Film is one of the most lucrative and expensive industries in the world. It can make or break the executives who green-light them, the actors and writers, but especially the companies that pay for and help create them. A film grossing high is the success a company like Warner Bros. will be looking for. So what are the highest-grossing films, and what films could join this list?

Marvel Studios and their impact

Although they currently do not have the highest-grossing film of all time, Marvel Studios films are littered throughout the highest-earning lists. Of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time, four of them are made by Marvel and are part of their cinematic universe. The highest of these being Avengers: Endgame, this film grossed a ridiculous $2,799,439,100 (£2,216,203,957.91) worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of all time. The predecessor to this film is, of course, Avengers: Infinity War, which is currently sitting sixth on the highest-grossing film list, making a whopping $2,052,415,039 (£1,625,225,372.78) worldwide. This is massive for the film and cinema industry, and this boost was the peak of Marvel’s film success.

James Cameron’s billions

James Cameron is one of the highest-grossing directors of all time; his three biggest films inhabit three of the top five on the grossing list. Those films are Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Titanic. The original Avatar is the biggest of the three and the highest-grossing film of all time, making $2,923,706,026 (£2,314,727,297.84) worldwide. This feat will be a challenge to match. With the Avatar series getting bigger and plans to make it a 5-film story, the re-release of Avatar seems like an inevitability, meaning the worldwide gross could keep increasing. We believe that after all of the Avatar films are released, the entire top 5 could be filled with the entire series.

2023: Was a massive year for cinema

Last year was an incredible year for cinema. Films like Barbie, Super Mario, and Oppenheimer all did wonderful things at the box office, making a combined $3,765,201,042 (£2,982,491,049.39) worldwide. Barbenheimer was one of the biggest film events of recent memory. The massive amount of success cinema had was a massive boost for cinemas around the world. The chance of cinema dying as an industry was a massive possibility, but this great year of films like Barbie and especially Oppenheimer, with the addition of Marvel films getting less and less popular, meant the studios were seeing that you didn’t have to conform to Marvel’s formula and you could let the directors have some freedom and creative control.

2024: Where does the film industry go from here?

With less pressure on films to follow a strict formula to do well, it feels like we are entering a new golden era for films. Last year was a massive year for film and this year could follow in last yeast footsteps, which must make the studios feel like they had won the lottery, which you can also do at BoyleSports today. Films that came out in the USA late last year are getting big worldwide releases; Iron Claw and Poor Things are two examples of films getting a big release worldwide and performing well. With films like Dune 2 already on track to make a billion, it does feel like a great time to be a film fan. 

Conclusion

The overall view and support around the cinema industry has changed in recent memory, with people being more and more willing to go to the cinema rather than stream films, because people want to support films and the people who create them; this influx of support goes through to the cinemas that distribute the films. So, please support your local cinemas and help the film industry grow.

Please gamble responsibly.