Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies of All Time in the History [2020 Updated]

Here are the top 10 highest grossing movies of all-time, ranging from sci-fi to romantic drama, that has impacted our lives with their release.

Many movies come and go, but some stay engraved in our hearts forever. Here are the top 10 highest grossing movies that took over the world in a snap and were able to win hearts and make money at the same time. While there are multiple factors responsible for making a movie success, in this list, we can see how movies from every genre can succeed with the audience’s approval.

Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies of All-Time in the History

1. Avengers: Endgame

Worldwide Box Office: $2.797 billion+

The Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame is the sequel to the Avengers series Infinity War and was released in 2019. It is not only the top grossing Avenger movies of all time but is also the most recent movie to gain the number one spot on the list of the highest grossing movies.

Here are some facts that make the top grossing movies even better:

• Marvel had a fake Infinity War & Endgame scripts that were referred to as ‘code blue’.

• The movie became the highest grossing movie of all time just within 11 days of its release

• Visual effects were used to make Tony Stark look emaciated at the movie’s beginning in space

2. Avatar

Worldwide Box Office: $2.788 billion+

The James Cameron directed, written, produced, and co-edited epic science fiction film Avatar marked its presence across the world with its unique plot set in the mid 22nd century when humans colonize a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system, Pandora.

The movie was initially planned to be filmed after Cameron’s Titanic, for a scheduled release in 1999. However, according to James Cameron, the technology available was not sufficient to build his vision into a movie yet. Thank God for that, as the 1990s tech could never deliver what the 2009 movie delivered.

Fun Fact: The development of the plot for Avatar began in 1994 when James Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for the film.

3. Titanic

Worldwide Box Office: $2.208 billion+

The 1997 epic romance and disaster film is an adaptation of the real-life tragic event of the sinking of Titanic that occurred in April 1912. Included in the top grossing movies of all time, the movie’s production began in 1995 when James Cameron, the director of the movie, shot the footage of the actual Titanic wreck underwater. 

The Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starrer film, in addition to dramatizing the ill-fated maiden voyage, also displays the shortlived love story of the leads hailing from different social classes, giving a bigger message to the society, that love has no boundaries. The movie’s 3D version was released in 2012 to commemorate the centennial of the sinking. 

Fun Fact: Various sinking scenes from the Titanic were filmed in an indoor pool.

4. Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens

Worldwide Box Office: $2.068 billion+

Star Wars is one of the most diligently followed movies by fans and followers. In fact, many still follow and organize Star War-themed events and parties for fans to experience the fictional world. This is the first installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy that was released in 2015. It was 12 years after the Star Wars prequel trilogy that J. J. Abrams was tasked with making Ep, VII- the most monumental one of all.

Some fun fact about the highest grossing movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens are:

• This was the first J. J. Abrams film that did not have a musical score by Michael Giacchino. 

• The film is the highest grossing installment in the franchise

• The film received 5 nominations at the 88th Academy Awards and received the award for Best Special Visual Effects at the 69th British Academy Film Awards

5. Avengers: Infinity War

Worldwide Box Office: $2.048 billion+

The 2018 movie Infinity Wars is a path-breaking sequel in the Avengers series where the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to prevent Thanos from collecting the six powerful Infinity Stones, which, once collected, will fulfill his quest of killing half of all life in the universe. 

It obviously had to be a part of the top grossing movies on the list! Well, we all know what happened next, or we don’t (no spoilers from my side). For the ones who know, the film featured one of the gutsiest cliffhangers in the history of any franchise, leaving the wait of the next part, EndGame, even harder. 

Fact: The film surpassed Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ three-day opening weekend record with $257.6 million, & hit the $2 billion mark in mere 48 days

6. Jurrasic World

Worldwide Box Office: $1.67 billion+

The 2015 science fiction adventure movie Jurrasic World is the fourth installment of the Jurrasic Park film series, and the first part for the planned Jurrasic World trilogy. The Colin Trevorrow directed movie was able to cater to a massive audience, ranging from kids to adults indulging the exciting sci-fi graphics. 

Here are some interesting facts about Jurrasic World, one of the top grossing movies of all time:

• The movie franchise is based on Michael Crichton’s novel, which was published in 1990.

• The use of CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) in Jurrasic Park represented a groundbreaking technological achievement for the film industry.

7. The Lion King

Worldwide Box Office: $1.656 billion+

The 2019 animated American musical film The Lion King crossed Disney’s Frozen to become the top grossing animated movies, in addition to being in the grossing movies list for 2019. The remake of the Disney’s 1994 original created the adorable Simba’s photorealistic computer-animated version, and the word fell on its knees. 

The movie has been directed by Jon Favreau and revolved around a budget of $260 million, making it a part of the most expensive films ever made. However, the one monumental scene that everyone absolutely looked forward to seeing was the Simba birth scene. (we’re not singing, you are)

Did you know: The Lion King was originally called ‘King of the Jungle.’

8. The Avengers

Worldwide Box Office: $1.518 billion+

The release of The Avengers was the beginning of the ultimate Marvel vs. DC clash. The superhero movie, based on Stan Lee’s The Avengers, comprises of the most popular characters of the Marvel Comics like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, to form a team capable of destroying Thor’s brother Loki from enslaving the Earth. 

Here are some facts about the highest grossing movies of all-time:

• The development of the film began after Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch in 2005

• The movie features over 2,000 visual effects shots

• The Avengers was featured as one of the greatest films of all times in an Empire magazine poll

9. Furious 7

Worldwide Box Office: $1.518 billion+

Furious 7 is a 2015 American action film directed by James Wan & written by Chris Morgan that is a sequel to 2013’s Fast & Furious 6 and the seventh installment in the Fast & Furious franchise. Sadly, in 2013 Paul Walker, the lead of the movie, met with an accident within which he took his last breathes. He was shooting for the Furious 7 that very year, because of which the movie was rewritten and released in 2015. The Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth sung song ‘See You Again’ was commissioned for the film’s soundtrack as a tribute to Pual Walker.

Fact: The film crossed the $1.5 billion mark worldwide after 12 days of its release, making it the highest grossing film of the franchise.

10. Frozen II

Worldwide Box Office: $1.45 billion+

Frozen II is a 2019 American musical fantasy produced as a 3D computer-animated film that is the sequel to 2013 Frozen. The movie elaborates on the magical journey of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, beyond their kingdom of Arendelle, to discover the origin of Elsa’s magical powers. The movie was premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 7th November 2019 and was later released by the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on 22nd November 2019.

Here are some fun facts about the second highest grossing animated film of all time:

• The musical fantasy film has a total of seven songs

• The directors and producer of the film went on a research trip to Finland, Norway, and Iceland to drive inspiration for the content

•  The visual development artists considered over 122 choices for Anna’s wardrobe, which were initially designed for Elsa.

In addition to these 10 amazing top grossing films of all time, some honourary mentions would include Black Panther, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Star Wars Ep VIII: The Last Jedi, Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom, Frozen, and Beauty and the Beast. All these movies belong to different categories and genres, yet what brings them together as box office successes are the association and message delivered by the film for its audience. Which is your favorite one from above?