Top Ten Highest Grossing Movies: The Current Trends

In laymen terms, the highest grossing movies are those that have done impeccable business since the time they've been first released on the big screen for the broad audience. Their success is measured by the length of the time period they've been successfully viewed in the cinemas and more importantly by the amount of revenue generated by the films. While mostly a movie's performance is evaluated by how it does business in the theaters, there are certain other streams as well that contribute heavily to the revenue. Some of these other channels include entertainment through home video, rights to broadcasting on television and various merchandising.

We are going to look at ten of the highest grossing movies of all time in the Hollywood cinema while trying to find a recipe for inclusion in the top ten list. You should also note the fact, that all of these movies have grossed over a billion dollars and still earning. For reasons of inappropriate data collection of old films and inflation, only the most recent movies have been taken into consideration. If the revenue of Gone with the Wind is calculated with contemporary prices, it could easily take the top position with a safe earning of more than $3 billion. It has been the most successful film for up to 25 years after its initial release.

While evaluating the top scoring movies of the past fifteen years, the first position is secured by none other than Avatar, an epic science fiction American film; the movie directed, produced and written by James Cameron has done an enormous business of $2.7 billion. Surprisingly enough, following Avatar is again an epic movie created by James Cameron: Titanic. Records show that the film has done the astonishing $1.8 billion.

Moving on to the next spot, the movie taking the third position with $1.33 billion is the franchise film Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part II. The next three movies following suit are Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – all doing business of approximately $1.1 billion and all of them being franchises too.

Animated movies have also managed to pull in a lot of fanatic viewers to the cinema for a long time now. With a dedication to quality and originality of the story, the animated films have done just as well on the box office as movies of serious nature and with live characters. So the seventh highest grossing film is none other than Toy Story 3, which has done $1.06 billion at the box office. The last three movies having a place in the top ten of the world’s highest grossing movies yet are Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Alice in Wonderland and The Dark Knight, each with a revenue slightly higher than a billion dollars.

By a survey of the records, it becomes evident that the franchise films are the ones, which have performed the best in worldwide cinemas. With the exception of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, it seems a film should be either a franchise's episode or a James Cameron movie in order to be on the top ten list. Generally speaking, franchise films are the movies that have been made into series. So to emphasize the power of franchises even further, some of the popular series that have not been mentioned in the countdown above are Star Wars, Spiderman and Superman. And there are numerous animated franchise series too that have reached great heights of fame, like Ice Age, Shrek and the recently re-released in 3D The Lion King.

The latter leads us to another notable trend. Despite all of the criticism (including ours) 3D movies receive, more than the half of the films among the top ten highest grossing movies are actually 3D films. Of course, this could be attributed to the higher prices for viewing movies in 3D but it is a trend worth mentioning and it explains why even blockbusters like Titanic and The Lion King have been recently re-released in 3D.

You are welcome to read our USA vs. Non-USA comparison of highest grossing movies of all time or just continue browsing our Review Maze.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

After a decade of success the Harry Potter series has come to a conclusion. It all began as a children's story under Chris Columbus's direction in 2001. The first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was a box office success but was largely overshadowed by the first chapter of The Lord of the Rings trilogy amongst the older audience. The third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, is still probably the best in the series. It was a drastic change in look and feel: darker and tighter, setting the tone for more mature future development. The next installment, under Mike Newell's direction, acknowledged both this fact and the supposed growing older of the fanbase by moving the series into PG-13 ground.

When David Yates, a relatively unknown TV director, was selected to continue the saga many were puzzled and doubtful. But (un)surprisingly, Yates went on directing all four final episodes. While the material he was working with was not always interesting he managed to bring in some fresh air. Yates succeeded in fleshing out Harry's inner turmoil, which was largely uninteresting up to then. At times his episodes got an almost indie drama touch to them, especially when putting the three main characters against the urban London backdrops. This weird (for a multi-million budget blockbuster) indie inclination culminated in the character drama aspirations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. Boring happenings storywise aside, this movie could easily be mistaken for a character driven drama, masterfully filmed by Eduardo Serra.

The closing installment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, is all about the final confrontation of Harry and Voldemort, the event that the whole series was building towards. It is competently executed fast paced non-stop action with tight script and editing, and in stark contrast with the slow previous episode. Everything is at its best here: the acting of the leads is passable (as opposed to "unbearable" before), the visuals are convincing, the musical score of Alexandre Desplat is the best in the series (and yes, this means better than John Williams's scores for the first three episodes). Unnecessary exposition and overexplanations are shoved aside and the only infodump sequence is beautifully made. The cinematography is great. Eduardo Serra had to fill in the shoes of Bruno Dellbonel (who got an Oscar nomination for filming the sixth episode) and he did exactly that, and then some more: framing is perfect, the camera movement and angles are vigorous, but competent, and the lighting is gorgeous; it conjures some suitably dark atmosphere without the images themselves being unpleasantly dark and making stuff hard to see. And unlike the so-so leads, the seasoned British actors in the supporting roles are all delightfully good.

