Global box office numbers provide a fascinating illustration of just how big-budget blockbuster movies speak a universal language across international boundaries.
24/7 Tempo has assembled a list of the top worldwide box office hits over the past 20 years. As the list makes obvious, the movies that make the most money are mostly works of fantasy and science fiction and superhero films, both live-action and animated. Franchises like “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Star Wars,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and various Marvel properties make up much of the roster. (It isn’t necessary to add to the box office receipts to see many of these: Consider the best movie franchises to marathon from home.)
Click here to see the biggest worldwide box office hits of the last 20 years.
The list includes plenty of the same movies that were among the biggest domestic box office hits over the same period, though they tend to be in different positions on the list. This shows an interesting difference in viewing tastes between the United States and the rest of the world. Nonetheless, only three films from the domestic list’s top 10 fail to appear in the worldwide top 10. These are the 50 top-grossing movies of all time.
As far as movie studios are concerned, however, the biggest difference between domestic and international hits is the amount of money they bring in. The top movie in the U.S. (“Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”) raked in $936.7 million while the top film globally brought in an incredible $2.8 billion. See below to find out what it was.
To determine the biggest worldwide box office hits since the 2000s, 24/7 Wall St. obtained worldwide box office, production budgets, and gross box office from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by consulting firm Nash Information Services. Supplemental data on casting came from IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon. Data was collected mid-March 2021.
100. Suicide Squad (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $746.8 million
> Production budget: $175 million
> Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie
99. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $746.9 million
> Production budget: $145 million
> Starring: Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock
98. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
> Worldwide box office: $747.9 million
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman
97. Shrek Forever After (2010)
> Worldwide box office: $756.2 million
> Production budget: $165 million
> Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
96. 2012 (2009)
> Worldwide box office: $757.7 million
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor
95. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $757.9 million
> Production budget: $220 million
> Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
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94. Maleficent (2014)
> Worldwide box office: $758.5 million
> Production budget: $180 million
> Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley
93. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $759.8 million
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba
92. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)
> Worldwide box office: $766.6 million
> Production budget: $125 million
> Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
91. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
> Worldwide box office: $767.8 million
> Production budget: $125 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno
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90. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
> Worldwide box office: $770.9 million
> Production budget: $170 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
89. Deadpool (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $784.2 million
> Production budget: $58 million
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller
88. Deadpool 2 (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $786.5 million
> Production budget: $110 million
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin
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87. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
> Worldwide box office: $786.6 million
> Production budget: $185 million
> Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf
86. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $787.2 million
> Production budget: $178 million
> Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames
85. Furious 6 (2013)
> Worldwide box office: $789.3 million
> Production budget: $160 million
> Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson
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84. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
> Worldwide box office: $790.0 million
> Production budget: $130 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
83. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
> Worldwide box office: $794.7 million
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina
82. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $794.9 million
> Production budget: $230 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem
81. Coco (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $798.2 million
> Production budget: $175 million
> Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael GarcÃa Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
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80. Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $800.1 million
> Production budget: $125 million
> Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart
79. Shrek the Third (2007)
> Worldwide box office: $807.3 million
> Production budget: $160 million
> Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
78. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $811.7 million
> Production budget: $180 million
> Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol
77. Wonder Woman (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $818.1 million
> Production budget: $150 million
> Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright
76. Spider-Man (2002)
> Worldwide box office: $821.7 million
> Production budget: $139 million
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe
75. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $829.7 million
> Production budget: $136.2 million
> Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
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74. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
> Worldwide box office: $836.5 million
> Production budget: $210 million
> Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel
73. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
> Worldwide box office: $849.0 million
> Production budget: $115 million
> Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor
72. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $850.5 million
> Production budget: $180 million
> Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett
71. Venom (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $853.5 million
> Production budget: $116 million
> Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
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70. Inside Out (2015)
> Worldwide box office: $855.0 million
> Production budget: $175 million
> Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black
69. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
> Worldwide box office: $864.9 million
> Production budget: $130 million
> Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
68. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $869.1 million
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
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67. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $872.4 million
> Production budget: $263 million
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
66. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
> Worldwide box office: $876.5 million
> Production budget: $100 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
65. Spectre (2015)
> Worldwide box office: $879.5 million
> Production budget: $300 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux
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64. Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $879.8 million
> Production budget: $95 million
> Starring: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo
63. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $880.2 million
> Production budget: $175 million
> Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr.
