If you want to produce a top-grossing film nowadays, make it animated and about superheroes, wizards, vampires, and pirates doing battle in the dystopian future in Middle Earth in a galaxy far, far away. That would seem to be a winning combination of ingredients, in any case, if you look at the 100 biggest box office hits since 2000.
The roster of top box office earners over the past two decades is dominated by animated films, superhero flicks, and sequel-churning movie franchises such as “Harry Potter,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Twilight,” “The Hunger Games,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Star Wars,” and various corners of the Marvel universe. These are the best movie franchises to marathon from home.
Spending money to make money is a big part of the recipe for success. Big-budget blockbusters obviously rule the day, as only three of the top 100 films had production budgets lower than $50 million, and more than three-quarters of the movies on the list cost at least $100 million. See which movies that made the most money with the fewest dollars.
Click here to see the biggest box office hits since 2000.
24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the top 100 domestic box office hit films of the 21st century thus far. Information on production budget, domestic and worldwide gross, and domestic box office was sourced from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by consulting firm Nash Information Services. When unavailable from that source, domestic box office figures were taken from IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, or from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator. Casting information comes from IMDb.
100. Despicable Me 3 (2017)
> Domestic box office: $264.6 million
> Production budget: $75.0 million
> Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker
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99. Shrek (2001)
> Domestic box office: $267.7 million
> Production budget: $50.0 million
> Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
98. Monsters University (2013)
> Domestic box office: $268.5 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi
97. Sing (2016)
> Domestic box office: $270.3 million
> Production budget: $75.0 million
> Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane
96. The Grinch (2018)
> Domestic box office: $270.6 million
> Production budget: Not available
> Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones
95. Gravity (2013)
> Domestic box office: $274.1 million
> Production budget: $110.0 million
> Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris
94. The Hangover (2009)
> Domestic box office: $277.3 million
> Production budget: $35.0 million
> Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha
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93. Meet the Fockers (2004)
> Domestic box office: $279.2 million
> Production budget: $60.0 million
> Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner
92. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)
> Domestic box office: $281.3 million
> Production budget: $127.5 million
> Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
91. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
> Domestic box office: $281.6 million
> Production budget: $150.0 million
> Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
90. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)
> Domestic box office: $281.7 million
> Production budget: $160.0 million
> Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
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89. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
> Domestic box office: $290.1 million
> Production budget: $115.0 million
> Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs
88. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
> Domestic box office: $290.2 million
> Production budget: $150.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
87. Man of Steel (2013)
> Domestic box office: $291.0 million
> Production budget: $225.0 million
> Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon
86. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
> Domestic box office: $292.1 million
> Production budget: $150.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
85. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)
> Domestic box office: $292.3 million
> Production budget: $136.2 million
> Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
84. Inception (2010)
> Domestic box office: $292.6 million
> Production budget: $160.0 million
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page
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83. Up (2009)
> Domestic box office: $293.0 million
> Production budget: $175.0 million
> Starring: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger
82. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
> Domestic box office: $296.1 million
> Production budget: $125.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
81. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
> Domestic box office: $296.6 million
> Production budget: $50.0 million
> Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
80. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
> Domestic box office: $300.5 million
> Production budget: $68.0 million
> Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
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79. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
> Domestic box office: $302.1 million
> Production budget: $250.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
78. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
> Domestic box office: $303.0 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage
77. Skyfall (2012)
> Domestic box office: $304.4 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris
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76. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
> Domestic box office: $305.4 million
> Production budget: $140.0 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom
75. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
> Domestic box office: $309.4 million
> Production budget: $300.0 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
74. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
> Domestic box office: $310.7 million
> Production budget: $115.0 million
> Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor
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73. Iron Man 2 (2010)
> Domestic box office: $312.4 million
> Production budget: $170.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow
72. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
> Domestic box office: $315.1 million
> Production budget: $180.0 million
> Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett
71. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
> Domestic box office: $315.5 million
> Production budget: $93.0 million
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
70. Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
> Domestic box office: $316.8 million
> Production budget: $125.0 million
> Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart
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69. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
> Domestic box office: $317.1 million
> Production budget: $185.0 million
> Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf
68. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
> Domestic box office: $317.9 million
> Production budget: $125.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris
67. Iron Man (2008)
> Domestic box office: $318.6 million
> Production budget: $186.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard
66. Transformers (2007)
> Domestic box office: $319.2 million
> Production budget: $151.0 million
> Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel
65. Shrek the Third (2007)
> Domestic box office: $322.7 million
> Production budget: $160.0 million
> Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
64. Deadpool 2 (2018)
> Domestic box office: $324.6 million
> Production budget: $110.0 million
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin
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63. Suicide Squad (2016)
> Domestic box office: $325.1 million
> Production budget: $175.0 million
> Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie
62. It (2017)
> Domestic box office: $328.8 million
> Production budget: $35.0 million
> Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard
61. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
> Domestic box office: $330.4 million
> Production budget: $263.0 million
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
60. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
> Domestic box office: $333.7 million
> Production budget: $170.0 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
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59. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
> Domestic box office: $334.2 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter
58. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
> Domestic box office: $334.2 million
> Production budget: $175.0 million
> Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr.