It is not all flowers and songs, though. Despite a couple of thrilling sequences, battle scenes are not very epic (compared to a certain fantasy trilogy) and may feel small. This is not a fault per se, but is worth noting. There are a few cringeworthy attempts at pathos delivered through pathetic speeches, pun intended. The epilogue closes the cycle and returns the mood back to the first movies which is not entirely convincing. A more contemplative final might have been a better choice cinematically, but apparently fans of the books need to be serviced too.

This final episode is also the first and only of the series with a 3D release. The movie is post-converted to 3D which is usually a bad sign (cashing in on the 3D wave and whatnot). But in this case it is well done and makes the whole 3D experience less taxing. Still, watching this in 3D is not a must so feel free to see it in good old 2D.

In conclusion, this is a very easy movie to recommend (or not): if you haven't seen the previous episodes, there is no reason to go see this one as it is really the last chapter in a series; if you've seen them, you obviously don't need our recommendation to watch this one. The series has certainly been an uneven ride but it is nonetheless an unprecedented undertaking in cinema (and a pop culture phenomenon), and that makes it worth knowing.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Despite my under appreciation (at least in terms of their enormous success) of the whole Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 happened to easily outrun all of the previous installments in the contest for the most boring and unbearable experience. It wasn't that I expected something great or entertaining but I was still quite disappointed by the seventh Harry Potter movie. Frankly speaking, after six long years set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 offers better character drama and development, a lot of dark substance and a variety of new places and happenings. Still, all of these are overshadowed by a boring narrative, chaotic events and unmotivated behavior.

I am not going to delve into lots of details about the movie's story cause it's pretty much clear: Harry Potter continues his confrontation with Lord Voldemort. Harry and his two "inseparable" friends are on a journey to find and destroy the Horcruxes. A lot of people, creatures and things die. Harry is more lost than ever and only the occasional bright thoughts of Hermione (as usual) keep the party moving forward and in satisfactory health. Ron is constantly listening to some kind of a radio (yes, it's a fantasy movie) and an object similar to The Lord of the Rings' ring makes our heroes to act inadequately sometimes. As a bonus, we see a pointless wedding, a dance in the wilderness and plenty of other oddities.

Our heroes are magicians (and supposedly skilled ones) but every "amateur" chasing them out there is able to easily capture them. Wherever Harry goes, he is almost immediately discovered by Voldemort or his servants unless Hermione does some magic. We hear a ton of incomprehensible incantations of which we understand nothing. Most of the times they do not even work. We constantly wonder why Harry, Ron or Hermione is doing this or that. There is hardly any sensible motivation behind the characters' behavior and this is valid not only for the leads. We see Draco Malfoy and his associates wondering if the third person they see in a group with Hermione and Ron is Harry Potter as if Draco (and everyone else) has not been constantly seeing the three of them together for years. When Hermione starts to look for a "mystic" symbol she begins to find it everywhere and to find it with ease: a random grave in a graveyard appears to have it when she removes the dust from it.

Some of the situations are forced. We see Harry Potter letting Ron to perform probably the most important task in this film although he knows Ron has been unstable recently. Of course, the evil does not sleep and the next thing we see is Ron being tempted by the dark side of the force. Some people may argue that Harry has done this on purpose to give an examination to Ron and strengthen their relationship but even if this is the case, what more inappropriate moment to achieve it than this. Also the concept of Harry almost constantly not knowing what to do and everything to be driven and solved by Hermione is annoying at times.

In addition to the above flaws and overall inaccessibility of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the whole film is too long and tedious. The movie lacks a tight narrative and a good focus. Many of the events just happen. There is a bunch of expendable characters. Maybe if all of the series have been released over a two-year period similarly to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the film wouldn't seem so messy. Maybe if you've read the Harry Potter books, the appreciation of the movie could be (considerably) different. But as I've said before I haven't read the Harry Potter books and this is still a valid statement. I've tried to approach the movie as a separate piece of art what it should be independently of the books and the truth is I cannot find it entertaining at all. I've seen worse films, of course, but rarely they've been so valued and successful as this one. I suppose if you are a fan of the books or if you've liked the previous Harry Potter installments and especially if you care for the lead characters, The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 would be good for you. But if you haven't been able to appreciate the series until now, the penultimate Harry Potter film will hardly make a more positive impression on you.

