Settling a debate over the highest grossing movies of all time? Avatar leads at about $2.92 billion worldwide, and Titanic’s about $2.26 billion includes re-releases, so check what a total counts.
The shortlist below runs from the worldwide giants to the superhero and studio picture. For broader movie news, including trailers and current releases, use the main box office hub. Figures are unadjusted totals as the cited trackers report them.
The leading worldwide totals at a glance
Four films stand out in the worldwide figures, and each one illustrates a different way a total can be built. The table keeps them side by side so you can see what each number includes.
| Film | Reported worldwide gross | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Avatar (2009) | About $2.92 billion | The headline answer to the all-time question. Re-releases and home video contributed to its total revenue. |
| Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) | About $2.32 billion | Shows what IMAX and 3D screenings can add to a sequel’s run. |
| Titanic (1997) | About $2.26 billion | Counts the original run plus re-releases, so it is a lifetime figure. |
| Ne Zha 2 | About $2.24 billion | The highest-grossing film released in a single territory. |
These figures come from Plex’s all-time roundup, which attributes Avatar’s total to Box Office Mojo.
Read the table as a set of lifetime totals rather than a strict podium. Avatar is the clear first entry, while the gaps among the next three are small enough that the basis of each total matters more than the order. Anyone building a quick trivia answer should name Avatar and mention the re-release caveat for Titanic.
Avatar and Titanic: how re-releases change the ranking
Re-releases lift a film’s lifetime total, so a ranking that mixes original runs with reissues is not a like-for-like contest. Titanic is the clearest case: its about $2.26 billion covers its original 1997 run and later re-releases, and Plex notes that a 3D re-release in 2012 added to its total earnings.
Avatar sits in the same category. Its reported total benefited from re-releases and home video, but no separate figure is published for either, so the original-run share cannot be isolated.
What to do with this
Treat both films as lifetime champions, not as opening-run champions. If you are comparing them with a recent release that has only had one run, expect the older titles to look stronger than a single release window would justify. For a film still in cinemas, the live picture is better tracked through weekend box office results.
Large-format and single-territory hits
Premium screens and home-market strength each explain a different part of the very top of the list. Both Avatar: The Way of Water and Ne Zha 2 show that a total can be driven by how and where people watched.
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Way of Water earned about $2.32 billion worldwide in 2022, and Plex credits premium formats such as IMAX and 3D as contributors to that success. It suits readers who want to understand why spectacle-led films tend to chase large-format screens.
Ne Zha 2
Ne Zha 2 reached about $2.24 billion and became the highest-grossing movie released in a single territory. Its place on the list shows that a film does not need a broad international rollout to reach the top tier. The limit is that the single-territory record describes where it was released, not how its audience compares with that of the other titles here.
Highest grossing superhero movies
Superhero films dominate the upper reaches of Box Office Mojo’s charts, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day listed at $958,704,191 on its Top Lifetime Grosses chart, the leading PG-13 entry. The next table compares the franchise heavyweights on the release chart.
| Film | Release date | Distributor | Chart gross | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avengers: Endgame | Apr 26, 2019 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | $858,373,000 | The Marvel Studios benchmark for a franchise finale. |
| Spider-Man: No Way Home | Dec 17, 2021 | Sony Pictures Releasing | $804,793,477 | Shows a Sony-distributed Spider-Man film competing with Disney’s Marvel titles. |
| Deadpool & Wolverine | Jul 26, 2024 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | $636,745,858 | A more recent Disney release that sits below the two earlier titles. |
The figures are taken from Box Office Mojo’s release chart, where Endgame is listed on its April 2019 release date.
These chart figures are a different measure from the worldwide totals in the first table, so do not rank them against Avatar. Box Office Mojo offers both Domestic and Worldwide all-time views, and the chart view you pick decides which kind of number you are reading. Within the superhero group, the table tells you which studio is behind the biggest releases: Disney holds two of the three, and Sony the other.
Which studios own the top films
Disney is the studio most often attached to the biggest titles on the Box Office Mojo charts, but Sony and Warner Bros. each own a key entry. The rows below are the main films by distributor, with context from Avalanche Studios’ guide to the largest studios and the Box Office Mojo release chart.
- Walt Disney Studios. Distributed Avengers: Endgame and Deadpool & Wolverine. It also released Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Dec 18, 2015, which the chart lists at $936,662,225. Disney’s group encompasses Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, which explains how one company holds so many franchises. It bought 20th Century Studios in 2019 for around $71 billion.
- Sony Pictures. Distributed Spider-Man: No Way Home. Columbia Pictures is now a subsidiary of Sony Pictures, a useful detail when older studio names appear in credits.
- Warner Bros. Distributed Barbie, released Jul 21, 2023, which the chart lists at $636,238,421. It is the standout non-franchise-sequel title among these examples.
- Universal Pictures. Founded in 1912, it is the oldest film studio in the US, though none of the grosses above are attributed to it here.
When a question asks who owns a film, check whether it means the distributor on the chart or the production company behind the brand. The two can differ, and the chart lists the distributor.
A checklist for comparing grosses fairly
Use these steps before quoting a total or declaring a new record.
- Pick the chart view first. Choose Domestic or Worldwide on Box Office Mojo before comparing any two films.
- Note the data date. The release chart carries a timestamp, such as Data as of Mon Oct 26, 16:49 PDT, and a film still in cinemas will have moved on since.
- Ask what the total includes. If it covers reissues, call it a lifetime figure rather than an opening-run figure.
- Compare like with like. Keep unadjusted totals with unadjusted totals, and keep single-territory records apart from worldwide ones.
- Look at the other end too. Pair a record-breaker with the biggest box office flops to see how wide the range of outcomes is.
Frequently asked questions
Which family films top the rating-based charts?
Box Office Mojo’s Top Lifetime Grosses chart lists Inside Out 2 at $652,980,194 for PG and Toy Story 4 at $434,038,008 for G.
Can I see grosses for a single country?
Yes. Box Office Mojo’s all-time charts offer national options such as Argentina, Australia and Belgium alongside the Domestic and Worldwide views.
What is the biggest single day on the release chart?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day took $169,843,039 on Fri Jul 31, 2026, which was 17.7% of its total on the chart.