62. The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $885.3 million
> Production budget: $75 million
> Starring: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart
61. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
> Worldwide box office: $886.7 million
> Production budget: $90 million
> Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary
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60. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
> Worldwide box office: $887.2 million
> Production budget: $93 million
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
59. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
> Worldwide box office: $891.3 million
> Production budget: $150 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
58. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $894.5 million
> Production budget: $55 million
> Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
57. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
> Worldwide box office: $894.9 million
> Production budget: $258 million
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace
56. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
> Worldwide box office: $919.1 million
> Production budget: $94 million
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
55. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
> Worldwide box office: $930.7 million
> Production budget: $250 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
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54. Shrek 2 (2004)
> Worldwide box office: $935.3 million
> Production budget: $70 million
> Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
53. Finding Nemo (2003)
> Worldwide box office: $936.1 million
> Production budget: $94 million
> Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
52. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
> Worldwide box office: $940.7 million
> Production budget: $150 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
51. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
> Worldwide box office: $943.3 million
> Production budget: $250 million
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
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50. The Jungle Book (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $953.6 million
> Production budget: $175 million
> Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley
49. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
> Worldwide box office: $955.4 million
> Production budget: $125 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
48. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
> Worldwide box office: $960.2 million
> Production budget: $250 million
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
47. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
> Worldwide box office: $961.0 million
> Production budget: $300 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
46. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $961.3 million
> Production budget: $90 million
> Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart
45. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
> Worldwide box office: $965.1 million
> Production budget: $125 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris
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44. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
> Worldwide box office: $975.2 million
> Production budget: $76 million
> Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt
43. The Dark Knight (2008)
> Worldwide box office: $999.0 million
> Production budget: $185 million
> Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
42. Zootopia (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion
> Production budget: $150 million
> Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba
41. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage
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40. Finding Dory (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill
39. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter
38. Despicable Me 3 (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion
> Production budget: $75 million
> Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker
37. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion
> Production budget: $379 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane
36. Aladdin (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.0 billion
> Production budget: $182 million
> Starring: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott
35. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk
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34. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $225 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
33. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
32. Joker (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $55 million
> Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz
31. Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $275 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
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30. Toy Story 4 (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts
29. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $230 million
> Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway
28. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $210 million
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor
27. Skyfall (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris
26. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $94 million
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen
25. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $195 million
> Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson
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24. Captain Marvel (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $175 million
> Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn
23. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $160 million
> Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal
22. Aquaman (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $1.1 billion
> Production budget: $160 million
> Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe
21. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion
> Production budget: $250 million
> Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson
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20. Minions (2015)
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion
> Production budget: $74 million
> Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton
19. Iron Man Three (2013)
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow
18. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion
> Production budget: $250 million
> Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson
17. Incredibles 2 (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $1.2 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell
16. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $1.3 billion
> Production budget: $160 million
> Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans
15. Frozen (2013)
> Worldwide box office: $1.3 billion
> Production budget: $150 million
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff
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14. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $1.3 billion
> Production budget: $170 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall
13. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
> Worldwide box office: $1.3 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill
12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
> Worldwide box office: $1.3 billion
> Production budget: $125 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
11. Black Panther (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $1.3 billion
> Production budget: $200 million
> Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o
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10. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
> Worldwide box office: $1.4 billion
> Production budget: $365 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
9. Frozen II (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.4 billion
> Production budget: $150 million
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad
8. The Avengers (2012)
> Worldwide box office: $1.5 billion
> Production budget: $225 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
7. Furious 7 (2015)
> Worldwide box office: $1.5 billion
> Production budget: $190 million
> Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson
6. The Lion King (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $1.7 billion
> Production budget: $260 million
> Starring: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen
5. Jurassic World (2015)
> Worldwide box office: $1.7 billion
> Production budget: $215 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins
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4. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
> Worldwide box office: $2.0 billion
> Production budget: $300 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
3. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
> Worldwide box office: $2.1 billion
> Production budget: $306 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
> Worldwide box office: $2.8 billion
> Production budget: $400 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
1. Avatar (2009)
> Worldwide box office: $2.8 billion
> Production budget: $237 million
> Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
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