Box office opening weekend can typically make or break a movie’s commercial performance, but for a select few special films, cinema-goers will return again and again in droves. Here, we take a look at the top ten films that have had the strongest impact on the box office – can you guess what takes the top spot?
When Disney announced a live action remake of the classic 1991 cartoon, reactions were mixed. Many were worried that the remake would spoil childhood memories of the original – but in fact, if box office turnouts are anything to go by, the exact opposite is true. The movie grossed over $1 billion globally, making it the biggest hit of 2017.
Another Disney production, the retelling of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale opened at number one at the Box Office. Widely considered to be one of the best Disney movies after the renaissance era, Frozen remains the highest grossing animated feature of all time, taking in over $1.2 billion globally.
The final installment of the Harry Potter franchise was hotly anticipated, and was a smash hit as soon as it entered theatres in 2011. The movie holds a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning it was a success with cinemagoers as well as critics. Distributed by Warner Brothers, the last Harry Potter film was the highest grossing of the year, and smashed opening weekend records around the globe.
This Marvel superhero caper was met with rave reviews, and audiences around the world responded just as positively. The film saw an all-star cast reassemble, kicking off box office buzz for the movie with an appearance at Comic-Con. The film went on to be one of the highest grossing of 2015, and also enjoyed a strong performance in home media sales.
Perhaps a surprise entry on the list is the seventh installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, which opened in cinemas in 2015 – two years after the untimely death of the film’s leading star, Paul Walker.
Like it’s sequel, The Avengers also occupies a spot on the top ten list. The film began development in 2005, but didn’t hit big screens until 2012 – but cinema takings suggest it was worth the wait. This was the first of many superhero movies, spawning spinoffs and sequels galore as well as taking in a healthy $1.5 billion at the box office.
The highest grossing film in the franchise, Jurassic World was released 22 years after Spielberg’s dinosaurs first terrified moviegoers. Despite what were often lukewarm reviews from critics, the film was a commercial success, and became the highest grossing motion picture for Universal Pictures.
Following a substantial break in the Star Wars franchise (Revenge of the Sith premiered in movie theatres ten years prior), anticipation was rife for it’s return. An already-strong global fan base combined with a holiday season opening and an extensive marketing campaign courtesy of Disney saw the movie smash records, and was the fastest film in history to surpass the $1 million mark, doing so only 12 days after release.
The now infamous story of ill-fated lovers Jack and Rose aboard the HMS Titanic launched the careers of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and saw Director James Cameron win an Academy Award. It remained the highest grossing film of all time for eight years, until eventually being superseded by…
James Cameron is also the man behind the movie at the top spot – Avatar, released to near-universal acclaim in 2009. The sci-fi flick broke barriers with the use of visual effects, and smashed numerous box office records in it’s run up to becoming the highest grossing film of all time.
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