Blockbusters are a dime a dozen these days, but they don’t come around as often as they used to. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the top ten blockbuster movies ever made (or at least since 1980). The criteria for inclusion on this list was simple: the movie has to have been seen by a lot of people, and it has to have brought in at least $100 million at the box office. So check out our list below, then go watch some of these classics!
Avatar (2009)
Avatar is a 2009 American epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. It is the highest-grossing film of all time, making more than $2.7 billion worldwide. The movie centers on a disabled marine who travels to an alien planet where humans seek to mine their mineral ore. While there he becomes connected to the natives who see him as their god and lead him on his journey home. Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won three. The film was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director – Motion Picture but lost both times to Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire (2010).
Titanic (1997)
James Cameron is the creator of the 1997 American epic romance-disaster film Titanic, which he also co-wrote, co-produced, and co-edited. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it features Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as members of various socioeconomic strata who fall in love on board the ship during her tragic first voyage. It was filmed entirely at Widescreen 2:35:1 aspect ratio with Super 35mm cameras mostly on sound stages and sets built at Pinewood Studios in England (with some shots done in Los Angeles). The film’s soundtrack consists primarily of classical music but also contains contemporary songs such as “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion.
The movie soared to success at the box office when it was released on December 19th, 1997 making almost $2 Billion dollars worldwide! It won 11 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for James Cameron himself!
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
The seventh installment in the Star Wars film series was released in 2015. It grossed over $936 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics. The movie was directed by J.J. Abrams, it stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher.
The story takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi (1983). It features a young scavenger named Rey living on a desert planet that serves as home to the Resistance against Kylo Ren’s First Order. When a defecting Stormtrooper named Finn arrives with information about Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts, Rey sets out to find him without knowing that he has been missing for many years due to his disappearance during The Empire Strikes Back (1980). She soon meets up with Han Solo and Chewbacca who are also looking for Luke while being pursued by Kylo Ren who wants revenge on his father Darth Vader since he killed him at the end of Return Of The Jedi but they discover that he is actually still alive when they rescue him from Jabba The Hutt’s palace where he had been held prisoner after being frozen in carbonite before being cast into space by Darth Sidious aka Emperor Palpatine
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
This movie is a sequel to the 2012 film The Avengers and is again directed by Joss Whedon. It’s produced by Kevin Feige and features a returning ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders, and Don Cheadle. The film follows Captain America and Iron Man as they continue to protect the world from threats but it soon becomes apparent that there is something more sinister at play when Tony Stark’s new A.I. creation Ultron goes rogue with destructive plans of its own for humanity.
Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic World is a 2015 American science fiction adventure film and the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park series. The movie, which stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, was produced by Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley and directed and co-written by Colin Trevorrow.
The plot centers on a fully functional dinosaur theme park that has been operating for 10 years on Isla Nublar off Central America’s Pacific Coast; it makes animals extinct due to its InGen company’s greed for profit. When an impending volcanic eruption threatens to destroy it, Claire Dearing (Howard) attempts to rescue dinosaurs from an old version of the park before they’re killed alongside her colleagues when she comes across Owen Grady (Pratt), a dinosaur trainer who works with raptors. They must then save themselves from hybrid dinos formed from genetic experimentation gone wrong at Dr. Henry Wu’s lab.
The Avengers (2012)
The Marvel Comics superhero team, directed by Joss Whedon, stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson. This film was released on May 4, 2012, and grossed $1.5 billion worldwide
Furious 7 (2015)
Furious 7 is the seventh installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, released in 2015. The film was directed by James Wan and stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Chris Bridges. The story follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), and the rest of their crew as they turn against each other over a mysterious woman. It was released on April 3, 2015, to critical acclaim and commercial success. It grossed $353 million worldwide in its first five days of release, the highest-grossing opening of all time for a live-action movie.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
We all knew that Avengers: Endgame would be one of the most highly anticipated movies in cinema history. It is the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War, which was released in 2018. This movie had everything you could want as a die-hard fan – action, drama, and humor. The plot focuses on the remaining members of The Avengers who try to reverse what happened in Avengers: Infinity War by coming up with a plan to defeat Thanos once and for all so they can bring back their fallen friends who were turned into ashes by the villain’s finger snap.
Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther is a superhero film released in February 2018. It was directed by Ryan Coogler and is the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Black Panther follows T’Challa, who returns home to Wakanda after the death of his father to take up his rightful place as king, but finds himself drawn into conflict with Michael B. Jordan’s character Erik Killmonger for control over their shared home. The film has broken many box office records since its release, including being the highest-grossing superhero origin movie ever made and becoming only the fourth film ever to earn more than $1 billion at cinemas worldwide.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
While you’re watching Iron Man 3, you can’t help but be struck by the fact that it’s an incredibly well-made film. From the pacing to the acting to the cinematography, there’s not a single element of this movie that isn’t perfectly executed. It feels like every single person involved in its production knew exactly what they were doing, even though they were all working on a blockbuster film with an enormous budget.
Have You Watched All Of These Movies?
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of some of the biggest blockbusters of all time. We aren’t saying you should go out and watch them all just yet, but we do think that if you ever have time on your hands it would be worth checking out one or two of them (perhaps Iron Man 3). It’s amazing to see how much movie production has changed over the years with regard to special effects and storylines; they really are becoming more sophisticated with each new release!