Highest Grossing Movies of All Time - USA vs. Non-USA Charts Comparison

All-Time USA Box office

1	Avatar (2009)	$760,505,847
2	Titanic (1997)	$600,779,824
3	The Dark Knight (2008)	$533,316,061
4	Star Wars (1977)	$460,935,665
5	Shrek 2 (2004)	$436,471,036
6	E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)	$434,949,459
7	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)	$431,065,444
8	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)	$423,032,628
9	Toy Story 3 (2010)	$414,984,497
10	Spider-Man (2002)	$403,706,375
11	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)	$402,076,689
12	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)	$380,262,555
13	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)	$377,019,252
14	Spider-Man 2 (2004)	$373,377,893
15	The Passion of the Christ (2004)	$370,270,943
16	Jurassic Park (1993)	$356,784,000
17	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)	$340,478,898
18	Finding Nemo (2003)	$339,714,367
19	Spider-Man 3 (2007)	$336,530,303
20	Alice in Wonderland (2010)	$334,185,206

All-Time Non-USA Box office

1	Avatar (2009)	$2,021,000,000
2	Titanic (1997)	$1,234,600,000
3	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)	$752,200,000
4	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)	$691,200,000
5	Alice in Wonderland (2010)	$689,100,000
6	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)	$651,100,000
7	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)	$649,000,000
8	Toy Story 3 (2010)	$648,000,000
9	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)	$645,000,000
10	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)	$642,863,913
11	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)	$632,000,000
12	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)	$616,000,000
13	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)	$604,400,000
14	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)	$602,200,000
15	2012 (2009/I)	$600,700,000
16	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)	$583,495,746
17	Jurassic Park (1993)	$563,000,000
18	Spider-Man 3 (2007)	$548,900,000
19	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of ... (2001)	$547,100,000
20	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)	$546,100,000

If you take a look at the All-Time USA and the All-Time Non-USA Box office charts you'll most probably notice that they have some differences. While the worldwide highest-grossing movies of all time Avatar and Titanic are easily heading both of the charts, the rest of the positions are pretty much occupied by non-identical movie titles. While there could be a variety of reasons for that situation, we'll share mainly direct observations and comment on some of them. The article is based just on the Top 20 parts of the charts as published on IMDb at the date of this writing and most probably some changes will occur in the future although the main picture shouldn't be altered significantly for the time being. The charts are taken from IMDb as being most convenient for the current comparison but the information is pretty much the same at other popular sources like Box Office Mojo or Wikipedia. So, here is what we see...

To start with the most obvious - all of the seven Harry Potter movies are in the Non-USA Top 20 while none of them is in the USA Top 20. This leads us to the first observation - films based on books are more popular outside US which is also confirmed if we look at some of the other highest-grossing movies of all time based on famous books in the lists. The Non-USA chart has all 3 The Lord of the Rings episodes as well as Alice in Wonderland in number 5 spot while the USA chart has 2 of The Lord of the Rings movies on lower positions. The same is valid for Alice in Wonderland being in the last spot of the USA Top 20. One could state that all of these books have been written by non-American authors but on the other hand it could not be said that there are many movies based on American books in the USA Top 20 either so this should not be the main reason. All of these book-based movies are Hollywood films so their country of origin could not be a reason also. It could be argued that non-USA population is still more keen on books and this assumption could be somehow supported having in mind the United States are the most technically advanced nation and thus eventually spending not so much time in reading books as people living in the rest of the world.

Speaking of reading, here is the place to mention another group of movies - the films based on comic books. And now we observe the opposite thing - the comic book movies are found primarily in the USA Top 20 chart. We can see there all 3 Spider-Man movies and a Batman movie (ranked immediately after Avatar and Titanic) while in the Non-USA chart we find only Spider-Man 3 in the Top 20. This observation could be easily attributed to the comic book keener America and most probably it's a good explanation but we have also to mention that Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance and his untimely death have led to an enormous hype about The Dark Knight movie contributing to the monstrous success of the film in the US.

Since all of the aforementioned films based on non-comic books are fantasy movies and all of them have been more successful outside the USA it could be somehow supported that the non-US audience is more interested in the fantasy genre. On the other hand, one could notice that there are more sci-fi movies in the American highest-grossing films Top 20 compared to the non-USA chart - we can see 3 of the 6 Star Wars movies in there plus Avatar, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Jurassic Park. While there are not so many sci-fi films in the Non-USA Top 20 chart (we can see Avatar, 2012 and Jurassic Park and none of the Star Wars movies) it's still not so obvious if the USA has a real big advantage in the sci-fi genre. It could be considered the success of the 2 prequel Star Wars films founded in the chart is based primarily on the hype having in mind the iconic status of the original Star Wars trilogy in the USA. But even if it's not surely clear if the Americans are bigger sci-fi fans, we can say that while 2012 and Transformers are not so much of gems and critically acclaimed, the Non-US public could do better with the original Star Wars movie and E.T..

