“Why make trillions if we can make…billions?” Dr. Evil laid the groundwork in Mike Myers’ Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, despite his beloved idiocy. By the time that film had hit the masses, there were already a few films in existence that would go on to rake in at least $1 billion in revenue, per Insider. By now, as we welcome the year 2023, there have been lots more to add to such a prestigious list.
But does each film deserve such enormous profits? For starters — especially amid the recent release of the highly profitable Avatar: The Way of Water — we narrowed down a list for you that illustrates how certain money-grabbing efforts by Hollywood can also be quality films as well. There’s a sort of stereotype that artsy, acclaimed films don’t really make any money (per The New York Times). Our selections below might help illustrate how that’s not always the case.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
12 The Dark Knight (2008) — $1.006B
Warner Bros. Pictures
Joaquin Phoenix’s turn as the Joker in Todd Phillip’s acclaimed 2019 film has also joined the billion-dollar club, and we can’t wait for the highly anticipated Joker: Folie a Deux. But one could say that’s mainly because Heath Ledger’s turn in 2008 laid the groundwork. The Dark Knight trilogy began with Batman Begins in 2005, followed by The Dark Knight in 2008, and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. The Dark Knight in particular is highly regarded as not just one of the very best superhero adaptations, but also one of the best films of all time. In addition to bringing back Christian Bale as Batman, the film is also notable for featuring outstanding supporting performances — not just by the late, great Ledger, but also by Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
11 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) — $1.058B
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Rogue One: A Star Wars was both a critical and commercial success. The Star Wars: A New Hope prequel featured Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, who assembles a team of rebels with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and other soon-to-be fan-favorites. The group hatches a plan to steal the plans for Death Star, which Luke Skywalker would use to destroy the planet destroyer in Episode IV. The 2016 installment was so good that writer Tony Gilroy would go on to spawn the critically acclaimed Andor for Disney+, which takes us back to the earlier days of the rebel alliance. We can’t wait for season 2!
10 The Lion King (1994) — $1.663B
Walt Disney Pictures
The Lion King has spawned a whole franchise, including an upcoming “live-action” sequel from Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). The O.G. 1994 film follows a young lion prince who is cast out of his pride by his cruel uncle, who killed his father. While the uncle rules, the prince grows up beyond the Savannah, living by a philosophy “no worries for the rest of your days.” But when his past comes to haunt him, the young prince must decide his fate: Will he remain an outcast or finally face his demons? With an incredible soundtrack featuring songs by SIr Elton John, The Lion King rightfully deserves its spot in the billion-dollar club, to say the least.
9 Toy Story 3 (2010) — $1.067B
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
After years of speculation by audiences, Woody, Buzz, and the whole gang made a welcome return to the big screen in 2010. Toy Story 3 stood out as a hit sequel thanks to Oscar-winner Michael Arndt’s (Little Miss Sunshine) contributions to the screenplay. In the tear-jerking storyline, the beloved toys’ owner Andy prepares to depart for college, which lands his prized possessions in daycare, where untamed tots do not play nice — to put it mildly. To plan their escape, they enlist the help of Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a strawberry-scented teddy bear. The fake-out ending is a bit terrifying, but this three-quel is not to be missed. After all, it was nominated for Best Picture in 2011, a rarity for animated projects.
8 Avatar (2009) — $2.922B
Lightstorm Entertainment
Its sequel continues to rule the box office to this day, and we can’t wait for a follow-up in 2024. The original Avatar film follows a group of humans as they infiltrate the lush alien world of Pandora in order to mine it for resources. In the process, one of the lead men (Sam Worthington) of the operation falls for one of the Pandora natives (Zoe Saldana) and begins to realize the damage he and his team could potentially cause to the indigenous environment and its wildlife inhabitants. If you’re a James Cameron fan like the rest of us, Avatar surely benefits from repeat viewings.
7 Jurassic Park (1993) — $1.046B
Universal Pictures
The reign of Jurassic Park did not end with the first film. The success gave rise to a number of (inferior) sequels and was then revived in the last decade with the Jurassic World trilogy, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. But Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park takes the cake, not just due to its technical innovation, but also because of how the film approaches its characters, each of whom serve a key purpose in building the plot and commentary of the film. Sam Neill and Laura Dern have a wonderful “bro-mance” dynamic, and Jeff Goldblum steals every scene he’s in. Even Wayne Knight’s villainous turn as the park’s saboteur is still endlessly quoted and referenced to this day.
6 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) — $1.146B
New Line Cinema
Peter Jackson’s trilogy was groundbreaking on multiple levels, and now, season 2 of The Rings of Power is in production. One could argue Prime Video’s acclaimed series could not have been greenlit without the film trilogy that laid the groundwork after hitting the masses more than 20 years ago. Each of the installments was Oscar-nominated, but The Return of the King rightfully took home a Best Picture trophy, in addition to numerous others. In the third film, we witness a final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the One Ring, while Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) leads the forces of good against Sauron’s evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith. Talk about an epic final battle scene!
5 Frozen (2013) — $1.282B
“Let it go, let it go!” Back in 2013, Frozen made its way into theaters and became a global sensation — in part thanks to its iconic musical numbers — that eventually became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. That record has since been broken, but it’s an indication of how huge the movie was and how popular the beloved characters from the movie became. In the film, The Good Place star Kristen Bell voiced the character Anna, who teams up in the story with a mountain man, his playful reindeer and a snowman to change back the “infinite weather” accidentally caused by the newly crowned Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel).
4 Black Panther (2018) — $1.344B
Marvel Studios
Finally, a Marvel film nominated for Best Picture: Black Panther. This critically acclaimed superhero flick follows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) who, after the death of his father, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy (Michael B. Jordan) reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and Black Panther — is tested when he’s drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. With scene-stealing supporting turns by Andy Serkis and Angela Bassett (who is currently an awards contender for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), the O.G. film certainly deserves the massive revenue it’s garnered at the box office.
3 Top Gun: Maverick (2022) — $1.488B
Skydance
After 30 years, Maverick (Tom Cruise) is still clearly pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator. But in the sequel, he must confront ghosts of his past when he leads Top Gun’s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it. Following an epic 2022 box office run, Top Gun: Maverick is now streaming on Paramount+ and co-stars a stacked cast including Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Glen Powell. We can’t wait to see how it holds up during the 2023 awards season. Oscar love, anyone?
2 Avengers: Endgame (2019) — $2.798B
Perhaps the finest Avengers film to date, Endgame takes place after the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, as the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and undo the chaos to the universe — no matter what consequences may be in store. With the tragic death of a principal character in the third act, was anyone else crying by the end? Every Marvel superhero you can think of appears across this epic film, and it’s a hoot to see them all together. Some other Avenger-related projects have also entered the billion-dollar club, but there’s no denying Endgame deserves its place on the list.
1 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — $1.916B
It was too bad Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t at least get a Best Picture nod last year, but the Oscars had found a way to get it at least some recognition with a “fan-favorite” award of sorts. The film provided one of my favorite movie theater viewing experiences ever, so it’s no wonder No Way Home made so much money — even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, the plot isn’t incredibly challenging or unique, but the scene-stealing cameo appearances were reason enough to see this third installment in Tom Holland’s trilogy. No Way Home also opened up a world of possibilities for Marvel, especially given that Netflix’s version of Daredevil even showed up for a scene. Next on tap for Spidey: a highly anticipated sequel to the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
