Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” was the first major movie to be released in theaters after the pandemic started. The sci-fi film made just under $60 million domestically – but earned about six times that abroad. (Here’s a look at the highest-grossing movie every year since 1975.)
Coronavirus restrictions were blamed at least in part for the movie’s poor showing at the box office, at least in the U.S. But it was not the first – or the last – example of a major Hollywood production proving to be more popular among moviegoers abroad than at home.
To assemble a list of Hollywood films that made all their money (or most of it) overseas, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on domestic and international box office from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services. English-language film productions that grossed at least $250 million internationally were ranked based on international box office as a percentage of total global box office. Box office data was adjusted for inflation using historical ticket price data from the National Association of Theatre Owners. Audience scores from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, and critics’ Tomatometer scores from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, are current as of June 2022.
Click here to see 50 famous movies that made all their money overseas
It’s not easy to tell why some movies appear to find bigger audiences in other countries. Installments of multi-film franchises – like James Bond, Fast & Furious, and Transformers – appear frequently on this list, perhaps because early films in the series created a fan base that later ones benefitted from. (Domestically, these are the James Bond movies that did best at the box office.)
A few of the movies on the list may also benefit from their setting – for instance, “The Great Wall” and “The Last Samurai,” both of which feature Hollywood stars but are set in China and Japan, respectively, which may have contributed to their popularity in Asian countries.
50. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $364.3 million (75.0% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $121.2 million (25.0% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.3/10 (147,219 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 50% (167 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Apted
[in-text-ad]
49. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $577.1 million (75.1% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $190.9 million (24.9% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.2/10 (265,857 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (182 reviews)
> Directed by: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
48. Pacific Rim (2013)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $348.4 million (75.2% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $114.7 million (24.8% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.9/10 (480,009 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (294 reviews)
> Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
47. Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $315.1 million (75.5% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $102.4 million (24.5% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.7/10 (291,982 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 51% (308 reviews)
> Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
[in-text-ad-2]
46. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $494.4 million (75.5% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $160.4 million (24.5% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.5/10 (238,698 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 36% (332 reviews)
> Directed by: David Yates
45. The Last Samurai (2003)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $525.1 million (75.7% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $168.8 million (24.3% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.7/10 (415,450 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 66% (223 reviews)
> Directed by: Edward Zwick
[in-text-ad]
44. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $680.8 million (75.8% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $217.5 million (24.2% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.9/10 (486,836 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 60% (411 reviews)
> Directed by: Bryan Singer
43. Love Actually (2003)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $284.6 million (75.9% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $90.3 million (24.1% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.6/10 (447,898 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% (224 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Curtis
42. The Fifth Element (1997)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $399.8 million (75.9% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $126.9 million (24.1% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.7/10 (449,151 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (68 reviews)
> Directed by: Luc Besson
[in-text-ad-2]
41. Mamma Mia! (2008)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $586.2 million (76.1% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $183.9 million (23.9% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.4/10 (227,487 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 55% (185 reviews)
> Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
40. Ready Player One (2018)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $443.8 million (76.2% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $138.4 million (23.8% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.4/10 (397,015 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (444 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
[in-text-ad]
39. Rampage (2018)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $328.7 million (76.4% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $101.6 million (23.6% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.1/10 (154,612 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 51% (284 reviews)
> Directed by: Brad Peyton
24/7 Wall St.
38. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $375.4 million (76.7% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $113.9 million (23.3% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.6/10 (94,246 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 39% (255 reviews)
> Directed by: Joachim Rønning
37. Furious 7 (2015)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.3 billion (76.7% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $383.6 million (23.3% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.1/10 (374,870 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (277 reviews)
> Directed by: James Wan
[in-text-ad-2]
36. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $929.4 million (76.9% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $278.5 million (23.1% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.6/10 (497,634 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (278 reviews)
> Directed by: Rob Marshall
35. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $586.4 million (77.1% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $174.0 million (22.9% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.4/10 (193,692 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (342 reviews)
> Directed by: David Leitch
[in-text-ad]
34. Spectre (2015)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $738.3 million (77.3% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $217.4 million (22.7% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.8/10 (397,895 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (363 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Mendes
33. Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $318.0 million (77.3% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $93.5 million (22.7% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.7/10 (84,820 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (116 reviews)
> Directed by: Eric Darnell & Simon J. Smith
32. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $962.7 million (77.8% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $275.2 million (22.2% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.6/10 (304,774 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 17% (212 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Bay
[in-text-ad-2]
31. License to Kill (1989)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $278.9 million (77.8% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $79.6 million (22.2% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.6/10 (98,737 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (58 reviews)
> Directed by: John Glen
30. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $842.9 million (77.8% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $240.1 million (22.2% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.9/10 (232,723 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 46% (165 reviews)
> Directed by: Carlos Saldanha
[in-text-ad]
29. A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $266.9 million (77.9% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $75.9 million (22.1% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.3/10 (202,345 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (231 reviews)
> Directed by: John Moore
