed it to the world in Far From Home, but the spell backfires and opens the multiverse, allowing villains from other universes who know Peter Parker’s identity to arrive. Even though the movie was released middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we could see lined up people to see Spider-man: No Way Home (2021). As expected, it was a huge box office hit and here we are listing down it.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
- Release date: December 18, 2015
- Director: J. J. Abrams
- Earned revenue: $2.07 billion
- Production budget: $245 million
- Main cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is the seventh film in the Star Wars franchise. The film follows the adventures of Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they join forces with Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker to defeat the First Order. The film is a visually stunning and action-packed adventure that has been praised by critics and audiences alike. However, the movie screened extremely successfully despite the critics.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Release date: April 27, 2018
- Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- Earned revenue: $2.05 billion
- Production budget: $325 million
- Main cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Tom Holland, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Josh Brolin
Avengers: Infinity War is the penultimate film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga. The film follows the Avengers as they try to stop Thanos from collecting the Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe. The film is a massive ensemble piece that features dozens of Marvel characters. It is also a visually stunning film with some of the best action sequences in the MCU.
Jurassic World (2015)
- Release date: June 12, 2015
- Director: Colin Trevorrow
- Earned revenue: $1.67 billion
- Production budget: $150 million
- Main cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, B.D. Wong, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, Jake Johnson
Jurassic Park 1993 was the first movie of this movie series. Jurassic World is the fourth film in the Jurassic Park franchise. The film takes place 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park and follows the story of Owen Grady, a dinosaur trainer, and Claire Dearing, the operations manager of the Jurassic World theme park. Apart from a highly energetic few scenes, I didn’t believe it would be a box office hit when I was watching the movie to be honest.
The Lion King (2019)
- Release date: July 19, 2019
- Director: Jon Favreau
- Earned revenue: $1.66 billion
- Production budget: $260 million
- Main cast: Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Earl Jones, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Alfre Woodard, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric André, Florence Kasumba
The Lion King is a photorealistic computer-animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is a remake of the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name. The film follows the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as king. However, Simba’s uncle Scar murders Mufasa and frames Simba for the crime. Simba flees into exile but eventually returns to challenge Scar and reclaim his rightful throne. The film is a visually stunning and emotionally resonant adaptation of the classic Disney film.
The Avengers (2012)
- Release date: May 4, 2012
- Director: Joss Whedon
- Earned revenue: $1.52 billion
- Production budget: $220 million
- Main cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson
The Avengers is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film follows the Avengers as they team up to stop Loki from taking over Earth. The move started a sensation beyond the big screen among the kids and youth. And when the movie series continues, we could see more in future as well.
Most successful director in the World
Among these Top 10, three movies are directed by one single man. That’s James Cameron and he is one of the legendary men in the cinema industry that achieved back-to-back success.
Personally, I went to see Avatar – The Way of Water 2022 on the 3D big screen on the release date. After a couple of days, I had a talk with my friend called “Mohamed Mukzith” who lives in Dubai, UAE. So I encourage him to see the movie. Then I claimed that if “Cameron’s best one Titanic” screen again, it will become a box office hit again. Then my friend refused. He said it is a 25-year-old movie and the new generation doesn’t care about it. At the beginning of 2023, while still James Cameron’s Avatar – The Way of Water on the big screen and “Titanic” was released on the Big screen for the second time. Many critics gave it in a sarcastic way, “Cameron vs Cameron”. However, the project went really well. Titanic gave a good race to Avatar – The Way of Water. So, I took my time to troll my friend over this.
James Cameron has directed seven films that have grossed over 1 Billion US Dollars. And Cameron is the only director have directed two films that have grossed over 2 Billion US dollars.
James Cameron is popular for his storytelling, visual effects, and accuracy of the facts involved. And it is safe to say that “James Cameron” is the most successful cinema director on Planet Earth. And in my POV, he is the most legendary man to meet in person who still lives among us. And I wish to meet one day.
Thank you
I believe that this brief article didn’t go more personal than it should be. Anyway, you are visiting my website while expecting some personal perspective as this is a personal blog after all. If you like my writing style, please hang on, visit my special media, visit my YouTube channel and keep visiting here as well.
