Special Report

The Highest-Grossing Movie Every Year Since 1975

Edwin Tan / E+ via Getty Images

To be a blockbuster, a motion picture needs at least some of these elements: a well-crafted plot, engaging characters, even-handed pacing, action in varying amounts, and confident direction. 

Since 1975, the films that have deciphered the code for box-office success have included superhero franchises, thrillers, science fiction movies, and animated films, among others. (These are the biggest box office hits since 2000.)

To determine which film scored the highest domestic box office gross every year since 1975, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services. The Numbers defines “domestic” as covering the United States (including Puerto Rico and Guam) and Canada.

The “Star Wars” franchise placed eight films on the list, from the first in the series (from 1977), retitled as “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” in 1977 to the latest, “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi,” released 40 years later. Animated family fare, a category which rebounded beginning in the 1990s, landed six movies on the list, including Disney’s “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast.” (These are the best animated Disney movies of all time.)

The “Toy Story” and “Harry Potter” film franchises also frequently finished first for their year, as did movies featuring underdogs like “Rocky,” “Finding Nemo.” and “Shrek 2.” Director Steven Spielberg directed five of a given year’s most popular movies, demonstrating his film-making versatility in thrillers (“Jaws”), adventure (“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”), and historical dramas (“Saving Private Ryan”).

Click here to see the highest-grossing movie every year since 1975

The most popular films each year also were usually among the best-received by critics. Twenty-five movies received a Tomatometer ranking of 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator (“Toy Story” garnered 100%). Nineteen motion pictures notched a score of eight or more from users on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

1975: Jaws
> Box office: $260 million
> IMDb rating: 8/10 (569,535 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (95 reviews)
> Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary

Steven Spielberg redefined the thriller genre with this tale of a rampaging Great White Shark off the coast of an imaginary New England town. The director was blamed for keeping people out of the ocean in the summer of 1975.

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Courtesy of United Artists

1976: Rocky
> Box office: $117.24 million
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (545,127 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (67 reviews)
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers

Sylvester Stallone played club fighter Rocky Balboa, the ultimate underdog who gets a shot at the heavyweight boxing title. The film was lifted by a strong supporting cast of Carl Weathers, Talia Shire, Burt Young, and Burgess Meredith, and a rousing musical score.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1977: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
> Box office: $460.99 million
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10 (1,288,415 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (132 reviews)
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness

This sci-fi classic is the film that launched one of filmdom’s greatest motion-picture franchises and made stars out of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

1978: Grease
> Box office: $181.81 million
> IMDb rating: 7.2/10 (256,226 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (74 reviews)
> Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway

Released at the beginning of the summer of 1978, this musical about teens in high school in the late 1950s was packed with memorable songs — including “You’re the One That I Want,” “Summer Nights,” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” “Grease” was one of a slew of successes for John Travolta, including “Carrie” (1976), “Saturday Night Fever” (1977), and “Urban Cowboy” (1980).

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

1979: Kramer vs. Kramer
> Box office: $106.26 million
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (140,084 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (52 reviews)
> Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry

Meryl Streep won the first of her three Academy Awards as a woman fighting for the custody of her son after a divorce. Dustin Hoffman, who played Streep’s husband, won the first of his two Oscars.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1980: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
> Box office: $291.74 million
> IMDb rating: 8.7/10 (1,216,747 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (105 reviews)
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

The first sequel to the film industry’s second-most successful franchise (after the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), and darker than the original, “The Empire Strikes Back” saw the return of original stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Billy Dee Williams. This is one of eight “Star Wars” movies on this list.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

1981: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
> Box office: $225.69 million
> IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (924,231 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (85 reviews)
> Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies

Harrison Ford debuted the second of his iconic action characters — Han Solo in Star Wars movies was the first — as the swashbuckling archeologist Indiana Jones, who has to prevent Nazis from finding the Ark of the Covenant.

