Media

Half of 2016's Top Grossing Movies Were Comic Book Adaptations

Paul Ausick

Published: December 29, 2016 9:10 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 4:20 pm

Of the 10 top grossing movies worldwide in 2016, half came from the Buena Vista studio of Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS). Three were produced by Time Warner Inc.’s (NYSE: TWX) Warner Bros. studio, and one each were released by Comcast Corp.’s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Universal studio and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc.’s (NASDAQ: FOXA) Fox studio.

Half of the top 10 were based on comic book characters, three were animations, and two were live-action family fare.

Nine of the top 10 worldwide were among the top 10 in domestic grosses as well. The lone exception was “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which ranked seventh in domestic gross and 11th in worldwide gross. But “Rogue One” is just $40 million short of 10th place in worldwide gross and is a virtual lock to make the top 10.

Here are the top 10 movies of 2016 based on worldwide gross ticket sales as reported at Box Office Mojo. We’ve included their domestic rank and gross sales along with the studio and the genre.

1. Captain America: Civil War

> Worldwide gross: $1.15 billion
> Domestic rank and gross: 2nd, $408 million
> Studio: Buena Vista
> Genre: Comic book adaptation

2. Finding Dory

> Worldwide gross: $1.03 billion
> Domestic rank and gross: 1st, $486 million
> Studio: Buena Vista
> Genre: Animation

3. Zootopia

> Worldwide gross: $1.02 billion
> Domestic rank and gross: 6th, $341 million
> Studio: Buena Vista
> Genre: Animation

4. The Jungle Book (2016)

> Worldwide gross: $967 million
> Domestic rank and gross: 4th, $364 million
> Studio: Buena Vista
> Genre: Live Action with talking animals

5. The Secret Life of Pets

> Worldwide gross: $875 million
> Domestic rank and gross: 3rd, $368 million
> Studio: Universal
> Genre: Animation

6. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

> Worldwide gross: $873 million
> Domestic rank and gross: 8th, $330 million
> Studio: Warner Bros.
> Genre: Comic book adaptation

7. Deadpool

> Worldwide gross: $783 million
> Domestic rank and gross: 5th, $363 million
> Studio: 21st Century Fox
> Genre: Comic book adaptation

8. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

> Worldwide gross: $746 million
> Domestic rank and gross: 11th, $217 million
> Studio: Warner Bros
> Genre: Fantasy, live action

9. Suicide Squad

> Worldwide gross: $745 million
> Domestic rank and gross: 9th, $325 million
> Studio: Warner Bros.
> Genre: Comic book adaptation

10. Doctor Strange

> Worldwide gross: $657 million
> Domestic rank and gross: 10th, $229 million
> Studio: Buena Vista
> Genre: Comic book adaptation