In 2019, Avengers: Endgame overtook 2009's Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time at the international Box Office. The difference between Endgame and Avatar's totals was fewer than ten million dollars by the end of 2019, however Avatar re-took the top spot in 2021 due to theatrical re-releases in China; this gap is likely to grow in the coming years as Avatar will be shown again in theaters prior to midnight releases of it's four sequels (the first of which is due in 2022). Before Avatar, the record had been held by 1997's Titanic (also directed by James Cameron). When adjusted for inflation, 1939's Gone With the Wind is considered the highest grossing film of all time, with some sources claiming that it has generated approximately 3.4 billion dollars in today's money***.
Recent developments
The highest grossing film of 2020 was The Eight Hundred, which took over 460 million dollars worldwide; the first ever non-Hollywood production to feature on this list. The significant drop off in global revenues in 2020 was due to the Covid-19 pandemic, where lockdowns saw thousands of movie theaters close across the world. Varying restrictions per country saw Asian markets eventually overtake North American and European markets as the largest worldwide, and five of the ten highest grossing films in 2020 were either Chinese or Japanese productions. The pandemic also accelerated the trend of major releases coming to streaming platforms, and 2021 has seen many of the previous year's postponements released simultaneously in theaters and online (often at a premium). It remains to be seen how these developments will impact overall box office grosses, however, a strong domestic performance of Spider-Man: No Way Home at the end of 2021 is a sign that attendance in the U.S. could return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.
Recurring figures
Throughout the list, many of the same directors and actors appear in multiple films. Stephen Spielberg has directed more of these films than any other director, with six titles to his name. Cecil B. DeMille, a "founding father" of American Cinema, and Disney's Hamilton Luske, have each directed (or co-directed) five movies on this list. 2012's Frozen is the only film made by a female director; Jennifer Lee, and until 2020, Mission: Impossible 2 was the only film made by a non-white director; John Woo. Looking at those in front of the camera, Harrison Ford, through his roles in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, has appeared in the highest number of films listed here; featuring in seven titles. His Star Wars co-star, Carrie Fisher, has appeared in five films listed here, more than any other actress. When looking at the companies behind the films featured on this list, we can see that Disney and Paramount Pictures (in all of their forms) have each produced and/or distributed 23 of the films on this list, at the time of their release.
Between 1999 and 2021, all but one of the highest grossing films were sequels or part of franchises. Although this is not a new trend in Hollywood, the box office pull of such "extended universes" has exploded in recent years, and these films dominate the annual lists; Disney in particular has been the most successful studio in this regard. After acquiring Marvel Entertainment in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012, in deals worth 4.24 billion and 4.05 billion dollars respectively, Disney built upon its position as the largest entertainment company in the world and has dominated the international box office over the last decade. With the continued success of the Marvel and Star Wars universes and the expansion of these products in series form, along with a number of planned live action remakes and Pixar titles, it is likely that Disney films will feature at the top of this list for years to come.
International box office figures for the highest grossing movies each year, from 1915 to 2021
(in million US dollars)
Characteristic
Unadjusted gross in million US dollars
2021 - Spider-Man: No Way Home
1,901.22
2020 - The Eight Hundred
461.34
2019 - Avengers: Endgame
2,797.5
2018 - Avengers: Infinity War
2,048.36
2017 - Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
1,332.54
2016 - Captain America: Civil War
1,153.3
2015 - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
2,068.22
2014 - Transformers: Age of Extinction
1,104.05
2013 - Frozen
1,274.22
2012 - The Avengers
1,518.81
2011 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
1,341.93
2010 - Toy Story 3
1,066.97
2009 - Avatar
2,789.97
2008 - The Dark Knight
1,004.93
2007 - Pirates if the Caribbean: At World's End
961
2006 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
1,066.18
2005 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
896.91
2004 - Shrek 2
923.08
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
1,120.42
2002 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
927.6
2001 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
978.09
2000 - Mission: Impossible II
546.39
1999 - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1,027.08
1998 - Armageddon
553.71
1997 - Titanic
2,187.46
1996 - Independence Day
817.4
1995 - Die Hard: With a Vengeance
366
1994 - The Lion King
968.51
1993 - Jurassic Park
1,030.31
1992 - Aladdin
504.05
1991 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day
520
1990 - Ghost
505.7
1989 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
474.17
1988 - Rain Man
355
1987 - Fatal Attraction
320
1986 - Top Gun
357
1985 - Back to the Future
381.11
1984 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
333
1983 - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
475.11
1982 - E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial
792.91
1981 - Raiders of the Lost Arc
389.93
1980 - Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
This data has been compiled using a list from Insider, with further information and updated totals gathered from IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes and the-numbers.com. Please note that pre-1975 data is based on box-office income, and not rental fees paid by distributors and theaters.
*This data is not confined to gross from the year of release, but also includes box-office income from theatrical re-releases in later years.
**Data for U.S. box office only. (Like several other early entries, this may be due to the fact that these movies were not released outside of the U.S., however this is not clear).
***The source gives figures in 2017 valued U.S. dollars. It is unclear whether the data was calculated using figures relating to 1939 only, or whether the proportional figures from the appropriate years of re-release were also used.
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the-numbers.com, & IMDb, & Rotten Tomatoes, & Business Insider. (January 11, 2022). International box office figures for the highest grossing movies each year, from 1915 to 2021 (in million US dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072778/highest-grossing-movie-annually-historical/
the-numbers.com, und IMDb, und Rotten Tomatoes, und Business Insider. "International box office figures for the highest grossing movies each year, from 1915 to 2021 (in million US dollars)." Chart. January 11, 2022. Statista. Accessed June 28, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072778/highest-grossing-movie-annually-historical/
the-numbers.com, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Business Insider. (2022). International box office figures for the highest grossing movies each year, from 1915 to 2021 (in million US dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 28, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072778/highest-grossing-movie-annually-historical/
the-numbers.com, and IMDb, and Rotten Tomatoes, and Business Insider. "International Box Office Figures for The Highest Grossing Movies Each Year, from 1915 to 2021 (in Million Us Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 11 Jan 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072778/highest-grossing-movie-annually-historical/
the-numbers.com & IMDb & Rotten Tomatoes & Business Insider, International box office figures for the highest grossing movies each year, from 1915 to 2021 (in million US dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1072778/highest-grossing-movie-annually-historical/ (last visited June 28, 2022)