“Avengers: Endgame” and “Avatar” have been bumping each other off the top of the chart with rereleases. James Cameron has directed three of the world’s top-grossing movies ever. Spider-Man films occupy two spots.
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Marvel Studios’ 2019 superhero blockbuster has been competing with “Avatar” for the top spot of the global box office chart since its release. Surpassing it when it first came out, it then went down to No. 2 when “Avatar” was rereleased in 2022. “Avengers: Endgame” has now retaken the crown with its own rerelease, timed to create hype around this year’s upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.”
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James Cameron’s blockbuster spent a decade topping the chart, from 2009 to 2019, and ruled again from 2022 to October 2026. Featuring a groundbreaking use of 3D and CGI technology, the epic sci-fi set in the 22nd century portrays the Na’vi, the inhabitants of a moon called Pandora, attempting to resist a mining corporation from Earth. It’s a universal story that appealed to moviegoers worldwide.
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Tom Holland’s fourth solo outing in the role of Peter Parker / Spider-Man surpassed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), which had spent more than a decade as the highest-grossing release at the North American box office. It’s also the third film in history to have crossed the $2.5 billion (€2.2 billion) mark. There’s more to come: A rerelease of the film with extra footage is also in the works.
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James Cameron’s long-delayed sequel to “Avatar” was acclaimed as another visual triumph. With its immersive and richly-detailed 3D water sequences, the movie was compared to a high-end theme park attraction that could only be fully experienced in cinemas.
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Right behind “Avatar: The Way of Water” is another box office hit directed by Cameron. Thanks to multiple re-releases since its debut in 1997, “Titanic” is the only film of the 20th century in the global box office top 10. The film, which dramatized the 1912 sinking of the infamous ship on its maiden voyage, saw a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet adopt the iconic pose pictured above.
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Directed by J.J. Abrams and featuring breakout performances by Daisy Ridley (pictured above), John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, the reboot of the franchise achieved massive global success. Playing on nostalgic appeal, the return of original “Star Wars” icons like Han Solo, Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker generated exceptional media hype.
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Dozens of beloved comic book superheroes brought together into one movie: The “Avengers” films are always extremely popular. This title in the franchise was the culmination of 18 prior blockbusters building up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The villain in “Infinity War,” Thanos, served as a powerful main character who hopes to save his own planet by wiping out half of all life in the universe.
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Mythic figures and epic action: The Chinese animated film directed by Jiaozi is a direct sequel to the 2019 “Ne Zha” and is based on a 16th-century Middle Kingdom novel. It became the highest-grossing non-English language movie, and the first animated feature in history to cross the $2 billion mark.
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Along with Zendaya in the role of MJ, three generations of Spider-Men were brought together in the movie starring Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. The crossover had massive appeal for fans of the franchise. Released in December 2021, it became the first blockbuster to cross the $1 billion mark during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
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Hollywood’s highest-grossing animated film ever, “Zootopia 2” also had a record-shattering run in China. The Disney movie follows two animal police officers with clashing personalities, the rabbit Judy Hopps and the fox Nick Wilde, who team up once again to crack a new case. It won an Oscar for best animated film.
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