Stephen Shugerman / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment

1982: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
> Box office: $435.11 million
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (390,547 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (136 reviews)
> Starring: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace

Steven Spielberg’s tale of a homesick alien who befriends children in a suburban neighborhood became one of the best-loved movies of the 1980s. It holds the highest Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score, 99%, of any Spielberg films.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1983: Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
> Box office: $309.21 million
> IMDb rating: 8.3/10 (995,279 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (96 reviews)
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

The third of the classic Stars Wars trilogy finds Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) fighting Jabba the Hut and Darth Vader to save his comrades and defeat the Galactic Empire. Hamill appeared in four of the Star Wars films on this list.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

1984: Ghostbusters
> Box office: $242.6 million
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (385,109 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (73 reviews)
> Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis

The biggest hit of 1984, launching a franchise about chasers of the spectral, enjoys one of the highest Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores on this list at 97%. “Saturday Night Live” alums Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd starred in this archly acted comedy.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

1985: Back to the Future
> Box office: $212.26 million
> IMDb rating: 8.5/10 (1,125,626 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (83 reviews)
> Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Robert Zemeckis directed and Steven Spielberg produced this time-travel adventure that spawned two sequels. “Back to the Future” has been included in the National Film Registry.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

1986: Top Gun
> Box office: $180.01 million
> IMDb rating: 6.9/10 (313,833 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 58% (60 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer play hot-shot fighter pilots in the top film of 1986. A sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” starring Cruise and Jennifer Connelly, is slated for release in 2022.

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

1987: Three Men and a Baby
> Box office: $167.78 million
> IMDb rating: 6.1/10 (51,541 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (37 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, Nancy Travis

Bachelors played by Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson have to take care of a baby left with them by one of their girlfriends. The film is based on a screenplay written by Coline Serreau, who wrote and directed the 1985 movie Three Men and a Cradle.

Courtesy of United Artists

1988: Rain Man
> Box office: $172.83 million
> IMDb rating: 8/10 (493,375 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (80 reviews)
> Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen

Dustin Hoffman won his second Oscar as an autistic man who stands to inherit a lot of money after his father passes. “Rain Man” also won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Barry Levinson), and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow).

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

1989: Batman
> Box office: $251.19 million
> IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (355,229 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (77 reviews)
> Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl

Director Tim Burton’s dark interpretation of the caped crusader’s adventures launched the superhero genre that dominates motion pictures today. Jack Nicholson played Batman’s nemesis The Joker.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1990: Home Alone
> Box office: $285.76 million
> IMDb rating: 7.6/10 (518,096 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 66% (58 reviews)
> Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard

The film that launched the “Home Alone” franchise starred Macaulay Culkin as the adolescent home defender foiling incompetent burglars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. “Home Alone” is one of five films directed by Chris Columbus that have had box-office revenues of more than $100 million.

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1991: Beauty and the Beast
> Box office: $206.33 million
> IMDb rating: 8/10 (431,007 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (118 reviews)
> Starring: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti, Rex Everhart

Animated films began topping the movie leaderboards in the 1990s, and Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” was the first. Oscars went to Alan Menken and Howard Ashman for Best Original Song, and to Menken for Best Original Score.

Peter Kramer / Getty Images

1992: Aladdin
> Box office: $217.35 million
> IMDb rating: 8/10 (390,226 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (74 reviews)
> Starring: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman

Scene-stealer Robin Williams voiced the genie in “Aladdin,” another Disney success. Alan Menken chalked up two more Oscars for Best Original Song (with lyricist Tim Rice) and Best Original Score. Menken has won eight Academy Awards during his storied career.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

1993: Jurassic Park
> Box office: $402.52 million
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (918,751 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (130 reviews)
> Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough

This is the film that launched the “Jurassic” franchise and is the highest-rated of all of these films about reanimated dinosaurs unleashed on the modern world. Rotten Tomatoes said the movie contained Steven Spielberg’s “best sequences of sustained awe and terror since ‘Jaws.'”

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

1994: The Lion King
> Box office: $421.79 million
> IMDb rating: 8.5/10 (993,845 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (130 reviews)
> Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg

Another beloved Disney animation film that became an instant classic, this tells the tale of a young lion being groomed to rule the animal kingdom. It was memorably voiced by Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, and Nathan Lane. Elton John and TIm Rice won an Oscar for Best Original Song and Hans Zimmer picked up the golden statuette for Best Original Score.

