We’ve ranked the 30 biggest movies of all time, according to worldwide box office gross. Some of the entries will definitely surprise you!
30. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The story that takes place slightly before the events ofStar Wars: A New Hopedid better than the originalStar Warstrilogy at the box office, gathering up $1.065 billion internationally. Fans of theStar Warsjuggernaut came in droves to watch one of the few Star Wars films that didn’t include a Skywalker character.
While this movie was a bigger box office success than the original trilogy, the first three films helped out during its production. Costume designerDavid Crossmanstated thatRogue Onereused many of the original costumes used inA New Hope,The Empire Strikes Back, andReturn of the Jedi.
The sequel to the swashbuckling Disney hit based on a theme park ride,Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chestdug up $1.066 billion from movie-goers. Compelling special effects, exciting action sequences, and the swagger of Jack Sparrow helped the film sail past the billion dollar mark.
Its sequel,Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, was shot back-to-back withDead Man’s Chest. In spite of a cliffhanger ending connecting the two films,At World’s Endachieved a worldwide box office of $963 million, falling short of its predecessor.
28. Toy Story 3
The third installment of Pixar’s famous franchise appealed to both children and the adults that had grown up with Woody, Buzz, and the gang, putting $1.067 billion into the talking piggy bank. Intended to be the series' final installment,Toy Story 3rewarded viewers with quality computer animation and heart.
The genius animators at Pixar ran into a surprising challenge: trash bags. Since plastic trash bags are unique in how they reflect light compared to other objects, the animators spent weeks studying trash bags so they would be presented properly in the film.
27. The Dark Knight Rises
The final film ofChristopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy broke the spines of ticket takers and collected $1.084 billion worldwide. Millions of people rooted for Batman (Christian Bale) as he took on the terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy).
While the entire trilogy was successful, only one villain has appeared in all three films:Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow. Christian Bale is also tied withBen Affleckfor the actor who has portrayed Batman in the most live-action films, with a total of three movies under each of their utility belts.
26. Transformers: Age of Extinction
Despite its largely negative reviews,Transformers: Age of Extinctiontransformed a heavily criticized script into $1.104 billion in ticket sales. Not too shabby for a movie about robot dinosaurs that holds an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film didn’t just collect a ton of money from ticket sales and merchandise. The movie had product placement for 55 different brands, including Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Gucci, and Victoria Secret, among others.
25. Skyfall
The film that brought Bond back to his homestead brought in over nine figures worldwide.Daniel Craig’s 007 facing off against Oscar-winnerJavier Bardemintrigued audiences and provided incredible action.
This film was also a fond farewell toDame Judy Denchfrom the franchise. Her screen time in this film alone is longer thanDesmond Llewelyn’s 17 appearances as Q, making Dench’s M the most recurring character in the Bond films, after 007 himself.
24. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The last chapter in theLord of the Ringstrilogy was a grand finale, bringing in $1.119 billion from Mordor back to the Shire. Its success is no surprise, especially since the film brought home 11 Academy Awards.
After finishing all three films, many of the cast members got to keep a prop that was associated with their character.Andy SerkisandElijah Woodeach got one of the One Ring props.Orlando Bloomgot to take home one of Legolas’ bows.John Rhys-Davieswas given a Gimli mask and threw it into a fire, because he hated wearing it so much.
23. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The third installment of theTransformerslive-action franchise was the last film featuringShia LaBeoufas the lead. The space race for a Cybertronian spacecraft on the moon was the franchise’s best box office performer, taking in $1.123 billion.
Leonard Nimoywas cast to voice the former Autobots leader, Sentinel Prime, but that wasn’t the first time he voiced a Transformer. Nimoy also provided the voice of the evil Galvatron in 1986’s animatedTransformers: The Movie.
22. Captain Marvel
Marvel’s first superhero film helmed by a woman grabbed up a cosmic amount of cash, settling at $1.128 billion. The introduction of Marvel’s strongest Avenger not only brought in dedicated superhero fans, but also audiences interested in more female-led action films.
The breakout star of the film was the cat/alien named Goose. Filming Goose’s scenes were tricky, however, as human starBrie Larsonis allergic to cats. Many of their scenes together were done using puppets or CGI.
21. Aquaman
James Wan’s superhero story about the King of the Seas flooded theaters and cash registers, bringing in $1.148 billion. With that,Aquamanis officially the biggest box office winner for DC Entertainment, outselling movies featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
During the casting process,Jason Momoaspecifically requested that his acting idolTemura Morrisonplay his father. Most audiences would know Morrison as Jango Fett inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,and the voice of Boba Fett in several video games.
