The 10 Highest Grossing Movies Of All Time

The 10 Highest Grossing Movies Of All Time

The movie industry lives and dies by the box office. At the end of the day, nothing is more important to the studio then how a film fares when it comes to ticket sales. Opinions on which movie is truly the best will run the gamut, but the closest thing we have to an objective measure of success, if not quality, is the amount of money people spent to see any given film.

Of course, the movie industry has changed a great deal over the years. It used to be that almost all of a movie's box office came from North America. Today, international box office can contribute for two-thirds or more of a movie's bottom line. This has largely changed the way the current list of top-grossing films currently looks. Here are the top 10 grossing films worldwide, in non-inflation adjusted box office dollars.

1. Avatar $2,788 Billion

2. Titanic $2.187 Billion

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens $2.068 Billion

4. Avengers: Infinity War $2.048 Billion

5. Jurassic World $1.671 Billion

6. Marvel's The Avengers 1.518 Billion

7. Furious 7 $1.516 Billion

8. Avengers: Age Of Ultron $1.405 Billion

9. Black Panther $1.346 Billion

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 $1.341 Billion

It's a testament to the success of James Cameron that, while the majority of the top 10 are part of major film franchises, the top two movies are not, (although Avatar is about to become part of a new franchise). Avatar has stood at the top of this list since its release 10 years ago. With a total box office number approaching $3 billion, and the fact that no recent blockbuster movie has ever really challenged it, one certainly wonders if and when another film might ever make this much money.

When Avatar became the highest grossing movie ever, it did so by overcoming another James Cameron film, Titanic. While there's over $600 million separating these two films, the success of Avatar is really an example of the way the international box office has become incredibly powerful. Avatar only out grossed Titanic by $100 million at home; the rest came from overseas, largely China.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens became only the third film to break the $2 billion mark when it was released in 2015. The movie is actually the highest grossing movie ever domestically. However, the franchise actually doesn't quite do as well overseas, especially in China.

The real winner on the top 10 list, of course, is Marvel Studios. All three Avengers movies that have been released thus far make the top 10. The three films alone have brought in $5 billion around the world. When you add in the additional $1.3 billion that Black Panther has made, Marvel owns this list. It seems quite likely that the fourth Avengers movie, Endgame, will be on this list before long.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of a few other major franchise entries. It looks like the Fast and Furious franchise may have peaked with Furious 7, as part eight wasn't able to match the previous film's success. The same is true of Jurassic World. Audiences were clearly ready to see the return of this franchise based on that movie's success, but Fallen Kingdom didn't come anywhere close to matching those box office numbers. By comparison, the Harry Potter franchise ended on a high note, with Deathly Hallows - Part 2 becoming the highest-grossing entry in the series.

Of course, the truth is that all of those numbers are a bit deceiving. Due to the ever increasing pressure of inflation, a movie released today will always gross more compared to films from even a few years ago, never mind the movies of decades past. Adjusting box office totals for inflation, especially on a global scale, is a tricky business, as you also need to adjust for inflation, as well as exchange rates, between multiple countries over decades. The task has been undertaken before, but it's actually possible to come up with slightly different numbers. Here is one estimate for the top 10 grossing films where inflation has been taken into consideration. As you can see, it's a significantly different list.

1. Gone With The Wind

2. Avatar

3. Titanic

4. Star Wars: A New Hope

5. The Sound Of Music

6. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

7. The Tend Commandments

8. Doctor Zhivago

9. Jaws

10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The numbers here are largely irrelevant because they all depend on which year's inflation level you take as you standard. It's the order that matters. While Avatar and Titanic are still in the top ten, and still pretty high up there, they both make way for the truly undisputed king of the box office, 1939's Gone with the Wind.

The film came out at a time when the concept of the blockbuster film didn't exist, and yet, that's exactly what it was. Although it does need to be said that the film's box office total represents multiple theatrical releases over the course of decades. In the days before VHS and DVD, movies were routinely re-released in theaters, which is where several films on this list made a lot of their money.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the star of the unadjusted list, when inflation is taken into account, Star Wars is the big winner. The original film, as well as The Force Awakens, both make the top 10, though the return of the Star Wars franchise just barely gets there. A New Hope made over $200 million during its original theatrical run that lasted basically a full year. Today, $200 million is still considered a solid theatrical take. When you adjust that number for inflation, and then add in what the film has done during re-releases, it's no shock you're talking about one of the highest grossing movies ever made.