It could be also noticed that Star Wars and E.T. are pre-1990 movies and there is not a single movie so old in the Non-USA chart. This could be related to the better developed US movie market establishing cinema as a wide-spread accessible attraction much earlier in the 20th century than the rest of the world. The latter enabled for sure some older movies to generate significant revenue (even with ticket-price inflation not being considered).

While observing the rest of the titles on the highest grossing movies of all time charts does not lead to some general conclusions, we may note that there are some films not mentioned until now (and apart from the worldwide highest grossing films Avatar and Titanic) that have been appealing to the both markets. These include Toy Story 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Being entertaining movies without big life-meaning pretensions and the success of their former episodes are probably the keys of their worldwide attractiveness.

Finally, we should congratulate the US audience for appreciating Shrek 2 and Finding Nemo, both of them being widely critically acclaimed with lots of humor and pop culture references.

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Harry Potter Movies - Why Are They So Successful?

Really, what makes the Harry Potter movies and Harry Potter characters so successful? I cannot actually answer that question. While it's quite easy to list a bunch of reasons leading to the Star Wars trilogy success, it is rather difficult for me to find good arguments in support of the Harry Potter series success. Thus, I will express just some of my observations based only on the movies (not on the books) but if somebody knows the secret clue I am overlooking, please share a comment on it.

Of course, although I'm not a fan of Harry Potter's, I can see some of the series' good aspects. The movies easily benefit from the fact that they are based on a very popular book series. This automatically provides the films with a huge fan base even before they have been released (while on the other hand, the books gain new followers inside the moviegoers circles). But there are also other popular books that have not led the corresponding movies to similar success so, there has to be something more about Harry Potter.

The movies have also some spectacular scenes that are nice to watch but at the same time many of exactly those scenes are completely unrelated to the Harry Potter main storyline. In general, the series succeeds to create its own world and it is beautiful on its own. But then again, we are in the 21st century already and such worlds are nothing unseen.

Also, I can understand the appeal of a young magician schoolboy and his friends fighting the bad guys or the appeal of a parallel fantasy world but again, this is not unprecedented stuff.

Many of the nice looking scenes are just there for the purpose of being there. And it's valid not only for the visually good scenes but also for many of the others. I suppose that the greater part of the narrative is coming from the Harry Potter books and maybe the original material is not suitable enough for a movie but if this is the case, then a better option would be to omit or change particular events. I think, in this aspect the Harry Potter series is very much alike the Star Wars prequel trilogy - quite chaotic and unfocused although the principal Harry Potter characters are the same in all of the films.

Another point that bothers me a lot is related to the non-typical narration in the Harry Potter movies. Although the "good" Harry Potter characters fight with something bad or evil in each of the episodes, it is very common for all of the films that there is not real tension in them. Usually the main "battle" in each Harry Potter movie finishes very quickly and is pretty much as routine as every other event happening in the series.

In addition, there are neither lots of funny scenes in the movies, nor there are some interesting love or other subplots to boost the interest in the series. Yet, the Harry Potter franchise is very successful and makes rivers of money. And it is successful internationally. In fact, compared to other movies, Harry Potter is even more popular outside the United States (where the main movie market is). This tendency is obvious if you go to the all-time box office section at IMDb - all of the first 6 Harry Potter movies are in the Top 20 of the All-Time Non-USA Box office (the 7th movie is also heading right there) and on the other hand, none of them is in the Top 20 of the All-Time USA Box office chart. I think there are also reasons for that situation and I'll probably make another post about Harry Potter's and other movies' box office performance in and outside the United States with some analysis in it. (Update: about the latter you may check our USA vs. non-USA highest grossing movies of all time comparison.)

In my personal opinion, the Harry Potter series started with a couple of not very convincing episodes. The 3rd and the 4th movie showed a little bit of improvement in terms of interestingness and entertainment but then again the previous unsatisfying level was reached with the next episodes. Of course, my opinion does not prevent the Harry Potter series to occupy the #1 spot on the highest grossing film series list, at least for the time being.

So, these have been my thoughts about the series and if somebody could share any good reasons explaining why the Harry Potter movies are so big, please do it and bring me out of the darkness.

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