The ten films that have earned the most money at the worldwide box office, ranked by nominal (unadjusted) lifetime theatrical gross.
Quick answer: 1. Avatar, 2. Avengers: Endgame, 3. Avatar: The Way of Water, 4. Ne Zha 2, 5. Titanic, 6. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, 7. Avengers: Infinity War, 8. Spider-Man: No Way Home, 9. Zootopia 2, 10. Inside Out 2.
This is the definitive ranking of the biggest earners in cinema history, measured by cumulative worldwide theatrical ticket sales in US dollars. It's for anyone who wants to know which movies actually made the most money at the box office — not the most adjusted-for-inflation, not the most acclaimed, just the raw dollar totals as tracked by Box Office Mojo. Two names dominate: James Cameron, who directed three of the top five (Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Titanic), and Marvel Studios, whose Avengers and Spider-Man films fill much of the rest. The list also captures how quickly the landscape shifts — recent entries like China's Ne Zha 2 and Disney's animated sequels show the box office's center of gravity moving well beyond Hollywood.
The highest-grossing film ever made and the only title to clear $2.9 billion, thanks in part to multiple theatrical re-releases. James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi epic first took the crown from Titanic and, after re-releases in 2021 and 2022, reclaimed it from Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel's 2019 crossover finale briefly held the all-time #1 spot before Avatar's re-releases reclaimed it. It remains the highest-grossing superhero film in history.
James Cameron's long-awaited 2022 Avatar sequel became the third film ever to pass $2.3 billion worldwide, giving Cameron three of the top five highest-grossing films.
This 2025 Chinese animated blockbuster earned almost its entire gross in China, with only a sliver of US box office. It is the highest-grossing non-English-language film ever made. (Its exact worldwide total is contested — some sources rank it just below Titanic.)
James Cameron's 1997 epic held the all-time #1 spot for 12 years until Avatar surpassed it. Its total reflects the original run plus several re-releases.
The 2015 revival of the Star Wars franchise still holds the all-time US domestic box office record at $936.7 million, even as its worldwide total ranks sixth.
The 2018 Marvel crossover that set up Endgame became the seventh film to pass $2 billion worldwide.
This 2021 Marvel/Sony team-up was the highest-grossing film of the post-pandemic box office recovery, proving audiences would return to theaters in force.
Disney's 2025 animated sequel is the highest-grossing animated film on the list apart from the Ne Zha 2 outlier, drawing the bulk of its total from international markets.
Pixar's 2024 sequel was the highest-grossing animated film of its year and rounds out the top ten, clearing $1.69 billion worldwide.
| # | Name | releaseYear | domesticGross | foreignGross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avatar | 2009 | $785,221,649 | $2,138,489,059 |
| 2 | Avengers: Endgame | 2019 | $858,373,000 | $1,941,066,100 |
| 3 | Avatar: The Way of Water | 2022 | $688,459,501 | $1,646,025,119 |
| 4 | Ne Zha 2 | 2025 | $23,308,176 | $2,244,138,194 |
| 5 | Titanic | 1997 | $674,354,882 | $1,590,458,086 |
| 6 | Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens | 2015 | $936,662,225 | $1,134,647,993 |
| 7 | Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | $678,815,482 | $1,373,599,557 |
| 8 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | 2021 | $814,866,759 | $1,106,559,314 |
| 9 | Zootopia 2 | 2025 | $428,130,160 | $1,438,517,790 |
| 10 | Inside Out 2 | 2024 | $652,980,194 | $1,045,883,622 |
Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide theatrical box office gross, nominal (unadjusted for inflation), in US dollars, as reported by Box Office Mojo. The metric counts only theatrical ticket sales — no home video, streaming, broadcast rights, or merchandise. Figures are cumulative across a film's original release plus any subsequent re-releases, which is why titles like Avatar and Titanic sit higher than their initial runs alone would place them. The highest gross is rank 1, descending to rank 10. Because these are nominal dollars, older films are not adjusted upward for ticket-price inflation; an inflation-adjusted list would look substantially different. One caveat on ordering: Box Office Mojo's Ne Zha 2 total (used here to place it at rank 4) is higher than the figures reported by Wikipedia and much of the trade press, which put Ne Zha 2 just below Titanic; under those sources ranks 4 and 5 would swap. Figures are current as of the retrieval date and can change as films remain in or return to theatrical release.
Avatar (2009) is the highest-grossing film of all time by nominal worldwide box office, with about $2.92 billion in lifetime theatrical gross according to Box Office Mojo. Its total includes several re-releases, which is how it reclaimed the top spot from Avengers: Endgame.
No. This ranking uses nominal (unadjusted) US dollars, so it reflects actual dollars earned rather than constant purchasing power. An inflation-adjusted list would look very different and would move much older films — such as Gone with the Wind — far higher.
Avengers: Endgame briefly overtook Avatar during its 2019 run, but Avatar was re-released in 2021 and 2022 and added enough box office to reclaim the #1 spot. These figures are cumulative across original release plus all re-releases.
The ranking counts only worldwide theatrical ticket sales in US dollars, as reported by Box Office Mojo. It excludes home video, streaming, broadcast rights, and merchandise, and it combines a film's original release with any later re-releases.