Steven Spielberg may not have quite the success that James Cameron has on this list, but he's the only other director with two films in the top 10. Jaws is viewed by many as the film that invented the concept of the summer blockbuster. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is one of the most family-friendly and largely accessible movies on the list. It's the sort of movie that sees its box office increase as entire families show up at the theater and buy tickets.

The other three films on the list are some of the most well-loved classics of all-time, which, like Gone with the Wind, have benefited from multiple theatrical releases over the years. The Ten Commandments is a biblical epic, which was largely the comic book superhero movie of the era. Doctor Zhivago is both an epic costume drama and a beautiful romance. The Sound of Music is the musical that it seems everybody is familiar with, and the 1965 movie is a big part of the reason why.

While the inflation adjusted numbers might help level the playing field, that shouldn't take anything away from any of the movies on these lists. They're the biggest movies ever made, according to the people willing to spend their hard earned money to see them.

Looks Like Shazam!'s Opening Weekend Might Make Less Money Than We Thought

Looks Like Shazam!'s Opening Weekend Might Make Less Money Than We Thought

While a different Captain Marvel is currently enjoying massive box office success, Shazam, the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel is set to bolt into theaters in only a few short weeks. The long-range tracking had Shazam! headed to an opening weekend of about $48 million, but it looks like the latest DCEU superhero film might make a little bit less money than we thought.

The early tracking is in on Shazam!, and the Zachary Levi superhero flick is expected to land between $40 million and $45 million when it opens in April according to Deadline. This number is in the same basic range as the long-range tracking, but as we get closer to release the tracking should be more accurate and based on that, it looks like Shazam! might make less than we thought by as little as a few million and as high as $8 million.

Overall, it looks like Shazam! will land somewhere in the $40 million to $50 million range opening weekend. This would be the lowest domestic opening for a DCEU film to date behind last year’s Aquaman, which opened to almost $68 million. However, it would still be a solid debut for Billy Batson, in part because the film only cost $100 million before print and advertising.

Tracking is prediction, not prophecy, as proven by the fact that Captain Marvel was at one point tracking at a $100 million opening and we all saw how that turned out. There are actually a lot of reasons to be optimistic that Shazam! could overachieve.

Currently, the worst domestic opening weekend in the DCEU is Aquaman and that film went on to become the universe’s most successful film overall. It proved to have strong sea legs and major international appeal, propelling that film to over $1 billion at the box office. Opening weekend isn’t everything and the DCEU is on a roll. Of course, Aquaman had the benefit of greater name recognition among audiences and an introduction in Justice League.

Shazam! might not have quite the same level of spectacle that works so well overseas as the Atlantean, but the film is getting a day-and-date release in China in the same time frame that Ready Player One found so much success last year. It is also looking likely that Shazam! will have great word of mouth and the studio is hoping that younger audiences unfamiliar with the character will still find the film.

The early reactions are in for the DCEU’s latest, and it is apparently every bit the charming delight you would want and the trailers have made it out to be. Warner Bros. seems to have real confidence audiences will feel this way as well and is holding paid preview screenings on March 23 to get the buzz and conversation going early for the movie.

We’ll see how it turns out when Shazam! opens in theaters on April 5. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this year.

Toy Story 4 Confirms A Character That Won't Be Included

Toy Story 4 Confirms A Character That Won't Be Included

The toybox is getting quite full with the fourth Toy Story movie. After getting to know all of Andy's toys in the first two Toy Story movies, Woody, Buzz and the gang joined the collection of toys already owned by young Bonnie in the third film. Now, with Toy Story 4, we'll be meeting even more toy characters, including Bonnie's new favorite, Forky.