57. Aquaman (2018)
> Domestic box office: $335.1 million
> Production budget: $160.0 million
> Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe
56. Joker (2019)
> Domestic box office: $335.5 million
> Production budget: $55.0 million
> Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz
55. Minions (2015)
> Domestic box office: $336.0 million
> Production budget: $74.0 million
> Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton
54. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
> Domestic box office: $336.5 million
> Production budget: $258.0 million
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace
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53. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)
> Domestic box office: $337.1 million
> Production budget: $125.0 million
> Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
52. Zootopia (2016)
> Domestic box office: $341.3 million
> Production budget: $150.0 million
> Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba
51. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
> Domestic box office: $342.5 million
> Production budget: $94.0 million
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
50. American Sniper (2014)
> Domestic box office: $350.1 million
> Production budget: $58.0 million
> Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner
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49. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
> Domestic box office: $352.4 million
> Production budget: $195.0 million
> Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson
48. Furious 7 (2015)
> Domestic box office: $353.0 million
> Production budget: $190.0 million
> Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson
47. Aladdin (2019)
> Domestic box office: $355.6 million
> Production budget: $182.0 million
> Starring: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott
46. Inside Out (2015)
> Domestic box office: $356.5 million
> Production budget: $175.0 million
> Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black
45. Deadpool (2016)
> Domestic box office: $363.1 million
> Production budget: $58.0 million
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller
44. The Jungle Book (2016)
> Domestic box office: $364.0 million
> Production budget: $175.0 million
> Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley
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43. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
> Domestic box office: $368.1 million
> Production budget: $76.0 million
> Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt
42. The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
> Domestic box office: $368.4 million
> Production budget: $75.0 million
> Starring: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart
41. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
> Domestic box office: $370.8 million
> Production budget: $25.0 million
> Starring: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern
40. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
> Domestic box office: $373.5 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina
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39. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
> Domestic box office: $377.8 million
> Production budget: $94.0 million
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen
38. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
> Domestic box office: $380.3 million
> Production budget: $115.0 million
> Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor
37. Finding Nemo (2003)
> Domestic box office: $380.5 million
> Production budget: $94.0 million
> Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
36. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
> Domestic box office: $381.2 million
> Production budget: $125.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
35. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
> Domestic box office: $389.8 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
34. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
> Domestic box office: $390.5 million
> Production budget: $160.0 million
> Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal
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33. Frozen (2013)
> Domestic box office: $401.0 million
> Production budget: $150.0 million
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff
32. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
> Domestic box office: $402.1 million
> Production budget: $210.0 million
> Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel
31. Spider-Man (2002)
> Domestic box office: $403.7 million
> Production budget: $139.0 million
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe
30. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
> Domestic box office: $404.5 million
> Production budget: $90.0 million
> Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart
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29. The Hunger Games (2012)
> Domestic box office: $408.0 million
> Production budget: $80.0 million
> Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
28. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
> Domestic box office: $408.1 million
> Production budget: $250.0 million
> Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson
27. Iron Man Three (2013)
> Domestic box office: $409.0 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow
26. Wonder Woman (2017)
> Domestic box office: $412.6 million
> Production budget: $150.0 million
> Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright
25. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Domestic box office: $415.0 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
24. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
> Domestic box office: $417.7 million
> Production budget: $170.0 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall
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23. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
> Domestic box office: $423.3 million
> Production budget: $225.0 million
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
22. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
> Domestic box office: $424.7 million
> Production budget: $130.0 million
> Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
21. Captain Marvel (2019)
> Domestic box office: $426.8 million
> Production budget: $175.0 million
> Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn
20. Toy Story 4 (2019)
> Domestic box office: $434.0 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts
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19. Shrek 2 (2004)
> Domestic box office: $441.2 million
> Production budget: $70.0 million
> Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
18. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
> Domestic box office: $448.1 million
> Production budget: $230.0 million
> Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway
17. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
> Domestic box office: $459.0 million
> Production budget: $365.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
16. Frozen II (2019)
> Domestic box office: $477.4 million
> Production budget: $150.0 million
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad
15. Finding Dory (2016)
> Domestic box office: $486.3 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill
14. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
> Domestic box office: $504.0 million
> Production budget: $160.0 million
> Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans
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13. Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
> Domestic box office: $515.2 million
> Production budget: $275.0 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
12. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
> Domestic box office: $532.2 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk
11. The Dark Knight (2008)
> Domestic box office: $533.7 million
> Production budget: $185.0 million
> Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
10. The Lion King (2019)
> Domestic box office: $543.6 million
> Production budget: $260.0 million
> Starring: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen
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9. Incredibles 2 (2018)
> Domestic box office: $608.6 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell
8. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
> Domestic box office: $620.2 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill
7. The Avengers (2012)
> Domestic box office: $623.4 million
> Production budget: $225.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
6. Jurassic World (2015)
> Domestic box office: $652.3 million
> Production budget: $215.0 million
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins
5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
> Domestic box office: $678.8 million
> Production budget: $300.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
4. Black Panther (2018)
> Domestic box office: $700.1 million
> Production budget: $200.0 million
> Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o
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3. Avatar (2009)
> Domestic box office: $760.5 million
> Production budget: $237.0 million
> Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
> Domestic box office: $858.4 million
> Production budget: $400.0 million
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
1. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
> Domestic box office: $936.7 million
> Production budget: $306.0 million
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
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