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

1995: Toy Story
> Box office: $192.52 million
> IMDb rating: 8.3/10 (936,221 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (92 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney

Animation’s resurgence continued with the debut of “Toy Story,” the first of the four films about the adventures of treasured toys. The film featured the voices of Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody and Tim Allen as astronaut Buzz Lightyear, famous for his signature exhortation, “To infinity and beyond!”

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1996: Independence Day
> Box office: $306.17 million
> IMDb rating: 7/10 (552,738 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (78 reviews)
> Starring: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell

An alien invasion is repulsed by cocky fighter pilot Will Smith and quirky mathematician Jeff Goldblum. The film, released the day before the actual Independence Day in 1996, won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

1997: Titanic
> Box office: $659.36 million
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (1,106,256 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (193 reviews)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates

James Cameron helmed this movie about the doomed ocean liner. Premiering in December of 1997 and became a blockbuster. “Titanic” brought home a titanic haul of Academy Awards, winning 11 in all, including for Best Picture and Best Director, tying the 1959 epic “Ben Hur” for most wins.

Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

1998: Saving Private Ryan
> Box office: $216.34 million
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10 (1,306,559 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (145 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns

Steven Spielberg’s story of an American patrol sent behind German lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in World War II was groundbreaking in its realistic depiction of combat. Spielberg won Best Director, one of five Oscars corralled by the film.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1999: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
> Box office: $474.54 million
> IMDb rating: 6.5/10 (762,127 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 52% (233 reviews)
> Starring: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd

The first of the Star Wars prequels stars Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and Natalie Portman. “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” is one of four Star Wars films directed by George Lucas.

Courtesy of Universal Studios

2000: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
> Box office: $260.35 million
> IMDb rating: 6.2/10 (225,159 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 49% (142 reviews)
> Starring: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Kelley, Jeffrey Tambor

Frenetic comedian Jim Carrey plays the crusty, green creature bent on canceling Christmas in this clever adaptation of the Dr. Seuss story. It won an Oscar for Best Makeup.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
> Box office: $317.87 million
> IMDb rating: 7.6/10 (712,723 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (201 reviews)

Chris Columbus helmed the first of the movies that adapted to the big screen J.K. Rowling’s children’s novels about a young man sent to a school to master the arts of wizardry. Daniel Radcliffe stars as Harry Potter in all eight of the films.

Andreas Rentz / Staff / Getty Images Entertainment

2002: Spider-Man
> Box office: $403.71 million
> IMDb rating: 7.3/10 (737,142 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (244 reviews)
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco

Director Sam Raimi, a lifelong fan of the Spider-Man comic book character, helmed the launch of this superhero franchise. Tobey Maguire played Peter Parker/Spider-Man in this and the next two movies.

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

2003: Finding Nemo
> Box office: $380.53 million
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (992,271 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (269 reviews)
> Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe

An animation triumph for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney, “Finding Nemo” is about a clownfish’s search for his son. It won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

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Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images

2004: Shrek 2
> Box office: $441.23 million
> IMDb rating: 7.2/10 (440,276 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (237 reviews)
> Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews

Voiced by Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Julie Andrews, the sequel about the beloved ogre was the second of four animated Shrek films. “Shrek 2” had the highest domestic box office revenue of the four movies.

Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

2005: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
> Box office: $380.27 million
> IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (744,143 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (302 reviews)
> Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by George Lucas, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” concluded the second of the two Star Wars trilogies. In this episode, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) goes to the Dark Side.

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Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images

2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
> Box office: $423.32 million
> IMDb rating: 7.3/10 (681,161 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% (229 reviews)
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport

In “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” the second of five “Pirates” films, Johnny Depp’s stoner pirate Jack Sparrow tries to recover Davy Jones’ heart. At times visually mesmerizing, the movie won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

2007: Spider-Man 3
> Box office: $336.53 million
> IMDb rating: 6.2/10 (532,370 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (262 reviews)
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church

Though critics on Rotten Tomatoes thought the third installment of the Spider-Man series lacked the refinement of its predecessors, it still had strong box-office appeal and topped all other movies in revenue in 2007.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

2008: The Dark Knight
> Box office: $533.72 million
> IMDb rating: 9/10 (2,449,751 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (345 reviews)
> Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine

Rotten Tomatoes called “The Dark Knight” “dark, complex and unforgettable.” Darkness stalked the movie after it was released — Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as the psychotic criminal The Joker after he died from a drug overdose.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

2009: Avatar
> Box office: $760.51 million
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (1,166,067 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (322 reviews)
> Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez

Not only was James Cameron’s “Avatar” the highest-revenue producer in 2009, it is the third-highest movie of all time in terms of domestic box office (after “Avengers: Endgame” and “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens”).