28. 2012 (2009)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $722.5 million (78.1% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $202.9 million (21.9% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.8/10 (363,790 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 39% (247 reviews)
> Directed by: Roland Emmerich
27. Live and Let Die (1973)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $679.8 million (78.1% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $190.4 million (21.9% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.8/10 (101,372 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (51 reviews)
> Directed by: Guy Hamilton
[in-text-ad-2]
26. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $635.5 million (78.3% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $176.2 million (21.7% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.5/10 (280,731 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 30% (290 reviews)
> Directed by: Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg
25. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $482.7 million (78.4% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $132.9 million (21.6% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.2/10 (142,436 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (254 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Bay
[in-text-ad]
24. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $371.2 million (78.5% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $101.8 million (21.5% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.7/10 (99,825 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 40% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Guy Hamilton
23. Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $316.1 million (78.6% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $85.8 million (21.4% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.3/10 (246,568 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 61% (328 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
22. Battleship (2012)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $285.7 million (79.2% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $75.1 million (20.8% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.8/10 (241,504 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (225 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Berg
[in-text-ad-2]
21. Terminator Genisys (2015)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $372.0 million (79.2% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $97.5 million (20.8% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.3/10 (267,619 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 27% (274 reviews)
> Directed by: Alan Taylor
20. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $342.4 million (79.3% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $89.6 million (20.7% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.3/10 (223,091 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (233 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
[in-text-ad]
19. Daylight (1996)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $261.1 million (79.3% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $68.2 million (20.7% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.9/10 (70,748 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 27% (41 reviews)
> Directed by: Rob Cohen
18. The Smurfs 2 (2013)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $312.7 million (79.6% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $80.0 million (20.4% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.3/10 (40,046 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 14% (95 reviews)
> Directed by: Raja Gosnell
17. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $273.7 million (79.7% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $69.8 million (20.3% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.8/10 (166,381 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 21% (107 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
[in-text-ad-2]
16. Life of Pi (2012)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $568.8 million (79.8% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $143.8 million (20.2% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.9/10 (600,070 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (253 reviews)
> Directed by: Ang Lee
15. Now You See Me 2 (2016)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $278.8 million (80.2% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $68.9 million (19.8% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.5/10 (265,362 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (196 reviews)
> Directed by: Jon M. Chu
[in-text-ad]
14. The Mummy (2017)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $336.8 million (80.5% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $81.8 million (19.5% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.4/10 (179,283 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 16% (314 reviews)
> Directed by: Alex Kurtzman
13. The Golden Compass (2007)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $395.6 million (80.9% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $93.3 million (19.1% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.1/10 (183,174 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (198 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Weitz
12. Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $826.8 million (81.7% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $185.6 million (18.3% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.5/10 (198,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (135 reviews)
> Directed by: Steve Martino & Mike Thurmeier
[in-text-ad-2]
11. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.0 billion (81.7% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $230.5 million (18.3% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.6/10 (219,146 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (312 reviews)
> Directed by: F. Gary Gray
10. Bean (1997)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $421.6 million (82.3% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $90.5 million (17.7% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.5/10 (101,095 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 44% (34 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Smith
[in-text-ad]
9. The Full Monty (1997)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $429.7 million (82.4% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $91.7 million (17.6% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.2/10 (102,609 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Cattaneo
8. Tenet (2020)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $304.0 million (84.0% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $57.9 million (16.0% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 7.4/10 (421,801 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (359 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
7. Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $358.0 million (84.1% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $67.8 million (15.9% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.7/10 (60,965 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 18% (121 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Thurmeier
[in-text-ad-2]
6. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $330.0 million (84.8% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $59.3 million (15.2% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.0/10 (110,332 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 27% (157 reviews)
> Directed by: Beeban Kidron
5. Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $268.5 million (85.8% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $44.3 million (14.2% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.4/10 (120,426 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 51% (115 reviews)
> Directed by: Steve Bendelack
[in-text-ad]
4. The Great Wall (2016)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $306.4 million (86.5% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $47.8 million (13.5% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.9/10 (129,447 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 35% (238 reviews)
> Directed by: Yimou Zhang
3. xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $306.5 million (87.0% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $45.8 million (13.0% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.2/10 (88,902 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 45% (150 reviews)
> Directed by: D.J. Caruso
2. Warcraft (2016)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $414.6 million (89.2% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $50.2 million (10.8% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 6.8/10 (252,948 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 28% (232 reviews)
> Directed by: Duncan Jones
[in-text-ad-2]
1. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
> International box office, adjusted for inflation: $304.2 million (91.5% of total)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $28.4 million (8.5% of total)
> IMDb audience score: 5.5/10 (88,506 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (102 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now (Sponsored)
Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.
Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.
Click here now to get started.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