It seems that, with so many characters, the fourth film wasn't able to find a place for everybody who had appeared in previous films, as the production team behind Toy Story 4 has revealed that Michael Keaton's Ken doll won't be appearing. During a press conference during my recent trip to Pixar, director Josh Cooley confirmed that Ken is still at Bonnie day care, a place the new film does not go.

Ken is not in this film. He's back at Sunnyside.

While Barbie is a character who appears in earlier Toy Story films, we don't meet Ken until the crew finds themselves at Sunnyside Day Care in the third movie. There, Ken and Barbie meet, and while the rest of Andy's toys go on to live with Bonnie, Barbie stays behind with Ken where they live together in apparent happiness.

Check out our introduction to Ken in the clip below.

If you were hoping that Toy Story 4 was taking a trip to Sunnyside, then I'm sad to report that's not the case. Since the story won't be going there, characters like Ken or Big Baby won't be appearing.

The opening few minutes of Toy Story 4 have screened in a few places and it's been revealed that as part of that Bonnie will be starting Kindergarten. Considering that, it's not too shocking to learn that Bonnie's day care won't be important to the story.

Instead, we know that Toy Story 4 will have two primary locations, an antiques store where Woody will be reunited with Bo Peep, and a carnival where Buzz Lightyear meets a pair of stuffed animals voiced by Key and Peele.

While I'm sure some fans will be sad to learn that Ken is not back, based on what I've seen of the film, there will be entirely new groups of fans excited by the new characters that are being introduced. And then, of course, there is the one big returning character of Bo Peep who was entirely absent from the last movie, but will be back in the new film, but with a very different attitude.

The producers admit that they also loved Michael Keaton's Ken, but Pixar is always very clear that the story is the thing that leads the production of a Pixar film, and the story just didn't take Toy Story 4 back to Ken and Barbie.

Toy Story 4 hits theaters June 21.

Ryan Reynolds Has A Perfect Mother's Day Message For Detective Pikachu Fans

Ryan Reynolds Has A Perfect Mother's Day Message For Detective Pikachu Fans

Mother’s Day weekend is here, and so is the highly-anticipated release Detective Pikachu! For those struggling to convince their moms to go out and see the popular (and adorable) video game character over other new releases such as The Hustle, Poms, or Tolkien, you’re in luck! Ryan Reynolds is covering all his bases during the promotion of his latest film, and has released a special message for moms everywhere. Take a look:

This has been a PSA! Ryan Reynolds took to his Instagram to share a very on-brand video concerning his own reputation as a foul-mouthed actor (most certainly from playing Deadpool) and placing concerns to rest for Detective Pikachu. As he cleverly explains, the yellow fluffy detective will not be washing his mouth with soap, because he’s a PG character!

Considering the actor has played one of the only R-rated Marvel superheroes on the big screen, moms may have received mixed messages about Ryan Reynolds’ involvement in the Pokémon franchise meaning he’d be placing an edgier take on this character too. The funny video assures audiences that the movie is a-ok for the entire family! It even features a cute exchange between Reynolds’ Pikachu and Justice Smith’s Tim that screams "heartwarming."

Detective Pikachu seems to prove that Ryan Reynolds is more than capable of using his dry humor to attract a younger audience as well … even if adult audiences have grown accustomed to his f-bombs and such. The movie does have a tricky line to walk between appeasing OG fans who are now adults and introducing kids to the new franchise as well.

Since the actor has been playing Deadpool for the past few years, he has admitted that turning the switch into PG content was a bit of a struggle. He recently told CinemaBlend that there could be an entire R-rated cut of Detective Pikachu with all the improv he got out in the outtakes. He’s also pitched a grittier Pikachu that’d be a remake of Mean Streets or Goodfellas as well.

So while a Ryan Reynolds-voiced R-rated Pikachu could certainly exist, the soft and fluffy handle-with-care Pokémon will be gracing screens this weekend. Per reviews of the film, Reynolds’ comedy holds up in his new voice role, some have even said it’s the best part of the movie amidst criticism of the film’s premise.

Whether mothers hear this message or not, Detective Pikachu is heading into an impressive opening weekend after topping the box office Friday with almost $21 million, becoming the first film to knock Avengers: Endgame to second place. The movie also already broke a record to become the best opening for a video game film.