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2010: Toy Story 3
> Box office: $415 million
> IMDb rating: 8.2/10 (793,124 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (309 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty

“Toy Story 3” was the box-office champ in 2010. The “Toy Story” franchise is the 20th-most successful in movie history, with domestic box-office revenue of more than $1.75 billion.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
> Box office: $381.19 million
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (812,908 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (331 reviews)
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon

The final installment in the youthful wizard series finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron ( Rupert Grint) trying to destroy the Dark Lord. Rotten Tomatoes critics found the movie “thrilling, powerfully acted and visually dazzling.” The “Harry Potter” series produced more than just movie magic — it is the fifth-most successful franchise of all time in terms of domestic box-office revenue.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2012: The Avengers
> Box office: $623.36 million
> IMDb rating: 8/10 (1,319,752 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (362 reviews)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner

The three Avengers movies distributed by Disney occupy three of the top spots on this list. This was the first one, starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner.

Courtesy of Lionsgate

2013: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
> Box office: $424.67 million
> IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (637,996 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (293 reviews)
> Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman

The dystopian thriller “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” vaulted Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence into superstardom. It was the first of the three “Hunger Game”s films in which Lawrence played heroine Katniss Everdeen.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

2014: American Sniper
> Box office: $350.13 million
> IMDb rating: 7.3/10 (462,118 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (299 reviews)
> Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis

Bradley Cooper played real-life Navy Seal sniper Chris Kyle, whose heroics on the Iraq battlefield left psychological scars and impacted his family in the United States.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2015: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
> Box office: $936.66 million
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (891,335 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (445 reviews)
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson

Director J.J. Abrams combined new and familiar actors in this runaway hit that topped all movies in revenue in 2015. The film pumped new energy into Hollywood’s second-most successful movie franchise and it is not only the franchise’s highest-grossing film, but also the film with the highest domestic box office gross of all time.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2016: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
> Box office: $532.18 million
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (586,792 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (456 reviews)
> Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen

In “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” a former scientist living on a farm is taken from his family and forced to create the Death Star super weapon for the Empire. This was the second of three Star Wars movies to lead all films in box office gross over three consecutive years.

Courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment

2017: Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
> Box office: $620.18 million
> IMDb rating: 6.9/10 (594,957 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (482 reviews)
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher

Director Rian Johnson returned recent and legacy Star Wars stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher to “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.” The film is the eighth of the Star Wars movies on this list and the second most successful in franchise history.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2018: Black Panther
> Box office: $700.06 million
> IMDb rating: 7.3/10 (688,877 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (525 reviews)
> Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira

“Black Panther,” a three-time Oscar winner, was a superhero movie centered on Black characters and became a cultural watershed in 2018. Domestically, it also is the fourth-highest-grossing movie ever.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2019: Avengers: Endgame
> Box office: $858.37 million
> IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (967,738 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (547 reviews)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth

The second-highest-grossing film of all time domestically is “Avengers: Endgame,” a superhero movie reuniting Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth playing characters who aim to restore the universe’s balance.

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

2020: Bad Boys for Life
> Box office: $204.42 million
> IMDb rating: 6.6/10 (147,105 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (264 reviews)
> Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig

The pandemic laid low the motion picture industry in 2020, closing theaters and shutting down production of films. But films such as “Bad Boys for Life,” a cop-buddy action-comedy starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, found an audience anyway.

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2021: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
> Box office: $224.54 million
> IMDb rating: 7.6/10 (227,641 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (312 reviews)
> Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Ben Kingsley

The star power of Simu Liu (of the Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience”) and Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians,” etc.) helped boost this action-adventure flick to the top of the leaderboard among films in 2021.

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