The ten highest-grossing films released in 2025, ranked by worldwide box office revenue.
Quick answer: 1. Avatar: Fire and Ash, 2. Jurassic World: Rebirth, 3. The Fantastic Four: First Steps, 4. Zootopia 2, 5. Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, 6. Superman, 7. How to Train Your Dragon, 8. Thunderbolts*, 9. Wicked: Part One, 10. Captain America: Brave New World.
The 2025 box office was driven by a mix of franchise sequels, superhero installments, and animated family films. The top ten grossed over $7 billion combined worldwide, with the year's biggest hit surpassing $1 billion and leading the pack by a wide margin. This list reflects the dominance of established IP — sequels, reboots, and franchise entries account for every spot in the top ten. Theatrical distribution continues to be the primary revenue driver for these major releases, though streaming residuals and digital sales add significant secondary revenue that is not reflected in these box office figures.
The third installment in James Cameron's Avatar franchise, Fire and Ash was released in December 2025 and passed $1 billion globally within its first month. The film introduces the Ash People, a new Na'vi clan, and continues the story on Pandora with a darker tone than its predecessors.
The fourth Jurassic World film and seventh overall in the Jurassic Park franchise, Rebirth introduced a new cast led by Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey. The film was praised for revitalizing the franchise with a fresh storyline centered on a rescue mission to an abandoned island research facility.
Marvel's first family finally joined the MCU in this period-piece superhero film set in an alternate 1960s retro-futuristic world. The film was a critical and commercial hit, praised for its unique visual style, character-driven story, and strong cast led by Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby.
Disney's long-awaited sequel to the 2016 animated hit reunited Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde for a new mystery. The film introduced Gary the Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) as a new reptile character, expanding the animal world. The film was a massive family draw globally.
The eighth Mission: Impossible film and the conclusion of the series' two-part story arc, The Final Reckoning saw Tom Cruise return as Ethan Hunt. The film featured the franchise's signature practical stunts, including a sequence involving a submarine and a deep-sea facility.
James Gunn's reboot of the DC superhero franchise introduced David Corenswet as the new Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The film was a cornerstone of the new DC Universe (DCU) slate and received strong reviews for its hopeful, character-driven take on the iconic hero.
Universal's live-action adaptation of the beloved 2010 animated film starred Mason Thames as Hiccup and Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick. The film closely followed the animated original's story while expanding the world with photorealistic dragons and sweeping CinematicScope cinematography.
Marvel's anti-hero team-up film brought together a dysfunctional group of morally ambiguous characters including Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, and Red Guardian. The asterisk in the title was a marketing mystery that generated significant online discussion before the film's release.
The first installment of Jon M. Chu's film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Released in late 2024 but carrying into 2025, the film's 2025 gross contributed to this ranking. The film was a cultural phenomenon, driving strong word-of-mouth and repeat viewings.
The fourth Captain America film and the first to feature Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson as the lead Captain America. The film pitted the new Cap against President Thaddeus Ross (played by the late William Hurt, with Harrison Ford taking over the role) and dealt with the geopolitical fallout of the Celestial appearance in the Indian Ocean.
| # | Name | Director | Studio | Release date | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | James Cameron | 20th Century Studios / Disney | December 2025 | 350 million USD |
| 2 | Jurassic World: Rebirth | Gareth Edwards | Universal Pictures | July 2025 | 165 million USD |
| 3 | The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Matt Shakman | Marvel Studios / Disney | July 2025 | 200 million USD |
| 4 | Zootopia 2 | Jared Bush, Byron Howard | Walt Disney Animation / Disney | November 2025 | 175 million USD |
| 5 | Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning | Christopher McQuarrie | Paramount Pictures | May 2025 | 400 million USD |
| 6 | Superman | James Gunn | DC Studios / Warner Bros. | July 2025 | 250 million USD |
| 7 | How to Train Your Dragon | Dean DeBlois | Universal Pictures | June 2025 | 150 million USD |
| 8 | Thunderbolts* | Jake Schreier | Marvel Studios / Disney | May 2025 | 180 million USD |
| 9 | Wicked: Part One | Jon M. Chu | Universal Pictures | November 2024 | 145 million USD |
| 10 | Captain America: Brave New World | Julius Onah | Marvel Studios / Disney | February 2025 | 180 million USD |
Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide theatrical box office gross in U.S. dollars, as of July 2026. Data comes from Box Office Mojo's 2025 worldwide year-end chart and cross-checked against The Numbers. Only films released theatrically in 2025 are included; re-releases of older films are excluded. Gross figures are unadjusted for inflation and represent the total reported by distributors. Rank 1 is the highest grossing.
Avatar: Fire and Ash was the highest-grossing film of 2025, earning approximately $1.415 billion worldwide. It was the third installment in James Cameron's Avatar franchise and continued the pattern of Avatar films dominating the global box office.
Only one film crossed $1 billion in 2025: Avatar: Fire and Ash. Jurassic World: Rebirth came close at $985 million but did not quite reach the billion-dollar mark. By comparison, 2023 had four billion-dollar films and 2024 had three.
Wicked: Part One was released in November 2024, but a significant portion of its box office revenue — particularly international grosses and holiday-season legs — carried into 2025. The ranking is based on lifetime worldwide gross, not calendar-year-only gross, so it qualifies based on its 2025 theatrical run continuing into the new year.
The 2025 box office was a strong recovery year, with the top ten grossing over $7 billion combined. While this is still below the peak pre-pandemic years (2019's top ten grossed over $8 billion), the gap has narrowed significantly. The year was dominated by franchise IP, sequels, and superhero films — a continuation of the trend that has defined the post-pandemic theatrical landscape.