Detective Pikachu is in theaters now! Line up with your moms this weekend!

First Look At Hagrid In Universal Studios Orlando's Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

First Look At Hagrid In Universal Studios Orlando's Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

Fans of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter are in for a treat next month when the newest attraction at Universal Orlando resort, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, makes its debut. Recently, the theme park revealed some of the magical creatures and obstacles that guests would be seeing in the Forbidden Forest, but now we have our first look at the most important character in the entire ride, Hagrid himself. Check out the animated figure of the Hogwarts groundskeeper in the video below.

Universal Orlando is calling the new Hagrid figure the most life-like and realistic animated figure of its kind. There's certainly no argument that's it's not a great looking figure. It looks remarkably like Robbie Coltrane, who portrayed Hagrid throughout the Harry Potter film franchise. And it should of course, as Coltrane worked with Universal Studios to help bring the new figure to life.

The designers of the figure went so far as to take a digital scan of Robbie Coltrane's mouth in order to make sure they got the character's teeth right. Coltrane's actual movements as Hagrid were used to program the movements of the figure as well. The figure will also sound like the Hagrid we know, as Coltrane recorded a custom script for the attraction.

Also, the figure is 7'6" tall, which is exactly as tall as Hagrid is in the movies, so everything is properly proportional.

According to Universal Orlando, the animated figure can be found during the portion of the ride that includes a creature never before seen in the Harry Potter movies, the blast-ended skrewt. Hagrid will be trying to contain the creature, which is just one of the magical creatures that will be on display during the new attraction.

Since Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a roller coaster, you'll likely by flying by Hagrid at a pretty impressive speed. The coaster is supposed to be moving as fast as 50 miles per hour, so the best look at the incredibly well designed figure might be in the image below. The costume the figure is wearing was even designed by the team that created Hagrid's wardrobe for the movies.

Hagrid is, without question, one of the most popular characters in the Harry Potter franchise. Everybody loves him. As such, designing the new attraction for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter around him made all the sense in the world.

The theme park land has used a lot of talent from the movies before, so it seemed likely that Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid would appear, but this is even better. They could have just included Robbie Coltrane's voice as audio during the queue or on the attraction, but the design on this figure is quite impressive. I'm surprised every day at how far technology has come when it comes to animated characters. Especially when you're trying to make one look exactly like a specific person, that can be tough, but they nailed Coltrane's Hagrid here.

He's got his trusty umbrella, with his wand concealed inside. He's even wearing what look to be dragon-hide gloves, which make sense since he'll be dealing with a blast-ended skrewt.

Fans who want to check out the new Hagrid and ride Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure don't have too much longer to wait. The ride will be open at Universal Orlando Resort on June 13.

Why Captain Marvel Looks So Different In First Avengers: Endgame Footage

Why Captain Marvel Looks So Different In First Avengers: Endgame Footage

Following the release of Captain Marvel, Marvel made the bold choice to not hold the heroine back and feature Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers in the trailer and recent footage for Avengers: Endgame. While it's been exciting to see her interact with the more established Avengers, many couldn’t help but notice that Carol looked a lot different than she did in Captain Marvel, with more makeup and straighter hair. Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo explained why Captain Marvel looks so different, saying:

She did [Avengers: Endgame] before she filmed Captain Marvel, and I think she was experimenting with what the character was. And those were the choices that she and her hair and makeup team had made. And I think as she started to gain a deeper understanding of the character, especially as she approached her own movie. She started to make different choices and as an artist she should be afforded that right to make whatever choice that she wants to make.

Brie Larson’s first time playing Captain Marvel was in Avengers: Endgame, not Captain Marvel, and the way that shooting schedule worked out impacted the way in which she developed her character’s look over time. As Joe Russo said at the Avengers: Endgame press junket, reported by Slashfilm, Brie Larson was still getting into her character in her Endgame scenes, discovering who Carol was and how she wanted to play her.

As Endgame was her first time in the shoes of the character, Brie Larson experimented and made the choices that seemed right to her at the time. Those choices resulted in her wearing more makeup and having a different hairstyle than what we saw in Captain Marvel. The actress’ understanding of Carol Danvers changed the more time she spent with her and that impacted how she wanted her to look.

Therefore, going in to Captain Marvel Brie Larson’s changed how she looked to match her evolved image of the character and that’s why she looks different in the two films. The Russo Brothers set parameters for how the character should look, but Joe Russo made it clear that the actors, including Brie Larson, have ownership over how they do their hair and makeup. So in both Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers’ hair and makeup were decisions made by Brie Larson and her hair and makeup team.

Apparently some people were up in arms that Carol Danvers appeared done up in Avengers: Endgame, and that such a look didn’t fit with her feminist character. But contrary to the belief that the film was trying to make her prettier, this was ultimately just the result of shooting schedules and an actor taking time to discover what works best for the character and her portrayal.

While this isn’t an in-universe story reason, it does make sense that Carol Danvers would look different. We are used to MCU characters having different looks from film to film, and technically Avengers: Endgame takes place over two decades after Captain Marvel, so naturally she would have changed her look at least a bit.

It will be interesting to see after Avengers: Endgame, whenever we next see Carol Danvers, be it in Captain Marvel 2 or elsewhere, if she reverts back to the Captain Marvel look or finds a happy medium between the two.

See Captain Marvel’s new look when Avengers: Endgame opens in theaters on April 26. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies coming this year, and for all your movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Even Though Zac Efron's Ted Bundy Movie Is Heading To Netflix, It's Getting An R-Rating

Even Though Zac Efron's Ted Bundy Movie Is Heading To Netflix, It's Getting An R-Rating

Netflix has had a weird history with rating its original movies, but now we know for certain that one of its big upcoming movies will be Rated R. The movie in question is Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Given the serial killer subject matter of the upcoming Netflix flick, an R rating for the Ted Bundy-based flick makes sense.

The MPAA has given Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile an R-rating and, as you can probably guess, one of the reasons cited is for “disturbing” content. More specifically, the MPAA says:

Rated R for disturbing/violent content, some sexuality, nudity and language.

While the R rating is not a giant surprise (or at least shouldn’t be given the subject matter), what is interesting is that the film has been rated at all.

We’ve reported previously on Netflix’s inconsistencies with rating its movies. Some flicks in the past have been given TV-MA or similar TV guideline-based ratings while some have been given MPAA ratings. It hasn’t always been consistent regarding whether or not a project has gotten a brief theatrical release, either.

However, just a couple of weeks ago, Netflix joined the MPAA. Hopefully, this means that a larger percentage of movies will actually be getting the types of ratings people in the U.S. are familiar with. I know it probably doesn't seem like a big deal given that Netflix has been letting people know whether or not something is "mature" content, but to me the fact that some projects have been rated more like TV projects while others have been rated like real movies made it clear that Netflix didn't really know what space it was occupying in the business.

By signing on with the MPAA, Netflix has shown that it sees its movies as competing with other movies and not with the stuff that cable and network TV is putting out. It also means the MPAA is now showing more of a willingness to work with Netflix, which has often been at odds with the movie industry at large.

Extremely Wickedy, Shockingly Evil, and Vile has dealt with some press recently for casting Zac Efron as a “hot Ted Bundy,” especially given the serial killer nature of the movie. However, Ted Bundy was notorious for being a good-looking guy while on death row long before Zac Efron was ever cast in the role. Plus, Netflix has already reminded people that if they are really looking for "hot" characters, there are plenty of other options on the streaming service.

It’s certainly a unique choice for Zac Efron at this point in his career to tackle a serial killer period drama. However, he has taken projects with an R rating before, most notoriously with the Rated R version of Baywatch. (Although the movie went on to be panned, the cast defended the move.)

Hopefully, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile won’t suffer the same fate. Netflix, in fact, has had some struggles with producing critically-acclaimed content, although this past year’s Roma from Alfonso Cuaron was a notable exception.

Ultimately, 2019 should be an interesting year for the streaming service, and not just because it has joined the MPAA. You can catch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile sometime soon on Netflix. While we wait for an official date be sure to check out what is coming this month on Netflix.